LEGO® baseplates: available sizes and how to choose the right one

LEGO® building plates are the flat baseplates on which you build a model, and they broadly come in two types: thin, flexible baseplates that serve only as a base and thicker plates that you can also incorporate into a construction. Which one you need depends on what you are building on it: a city, a landscape, a railway, or a standalone model that needs to remain movable.

Want to set up a LEGO® city but not sure what base you need? Looking for a green plate for a landscape or gray for a road surface? Or wondering why one plate bends while another does not? In this guide, you will learn which building plates are available, what the differences are, and how to choose what suits your building plans.

What is the difference between a baseplate and a regular plate?

This distinction causes the most confusion, and it is important to understand it before ordering anything.

• Baseplates. Thin, slightly flexible, and fitted with studs only on the top. The underside is smooth. You cannot attach anything to the underside, nor can you incorporate them into a model. They serve purely as a base.
• Regular plates. Thicker, sturdy, and usable on both sides. They normally attach to other parts and can therefore become part of a construction.

In short: a baseplate is a floor, while a regular plate is a building element. If you are building a city that stays on a table, baseplates are enough. If you want to connect, lift, or stack modules, you need thicker plates.

What sizes of LEGO® building plates are available?

Baseplates are measured in studs, not centimeters. A 32x32 plate is therefore 32 studs wide and 32 studs long.

The sizes you will encounter most often in practice:

• 16x16. Small and convenient for a single small building or filling in a larger area.
• 32x32. The classic size and by far the most commonly used. Almost every city layout is based on it.
• 48x48. Large format, popular for extensive landscapes and dioramas.
• Rectangular variants. There are also elongated plates, for example for roads and railway tracks.

A practical tip: stick to one base size if you plan to expand. If you work with 32x32, future plates will connect seamlessly. If you mix sizes, you will sooner or later end up with gaps in your layout.

Which colors of building plates do you need?

The color determines what the plate is intended for. The most commonly used:

• Green. Grass, parks, gardens, and natural landscapes. The classic choice for a village or rural area.
• Gray. Roads, squares, industrial areas, and urban ground. Usually the base color for a city.
• Blue. Water: harbors, rivers, swimming pools.
• Sand-colored or beige. Deserts, beaches, and villages with a warm feel.
• White. Snow and ice, for example for winter or polar layouts.

For a city, a combination usually works best: gray for streets and squares, green for parks and verges, and blue if there is water.

Which building plate should you choose for a LEGO® city?

Building a city is the most common reason to buy building plates. A few considerations make all the difference:

Choose one fixed size as a grid

Use a fixed size, usually 32x32, and place the plates next to each other like a chessboard. This allows you to move or replace modules later without rearranging the entire layout.

Think about the roads in advance

Roads determine the layout of your city. Decide whether you will use ready-made road plates or build the streets yourself on gray plates. Building them yourself gives you more freedom; ready-made plates are faster and look more uniform.

Allow for a train track

If you want to add a train track later, reserve space for it from the start. Rails have a fixed curve radius, so you cannot simply route them anywhere. Read more in our guide to buying LEGO® trains.

Build modularly

Build buildings on separate plates instead of directly on one large base. This allows you to rearrange, expand, or clear your city without taking everything apart. This is how most experienced builders work.

For the buildings themselves, visit Town and City, where you will find both individual sets and complete buildings.

Can you connect LEGO® building plates?

Baseplates do not click together because the underside is smooth. They therefore lie loosely next to each other. For a tabletop layout, this is usually not a problem, but there are ways to make it sturdier:

• Connect them at the top. Place regular plates or tiles over the seam between two baseplates. This bridge keeps the plates in place.
• Use thicker plates as a base. They do click together and form a solid whole.
• Build on a wooden or plastic support board. For large displays that need to be moved, a sturdy support under the baseplates is useful.

If you want a display that you can lift and move, baseplates alone are not enough.

Are old and new baseplates interchangeable?

Mostly, yes. The stud spacing has remained unchanged over the years, so an old plate and a new plate fit perfectly next to each other.

What you should look out for:

• Color differences. Shades of green and gray have changed over the years. Two green plates from different periods may visibly differ from each other.
• Yellowing. Older light-colored plates, especially white and light gray ones, may have yellowed. Cleaning will not remove it.
• Printed plates. Older baseplates sometimes had a printed road or landscape. These cannot be combined with plain plates without it being noticeable.

If you're building a vintage display and want to maintain the style, take a look at vintage LEGO® for plates from the same period.

What should you look for when buying second-hand baseplates?

Baseplates are particularly suitable for buying second-hand: they last a long time and are relatively expensive new for what they are. However, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Warping. Baseplates that have been stored incorrectly or exposed to too much heat can bulge. A slightly bent plate is usually still usable, but a severely warped one is not.
• Damaged studs. Check whether any studs are missing or pushed in.
• Discoloration. Especially with light colors and plates that have been left in the sun.
• Scratches on the surface. Cosmetic, but visible if most of the plate remains exposed.

With second-hand LEGO® from De BrickPlaats, everything is checked before being offered, so you won't be faced with any surprises.

How do you store baseplates without them warping?

Baseplates are large and flat, which makes them vulnerable when stored incorrectly.

• Store them flat, not upright. When stored upright, thin baseplates will eventually bend.
• Stack them on top of one another. With the studs facing up and neatly stacked, they help keep each other flat.
• Keep them away from heat. A hot attic or a place in direct sunlight is the most common cause of warped plates.
• Don’t place anything heavy on them. Especially not if the weight is unevenly distributed.

You can read more about organizing your storage in our guide to sorting and storing LEGO®.

How many baseplates do you need?

That depends on how large your layout will be, but a few guidelines can help you estimate:

• A single building: one 32x32 plate is often enough.
• Small village or street: allow for two to four 32x32 plates.
• A real city with roads and squares: it becomes interesting from around six plates, and many builders continue expanding from there.
• Landscape with different elevations: in addition to plates, you’ll need plenty of loose bricks to build up the terrain.

It’s better to start small and expand. A layout that grows is more fun than a large empty area that still needs filling. You can find loose bricks to fill your layout in the loose LEGO® parts collection.

Common mistakes when choosing baseplates

• Buying baseplates when you need plates. The most common mistake: people want to be able to lift or connect something and buy thin baseplates that cannot do that.
• Mixing sizes. This creates gaps and awkward connections as soon as you expand.
• Only buying green. A city mainly requires gray; green is for nature.
• Storing them upright. This will eventually cause the plates to warp.
• Leaving no room for roads or tracks. Adding a train track later is difficult when everything is already filled.

Buying baseplates at De BrickPlaats

At De BrickPlaats, you’ll find baseplates in various sizes and colors, both new and second-hand. Because we buy in many loose LEGO® pieces, we regularly receive ground plates that are available separately.

View the current selection in the LEGO® baseplates collection, or visit our store in Oss to see for yourself which size and color suits your plans.

The right foundation determines everything else

Baseplates may seem like the least exciting part of a LEGO® collection, but they determine how easily you can expand later. Choose one standard size, think ahead about roads and any tracks, and pay close attention to the difference between thin baseplates and thicker plates.

If you do that, you can expand for years without ever having to completely rearrange your entire layout.