How to Choose the Right Size for a Custom 3D Figurine (8cm to 20cm, Honestly Compared)

Pick the size by where the figurine will live and how much face you need to see. For most people ordering a full-body figurine from a photo, 12cm (4.72 inches) is the size we recommend: faces, hair and outfit details stay readable, and it still fits a desk or a shelf without taking over. Go smaller — 6cm or 8cm — only when budget comes first or the piece is meant as a small add-on gift. Go bigger — 15cm to 20cm — when the figurine is the main gift, a wedding cake topper that needs to be seen across a room, or a display piece for a cabinet.

That is the short version. The honest version needs a few trade-offs spelled out, because size charts with centimetres and prices do not tell you what actually changes between 8cm and 12cm. We make these every day. Here is what we see.

First, a ruler check: how big are these numbers, really?

Centimetres on a product page are abstract until you compare them to something on your desk.

• 6cm (2.36 in) — about the height of a house key standing up. Cute. Tiny.
• 8cm (3.15 in) — roughly a credit card's long edge.
• 10cm (3.94 in) — close to a smartphone's width, or a standard sticky-note pad.
• 12cm (4.72 in) — about a dollar bill folded in half, lengthwise. This is the size in most of the photos on our flagship product page.
• 15cm (5.9 in) — near the height of a soda can, plus a bit.
• 20cm (7.87 in) — a tall water bottle's little brother. You notice it from the doorway.

Cut a strip of paper to the height you are considering and stand it where the figurine will go. Thirty seconds, and most people change their mind once — usually upward.

What size actually does to the face

This is the part nobody warns you about.

A full-body figurine spends most of its height on legs, torso and clothing. The head is a fraction of the total. On an 8cm two-person figurine, each head is small enough that fine facial detail, individual hair strands and the pattern on a wedding dress get simplified. Not lost — simplified. Our modelers keep the features that make someone recognizable: face shape, hairstyle, glasses, the outfit's colour blocks. But the smaller the piece, the more it reads as "a charming miniature of them" and the less it reads as a portrait.

At 12cm and above, that balance flips. Faces carry more. A bride's hairstyle, the trim on a suit, a dog's markings — there is physically more room to put them.

So the rule we give anyone who asks in our workshop chat is simple. One person, simple outfit, tight budget? 10cm can work. Two people, a wedding dress, a uniform with badges, a pet with complicated markings? Start at 12cm. You are paying for detail to exist. Give it somewhere to exist.

The sizes, one by one

6cm — the add-on size. Our small custom figurine and custom pet figurine both start at 6cm, from $69. At this size, order it as a stocking filler, a keychain-style keepsake or a test piece — not as the main anniversary gift. Pets cope better with small sizes than people do, by the way. A dog's silhouette and markings stay readable at 6cm in a way a human face does not.

8cm — the budget full-body. Still small on a shelf, but a single person with a simple pose holds together well. If the photo shows one person in everyday clothes and price matters most, 8cm is a fair trade. Two people at 8cm? We will make it, and the preview will show you exactly what it looks like before anything is printed — but check that preview with honest eyes.

10cm — the cake-topper compromise. Ten centimetres is the smallest size we suggest for a wedding or birthday cake. It photographs well on the cake, it is light, and after the party it moves to a shelf without looking lost. Our wedding toppers start here, at $139 for one person.

12cm — the default, and we mean it. Our custom 3D figurine from photo is built at 12cm, from $119 for one person ($198 for two people, $168 for a person with a pet, $178 for a person with a child). That price includes the digital preview, the solid wood base with free name engraving, the gift box and free standard shipping. Twelve centimetres is where the preview starts looking like the person instead of a toy version of the person. If you are torn between two sizes, this is the tiebreaker answer nine times out of ten.

15cm to 20cm — the statement sizes. Our premium selfie figurine runs 10cm to 20cm, from $139 to $399. Pick these when the figurine is the gift — a milestone birthday, a retirement, a wedding topper for a big cake that has to read from across the venue. A 20cm couple on a cake is a centrepiece. It is also the size where guests walk up afterwards and ask where it came from.

One separate note: half-body sculptures are a different format, not a bigger version of the above. They run 20cm to 40cm because there is no legs-and-base proportion to balance, and they suit portraits and memorial pieces. Different product, different logic — do not compare the numbers directly.

What about pets?

Pet sizing tricks people, because a 12cm dog next to a 12cm owner looks wrong — unless the dog is a Great Dane.

Order pets by how the piece will be displayed. A standalone pet figurine at 10cm or 12cm shows markings, ear shape and tail position properly; our pet figurines run 6cm to 12cm, $69 to $199. A pet added to a person's figurine is modelled at a believable scale beside them, which is why the person-plus-pet combination at 12cm ($168 total) works: the dog sits where a dog would sit.

And send more than one photo of the pet if you can. One clear front photo is enough to start, but markings wrap around the body. Side views are how a spot on the far flank ends up in the right place.

Does a bigger size take longer?

No. Size changes the price and the detail ceiling, not the calendar. Every order follows the same steps: we model from your photos and send a digital preview in usually 3 to 5 business days, you request reasonable revisions and approve it, and production takes usually 7 to 10 business days after that approval. Shipping time depends on where it is going.

That preview matters more at small sizes than at big ones. At 20cm, you will like what you see. At 8cm, the preview is where you decide whether the simplified face still feels like them — before the piece exists, not after.

Quick picks, if you are skimming

• Desk gift for a colleague: 12cm, one person.
• Wedding cake topper: 12.7cm–15cm couple if the cake is large; 10cm–12cm if it is a small cake. Our wedding cake topper figurines start at $139 for one person, with couples at $399–$699 depending on size and who joins them.
• Pet memorial: 10cm or 12cm standalone.
• Tightest budget, still personal: 8cm single person, simple photo.
• "I want them to gasp": 18cm or 20cm.

Still unsure? The FAQ page covers photo requirements and timing, and the size options on each product page show the exact price for the combination you pick — no guessing at checkout.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most popular custom figurine size? 12cm (4.72 inches). It is the size of our flagship figurine from photo, and it is where facial detail, outfit detail and shelf presence balance best for one or two people.

Is 8cm too small for a two-person figurine? It is workable but honest expectations matter: at 8cm, two full-body figures have small heads, so fine facial detail and dress patterns get simplified. The digital preview shows you the result before production, and for couples we recommend 12cm or above when detail matters.

What size figurine works best as a cake topper? 10cm to 15cm for most cakes. Smaller cakes suit 10–12cm; larger wedding cakes and couples who want the topper seen from a distance suit 12.7–15cm. Order early enough to leave buffer beyond production time if the piece is tied to a wedding date.

Does size change the production time? No. Preview and modelling usually take 3 to 5 business days and production usually 7 to 10 business days after approval, at any size. Shipping time varies by destination.

Can I change the size after seeing the preview? Tell us as early as you can. Size is set when modelling starts, so the cleanest moment to change is before you approve the preview — after approval, the piece goes into production at the approved size.

Related reading: How to Choose the Perfect Custom 3D Figurine: A Complete Guide

Related reading: See what customers say on our reviews page.