Dinosaurs
How long is a Tyrannosaurus rex?
A Tyrannosaurus rex is 12 m · 39.4 ft long.
Tyrannosaurus rex at true scale
- Tyrannosaurus rex 12 m · 39.4 ft
- Twenty-foot shipping container 6.06 m · 19.9 ft
- Great white shark up to 6.4 m · 21 ft
- Football goal 7.32 m · 24 ft
Tyrannosaurus rex (blue) beside a twenty-foot shipping container, a great white shark and a football goal, all on one scale.
The Natural History Museum in London estimates Tyrannosaurus rex at about 12 m long, noting that sizes varied between specimens. The Field Museum’s SUE, the largest T. rex found, is more than 40 feet long and 13 feet tall at the hip. A London New Routemaster bus is 11.2 m long.
Compared with familiar things
- A Tyrannosaurus rex is about 2.0× a twenty-foot shipping container (6.06 m · 19.9 ft).
- A Tyrannosaurus rex is about 1.9× a great white shark (up to 6.4 m · 21 ft).
- A Tyrannosaurus rex is about 1.6× a football goal (7.32 m · 24 ft).
- A Tyrannosaurus rex is about 1.3× a Triceratops (9 m · 29.5 ft).
Can you guess it by eye?
Play five comparisons featuring a Tyrannosaurus rex: resize each object beside a fixed reference, then see how close you were. No sign-up needed.
Play five comparisonsWhat is measured
Estimated length: 12 m · 39.4 ft. Natural History Museum estimate for Tyrannosaurus: length 12.0 m. Specimens vary.
Source: Natural History Museum, London — Dino Directory: Tyrannosaurus. Checked 2026-09-28. The silhouette is scaled so this measurement is exact; its other proportions are illustrative.