diff --git a/excel_table_cnn/model/rcnn.py b/excel_table_cnn/model/rcnn.py
index 2b2f16b..e263385 100644
--- a/excel_table_cnn/model/rcnn.py
+++ b/excel_table_cnn/model/rcnn.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 from torchvision.models.detection.rpn import AnchorGenerator
 from torchvision.models.detection.transform import GeneralizedRCNNTransform
 from torchvision.ops import MultiScaleRoIAlign
+from torchvision.ops.poolers import initLevelMapper
 
 # Tuned on the 2,613 annotated VEnron2 ground-truth boxes via
 # excel_table_cnn.data.census (2026-07): width p50=8 p95=31; height p50=21
@@ -47,6 +48,17 @@ def __init__(
         roi_pooler = MultiScaleRoIAlign(
             featmap_names=["0"], output_size=14, sampling_ratio=2
         )
+        # The backbone is stride 1, so the feature map is cell-aligned with the
+        # input and the RoI scale is exactly 1. Pin it: left unset, torchvision
+        # infers the scale from the FIRST image the pooler sees — padded
+        # feature height over unpadded image height, rounded to a power of
+        # two — and caches it for the life of the module. A first sheet short
+        # enough (e.g. height <= 22, padded to 32) rounds that to 2, silently
+        # shifting every subsequent RoI read. Symptom: two models with
+        # bitwise-identical weights disagree because they saw different first
+        # sheets — observed as "the reloaded checkpoint performs worse".
+        roi_pooler.scales = [1.0]
+        roi_pooler.map_levels = initLevelMapper(0, 0)
         super().__init__(
             backbone=backbone,
             num_classes=num_classes,
diff --git a/tests/test_roi_scale.py b/tests/test_roi_scale.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d286e57
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_roi_scale.py
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+"""Regression: RoI pooling scale must not depend on the first sheet seen.
+
+torchvision's MultiScaleRoIAlign lazily infers its spatial scale from the
+first forward pass (padded feature size vs unpadded image size, rounded to a
+power of two) and caches it forever. With the stride-1 backbone the true
+scale is always 1, but a short first sheet (height <= 22, padded to 32 rows)
+used to lock scale 2 and silently corrupt every subsequent detection —
+surfacing as "a reloaded checkpoint performs far worse than the in-memory
+model" whenever the two objects saw different first sheets.
+"""
+
+import torch
+
+from excel_table_cnn.data.features import NUM_FEATURES
+from excel_table_cnn.model.detector import build_model
+from .conftest import make_synthetic_sample
+
+TALL = torch.zeros((NUM_FEATURES, 100, 60))  # pads to 128 rows: ratio < sqrt(2)
+SHORT = torch.zeros((NUM_FEATURES, 12, 60))  # pads to 32 rows: ratio > sqrt(2)
+
+
+def test_roi_scale_pinned_at_construction():
+    model = build_model(in_channels=NUM_FEATURES)
+    pooler = model.model.roi_heads.box_roi_pool
+    assert pooler.scales == [1.0]
+    assert pooler.map_levels is not None
+
+
+def test_first_sheet_size_does_not_change_predictions():
+    model_a = build_model(in_channels=NUM_FEATURES)
+    model_b = build_model(in_channels=NUM_FEATURES)
+    model_b.load_state_dict(model_a.state_dict())
+    model_a.eval()
+    model_b.eval()
+
+    probe = make_synthetic_sample(height=30, width=15, box=(3, 5, 11, 21))["tensor"]
+    with torch.no_grad():
+        model_a([TALL])
+        model_b([SHORT])
+        assert model_a.model.roi_heads.box_roi_pool.scales == [1.0]
+        assert model_b.model.roi_heads.box_roi_pool.scales == [1.0]
+
+        out_a = model_a([probe])[0]
+        out_b = model_b([probe])[0]
+
+    assert torch.equal(out_a["boxes"], out_b["boxes"])
+    assert torch.equal(out_a["scores"], out_b["scores"])