ChartStandard dimensions — nothing to enter.
Frames are named for the glass and mat they hold, not their outside edge. Here is every ready-made size, what it holds unmatted, and what it holds once a mat goes in.
| Frame size | Print, no mat | Print, with mat | Where it is used |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 × 6 | 4 × 6 | — | Snapshots, desk and shelf |
| 5 × 7 | 5 × 7 | 4 × 6 | Desk, shelf, small gallery wall |
| 8 × 8 | 8 × 8 | 5 × 5 or 6 × 6 | Square prints and phone photos |
| 8 × 10 | 8 × 10 | 5 × 7 | The most stocked size of all |
| 8.5 × 11 | 8.5 × 11 | 5 × 7 | Certificates and letter-size documents |
| 9 × 12 | 9 × 12 | 6 × 8 | Small art prints |
| 11 × 14 | 11 × 14 | 8 × 10 | The standard step up from 8 × 10 |
| 12 × 12 | 12 × 12 | 8 × 8 | Square art and record sleeves |
| 12 × 16 | 12 × 16 | 9 × 12 | Art prints |
| 12 × 18 | 12 × 18 | 8 × 12 | Photographs shot at 3:2 |
| 16 × 16 | 16 × 16 | 12 × 12 | Large square |
| 16 × 20 | 16 × 20 | 11 × 14 | The standard mid-size wall frame |
| 18 × 24 | 18 × 24 | 12 × 18 | Posters and large photographs |
| 20 × 24 | 20 × 24 | 16 × 20 | Statement pieces |
| 20 × 30 | 20 × 30 | 16 × 24 | Large photographic prints |
| 24 × 36 | 24 × 36 | 20 × 30 | Full-size posters |
All measurements in inches, width first. The frame size is the size of the glass, mat and backing it holds — the moulding sits outside that, so a 16 × 20 frame measures more than 16 × 20 on the wall.
The size on the box is the inside, not the outside. A frame sold as 16 × 20 holds a 16 × 20 sheet of glass. The moulding adds anywhere from half an inch to three inches on each side, so measure the moulding width before you plan a gallery wall to a tight grid.
Six sizes cover almost everything. 4 × 6, 5 × 7, 8 × 10, 11 × 14, 16 × 20 and 24 × 36 are stocked everywhere and are the cheapest to buy. The sizes between them exist, but they are ordered rather than picked off a shelf, and they cost noticeably more.
With a mat, a frame holds the size below it. The pattern runs 5 × 7 into 8 × 10, 8 × 10 into 11 × 14, 11 × 14 into 16 × 20, 16 × 20 into 20 × 24. Each step gives a border of roughly two to three inches, which is what a mat needs to look deliberate.
Square frames break the pattern. Phone cameras and social platforms made 8 × 8 and 12 × 12 common, but they are a separate family — a square frame will not take a rectangular print without a custom mat that crops it.
8 × 10 inches. It is stocked by every retailer that sells frames, it is the cheapest size per square inch, and it takes a 5 × 7 print once a mat goes in.
The inside. A frame described as 11 × 14 holds an 11 × 14 sheet of glass and mat. The moulding adds to that on every side, so the frame occupies more wall than its name suggests — worth measuring if you are hanging a grid.
An 8 × 10 frame if you are hanging it without a mat, or an 11 × 14 frame if you want a mat around it. The 11 × 14 with an 8 × 10 opening is the most common matted combination sold.
4 × 6, 5 × 7 and 8 × 10 frames take those print sizes directly. Prints shot on a phone or camera at 3:2 fit 4 × 6, 8 × 12, 12 × 18 and 20 × 30 without cropping; 5 × 7 and 8 × 10 are different shapes and will crop the image.
Because they are made to order rather than stocked. The six common sizes are produced in volume; anything else is a short run or a custom cut, and the glass has to be cut to match.