---
title: How to make quick calculations in Sketch
teaser: 'Surprisingly Sketch hides some powerful calculation features. Here are some
  real world uses for that handy feature.

  '
tags: sketch,typography,user interface,design
author: Luke Mitchell
published_on: 2020-02-19
---

As a regular Sketch user, I am always surprised to find features that until now
I didn’t realise existed. I recently learned that you can enter calculations
into some size inputs, like dimensions (width & height), and line height.
Here’s some ways that feature can speed up your workflow.

## Quickly calculate line height

It is common to set a line height relative to the font size, a common way to do
that in CSS is to set something like `line-height: 1.4;`. Sketch can help by
allowing us to calculate the line-height in a similar way.

Select a layer containing a paragraph of text , then find the ‘Line’ input on
the inspector.

The calculation for the line height is: `[font size]*[line-height]`

> You're probably aware what `+` & `-` do. However it's common for 'multiply'
> to be represented by a `*`, another less obvious shorthand is `/` to divide.

![Screenshot of Sketch, highlighting the location of the 'Line' control](https://images.thoughtbot.com/blog-vellum-image-uploads/DzBuyCO3TQCb58sVom0A_calc-1.png)

For example, if your text is 16px, type `16*1.4`, with no spaces, then enter.
We now have a line-height in pixels.

![Screenshot of Sketch, automatically calculated line height (22.4px)](https://images.thoughtbot.com/blog-vellum-image-uploads/lWlwcDRMRqKcN3akWDlg_calc-2.png)

## Quickly resize layers accurately

You can also use percentages in Sketch. Let’s say we want three layers to each
measure a third of our artboard width. Instead of grabbing a calculator try
this.

First select the three layers:

![Screenshot of Sketch, with three layers selected](https://images.thoughtbot.com/blog-vellum-image-uploads/dn4zxpjTuSJy5sc0w9jQ_calc-3.png)

Then, type `33.33%` into the ‘Width’ input in the sketch inspector, then enter:

![Screenshot of Sketch, three layers are now one-third width](https://images.thoughtbot.com/blog-vellum-image-uploads/mZNdK0ZDS1K0cB2Sj5xd_calc-4.png)

Our three layers are now exactly a third of the artboard each.

> **Extra tip** If those layers need some space to breathe try adding a gutter:
> `33.33%-20`

## Other things to try

Try experimenting with divisions, adding, and subtracting around Sketch.

To reduce the size of a layer minus a grid column:

`[current width]-[gutter width]` e.g. `300-20`

To halve the width or height of a layer try:

`[current width]/2` e.g. `300/2`

## What's next

I hope those little tips help. If your looking for more try:

- [Typography](https://thoughtbot.com/blog/typography)
- [Form and Space](https://thoughtbot.com/blog/form-and-space)
- [Balance](https://thoughtbot.com/blog/balance)