How big is The Shard?
The Shard: 310 m (1,016 ft). Measured as height — architectural height.
Source: Wikipedia — The Shard
Where it sits
Among the 23 buildings & towers on this page the Shard ranks 15th from the top by size. The largest in the group is Burj Khalifa at 828 m, which is 2.67× the size of the Shard, while the smallest, Christ the Redeemer, is 30 m.
Stand an adult of 1.7 m beside it and the ratio is 182×: you would need 182 people stacked head to foot to match its size.
In everyday distances
A football pitch is about 105 m long. The Shard is 2.95× that, which puts it at 2.9 pitch lengths from end to end.
Walking at an easy 1.4 m/s you cover 310 m in 3.7 minutes. A jet at 900 km/h covers it in 1.2 seconds.
Next to its neighbours in size
The nearest thing larger than it in this collection is Chrysler Building at 319 m (1,047 ft), 1.03× the size. Both figures are the same kind of measurement, so the gap is a fair one.
The nearest thing smaller is RMS Titanic at 269 m (883 ft), so the Shard is 1.15× as big as it. They come from different groups — vehicles & ships against buildings & towers — which is what makes the pairing interesting.
Against fixed yardsticks
Against three fixed yardsticks — Eiffel Tower (330 m) is 1.07× the size of the Shard; the Shard is 10.4× the size of blue whale (29.9 m); Earth (12,742 km) is 41,156× the size of the Shard.
How this figure was taken
Building heights depend on the rule used: architectural height counts spires but not antennas, tip height counts everything. The basis is named with each figure.
How the sizes are taken. Each figure says what it measures — height, length, diameter or elevation — and for which individual or convention. Everything is drawn standing upright on one baseline so a single scale holds, including things that are long rather than tall. Values come from the linked Wikipedia article for each item.
Read the rest — common questions
How big is the Shard?
310 m (1,016 ft), measured as height: architectural height.
Where does the Shard rank among buildings & towers?
Number 15 of 23 on this site, from Burj Khalifa at 828 m down to Christ the Redeemer at 30 m.
What is the next size up?
Chrysler Building, at 319 m, is 1.03× the size.
What is the next size down?
RMS Titanic, at 269 m, is 1.15× smaller.
How reliable is the figure?
It is taken from the cited Wikipedia article and states its basis (architectural height). Values are rounded, and where individuals differ the figure is a representative one, so expect small differences from other sources.