Index Tab Divider Dimensions
Tabzoola's complete size reference for custom index tab dividers, published from our own production numbers — we die-cut these dimensions every day. Tab length is simply the working length of the tabbed edge divided by the cut; everything else on the sheet is fixed.
Fixed dimensions (every cut)
| Body sheet | 8.5 × 11 in (letter) |
| Tab extension beyond body | 0.5 in |
| Finished sheet with tab | 9 × 11 in (portrait) · 11 × 9 in (hanging) |
| Working length, portrait & hanging layouts | 10 in |
| Working length, landscape side-tab layout | 7.5 in |
| Paper stocks | 90# or 110# index |
| Poly gauge | .015 in plastic |
A note on paper sizes: legal paper is 8.5 × 14 inches — three inches longer than the letter sheet above — and Tabzoola die-cuts legal-size (8.5″ × 14″) tab dividers too. Since 2026-09-08 they are priced in the designer on paper stock, alongside letter. Where the tabs sit decides what those three inches buy you: side tabs step down the 14″ edge, so the working length grows from 10″ to 13″ and every tab gets longer at the same cut. Bottom tabs stay on the 8.5″ edge, so they are the same die and the same tab sizes as letter — only the page is longer. Legal in poly is still quoted; email sales@tabzoola.com with your section list.
The designer applies them live — pick a cut and it shows the exact tab width, working width and finished size for your set, priced, with a free PDF proof. If someone else signs off on the spec, print it as a one-page sheet with the cut, stock, punching, collation and lead time filled in.
Download this reference as a dataset
The Tabzoola Tab Geometry Dataset (v1.4.0) — every number on this page as machine-readable data, from our own die specifications. Free under CC BY 4.0 (attribution required).
Tab length by cut
Length of each tab along the tabbed edge. 10" edge = portrait side tabs (letter) and the landscape hanging layout; 7.5" edge = bottom tabs, letter or legal; 13" edge = legal side tabs.
| Cut | Tabs per bank | Tab length (10" edge) | Tab length (7.5" edge) | Tab length (13" edge) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 | 2 | 5.00 in | 3.75 in | 6.50 in |
| 1/3 | 3 | 3.33 in | 2.50 in | 4.33 in |
| 1/4 | 4 | 2.50 in | 1.88 in | 3.25 in |
| 1/5 | 5 | 2.00 in | 1.50 in | 2.60 in |
| 1/6 | 6 | 1.67 in | 1.25 in | 2.17 in |
| 1/7 | 7 | 1.43 in | 1.07 in | 1.86 in |
| 1/8 | 8 | 1.25 in | 0.94 in | 1.63 in |
| 1/9 | 9 | 1.11 in | 0.83 in | 1.44 in |
| 1/10 | 10 | 1.00 in | 0.75 in | 1.30 in |
| 1/11 | 11 | 0.91 in | 0.68 in | 1.18 in |
| 1/12 | 12 | 0.83 in | 0.63 in | 1.08 in |
| 1/13 | 13 | 0.77 in | 0.58 in | 1.00 in |
| 1/14 | 14 | 0.71 in | 0.54 in | 0.93 in |
| 1/15 | 15 | 0.67 in | 0.50 in | 0.87 in |
⬇ Download this table as CSV — free to reuse with attribution to Tabzoola.
The 5 layouts priced online
Portrait — Side Tabs (standard)
Standard 8.5″ × 11″ portrait page with tabs on the right edge — the classic 3-ring binder divider. 10″ working width; finished size 9″ × 11″.
Portrait — Bottom Tabs
Standard 8.5″ × 11″ portrait page with the tabs hanging from the bottom edge — the tax-return and report format, read straight on. 7.5″ working width; finished size 8.5″ × 11.5″.
Legal — Side Tabs
Legal 8.5″ × 14″ portrait page with tabs on the right edge — three inches more page and three inches more tab run than letter. 13″ working width; finished size 9″ × 14″.
Legal — Bottom Tabs
Legal 8.5″ × 14″ page with the tabs hanging from the bottom edge — same tab, same four positions, three inches more page. 7.5″ working width; finished size 8.5″ × 14.5″.
Landscape — Hanging Tabs
A letter sheet turned sideways: 11″ × 8.5″, bound along the 11″ top edge with the tabs hanging from the bottom — for calendars, flip charts and top-bound reports. Same 10″ working width as portrait side tabs, so the tabs are the same length; the titles read upright instead of turned. Finished size 11″ × 9″.
Legal layouts price online in paper; legal in poly is quoted. Legal-size tab dividers · legal vs letter explained.
Also die-cut, by quote
Landscape — Side Tabs
Landscape 11″ × 8.5″ page bound on the 8.5″ edge with tabs on the right — a 7.5″ working length, so each tab is shorter than the portrait equivalent.
These are produced exactly as the online layouts are; they are not on the order screen. Request a quote.
Common questions
How do you calculate the size of each tab on a divider?
Divide the working length of the tabbed edge by the cut. Which edge depends on where the tabs sit: portrait side tabs run down the 11-inch edge for a 10-inch working length, so a 1/5-cut tab is 2.00" long, a 1/8-cut is 1.25", and a 1/10-cut is 1.00". Bottom tabs run across the 8.5-inch edge for a 7.5-inch working length, so the same 1/5 cut is 1.50". Legal side tabs run down the 14-inch edge for 13 inches. Every tab also extends 0.5" beyond the body of the sheet.
What size is a standard tab divider?
A standard index tab divider has an 8.5 × 11 inch body with tabs extending 0.5 inches past the edge, for a finished size of 9 × 11 inches. That extension is what keeps the tabs visible past the pages in a binder.
What is a bank of tabs?
A bank is one full cascade of tab positions down the page — a 1/5 cut has 5 positions per bank, a 1/10 cut has 10. If a set needs more tabs than one bank holds, the positions repeat in a second staggered bank.
What are tab dividers made of?
Paper tab dividers are typically 90# or 110# index stock, optionally with a clear Mylar strip laminated over the tab and/or binding edge for tear resistance. Poly dividers are solid .015-gauge plastic — no reinforcement needed.
What cuts do tab dividers come in?
Standard cuts run from 1/2 (two large tabs per bank) to 1/15 (fifteen small tabs). The everyday office standard is 1/5 cut; records rooms and legal work usually use 1/8 or 1/10.
What is a tab cut?
A tab cut is the fraction of the tabbed edge that one tab occupies, and it is what decides how many tabs fit in a single pass down the page. A 1/5 cut means each tab takes one fifth of the edge, so five tabs step down the sheet before the positions repeat; a 1/10 cut gives ten smaller tabs. On a standard divider the tabbed edge has a 10-inch working length, so the cut also fixes the tab length exactly: 1/5 is 2.00 inches, 1/8 is 1.25 inches, 1/10 is 1.00 inch. Tabzoola die-cuts every cut from 1/2 to 1/15.
What is a 1/5 cut tab?
On a binder divider, a 1/5 cut tab occupies one fifth of the tabbed edge — 2.00 inches long on the standard 10-inch working length — and five tab positions step down the page before they repeat. It is the everyday office standard and the most common cut in retail divider packs. The same term is also used for file folders, where a 1/5 cut instead means one fifth of the folder's top edge with five positions across it; the fraction means the same thing, but the edge it divides is different.
How many sections can a binder divider set have?
Retail packs are usually 5 or 8 sections, but a custom set is not limited to the cut. Tabzoola makes sets from 1 to 150 tabs: the cut sets how many positions step down one bank — five for a 1/5 cut, ten for a 1/10 — and any set with more sections than one bank holds continues into a second staggered bank. Past roughly fifteen tabs in a single bank the labels are too narrow to read at a glance, which is why additional sections step into another bank rather than shrinking further.
Do you make tab dividers for 11 x 17 pages?
Yes. Tabzoola makes custom tab dividers in sheet sizes up to 11 x 17, so ledger and tabloid binders with 11 x 17 pages can have printed index tabs in the same stock, Mylar colors and cuts as letter-size sets. Oversize sheets are not priced in the online designer: send the sheet size, orientation, punching and tab titles to sales@tabzoola.com or call (847) 397-1200 for a quote, and a free PDF proof follows before anything prints. Letter-size 8.5 x 11 and legal-size 8.5 x 14 sets are priced instantly online.
Custom printed tabs from Tabzoola
Tabzoola prints and die-cuts tabs to order in Schaumburg, Illinois, priced instantly online with a free PDF proof: custom index tabs, custom binder tabs and custom tab dividers with your own titles, legal exhibit tabs, estate planning binder tabs, custom Mylar tab dividers and medical chart dividers.
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Source: Tabzoola, Index Tab Divider Dimensions — tabzoola.com/tab-divider-dimensions
Tabzoola (Anselmo Die & Index), Schaumburg, Illinois. Index Tab Divider Dimensions. https://tabzoola.com/tab-divider-dimensions