When you buy a piece of art to display on your wall, do you know what size of picture frame you will be using?  Do you know if your art is “standard sized” or not?  Do you even know what “standard sized” art means?  Even if you already know, let’s discuss standard picture frame sizes.

In the world of visual art, there are certain standards of size or dimensions.  These govern whether or not you have a “standard sized” piece of art or not.  “Standard sized” art will fit comfortably into one of the standard sizes of picture frame common on the market today.

Please keep in mind that we will be using inches as the standard measurement and will be discussing the standard sized frames available in the American marketplace.  Also, please remember that the size of the images depicted here may not reflect the actual size of the images in print form.  I sized the photos in this article for representation purposes only.  The cropping displayed, however, is accurate to proper cropping proportions for each size or aspect ratio.

For demonstration purposes, we will use these photos of a lake and a waterfall both shot in 4×6 inch format (full width and height) to show the sizes of pictures in frames and crop accordingly.

So, if these dimensions are so important, what are the standard sizes of picture frames?  Glad you asked.

5×7

5×7 is the smallest common single picture frame available on the market.

 

Five inches by seven inches is a popular medium print size for portraits.  This is also the smallest of the standard sized picture frames available on the market today.  Some people like to use this size of photo for wall art.  It is most often available as a stand-alone frame with the option for wall mounting.

This aspect ratio crops a little off of the sides of a standard 4×6 ratio photo but it might be considered hardly noticeable at this small size.

8×10

8×10 is perhaps the most common picture frame size available in the consumer market.

 

The next size up from 5×7 and probably the most popular picture frame size is the eight by ten inch frame.  Many portraits and wedding photos are printed in this size.

8×10 format size crops a lot off of the sides of this photo.  It will take a lot off the top and/or bottom of a portrait format picture or a lot off the sides of a landscape oriented picture as you can see above.

It is, perhaps, the single most popular size for a picture frame on the market today.  This size of frame is available in stand-alone, wall mounted, and both together options.

8.5×11 or Document Size

This size of frame is not often used for fine art.

 

Perhaps the second most popular size is that of 8.5 inches by 11 inches.  These dimensions perfectly fit a standard sized sheet of A4 paper.

Many people like to use these frames sizes for displaying certificates, degrees, awards, licenses, and other important documents.  You’ll commonly find this frame available as a wall mounted option.  However, you’ll also find stand-alone varieties available.

11×14

Now we start into common frame sizes designed specifically to hang on the wall.

This particular standard size of frame is generally where you also begin to see matting being used.  If you wish to mat a picture with dimensions from 8×10 inches to 8×12 inches, this is the size of mat and picture frame which you would use.

You can also find prints being created in this size but, as you can see above, there is some cropping on the ends/sides.

This is a popular size of frame for small format fine art prints.  You’ll only fine this size available in wall mounted options.

16×20

The 16×20 inch format cuts off just as much on the top and bottom or the sides as an 8×10 picture.

The final commonly available picture frame size is the large format sixteen by twenty inch frame.  This is a common size of frame for large prints of portraits and weddings.  This is the general size of those portraits grandparents display of all their descendants together.  You’ll only find this size available in wall mounted options.  Also, you should probably hang it using picture wire due to the weight of the frame and its contents.

Important Notes

Most cameras these days will take pictures in an aspect ratio of 2:3.  This is the exact ratio of a 4×6 inch photograph.  Displaying any photo in any of these listed standard frame sizes will necessitate some cropping.  The only way around that is to mat the picture before framing it.  Then your mat will need to have outside dimensions of the frame you want to display it in.

Many non-photographic pieces of art may come in sizes other than those standard dimensions listed here.  For this you will either need to mat the art or seek out a more custom size frame for your art.  Such are available at local framing shops (often paired with local craft shops) or online.

Conclusion

Standard picture frame sizes on the consumer market range from the small 5×7 to the sizable 16×20 inch frames.  All of these standard sizes will necessitate some cropping of a photo sized to a 4×6 aspect ratio.  Whether or not this cropping is worth it to you will depend on the photo you are displaying.  If you want a frame which is not in this list, you will probably need to seek out custom framing.

Since you’re in the market for picture frames, you might need something to go in the frame.  We sell fine art photography with and without frames so you can take your pick.  Follow this link to our online store where you can buy prints today.

Update: To further clarify some information, the dimensions given here are the inside dimensions of the picture frames.  The inside is the part where we display the picture.  The outside dimensions of a frame will vary by make and model since there are very thin frames and very thick frames on the market for all sizes.

As far as border provided around the displayed photo, that will also vary by make and model.  Very thin frames will have little in the way of buffer or border around the picture’s edge where thicker frames might have much more present.  If you have a matted picture, then the distance between the edge of the picture space behind the frame and the display area of the frame (inner dimension) will matter very little if at all.