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Micro World

How small is a collagen fibril?

A typical collagen fibril is about 300 nm across.

What is measured: typical diameter in connective tissue

Collagen Fibril (300 nm) drawn to scale beside a flu virus (100 nm) and an E. coli bacterium (2 µm)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Flu virus (100 nm), Collagen Fibril (300 nm) and E. coli bacterium (2 µm).

Compare

How big is that, really?

  • As wide as about 3 flu viruses side by side
  • As wide as about 12 ribosomes side by side
  • About 6 would fit end to end along an E. coli bacterium

Learn

Facts about Collagen Fibril

Collagen fibrils bundle together to form fibers that give skin, tendons and bone their tensile strength.

Source: Alberts, Molecular Biology of the Cell; Journal of Structural Biology

Micro World

NameSizeCompared with Collagen Fibril
Silica Nanoparticle100 nm0.33×
Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle100 nm0.33×
Lassa Virus100 nm0.33×
Nuclear Pore Complex120 nm0.4×
Cowpox Virus250 nm0.83×
Collagen Fibril300 nmthis page
Vaccinia Virus300 nmsame size
Lysosome500 nm1.7×
Mimivirus750 nm2.5×
Neisseria gonorrhoeae800 nm2.7×

Test your sense of scale

Which is bigger: Collagen Fibril or Cowpox Virus?

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