Common Picture Frame Sizes
Before you print or frame an image, the size decides everything: how much of your picture survives, what the frame costs, and whether you can buy it off the shelf. This guide lists the standard picture frame sizes in centimeters and inches — DIN A, classic photo formats, 4:3, square and panorama — together with the aspect ratio each one follows.
DIN A (ISO 216)
The DIN A series is the European paper standard. Every size shares the same aspect ratio of 1 : √2 (about 1 : 1.414), so an A4 sheet folded in half becomes A5 with no offcuts. Because paper, prints and many frames follow it, DIN sizes are the cheapest and easiest to frame.
| Format | Millimeters | Centimeters | Inches |
|---|---|---|---|
| A5 | 148 × 210 mm | 14.8 × 21 cm | 5.8 × 8.3 in |
| A4 | 210 × 297 mm | 21 × 29.7 cm | 8.3 × 11.7 in |
| A3 | 297 × 420 mm | 29.7 × 42 cm | 11.7 × 16.5 in |
| A2 | 420 × 594 mm | 42 × 59.4 cm | 16.5 × 23.4 in |
| A1 | 594 × 841 mm | 59.4 × 84.1 cm | 23.4 × 33.1 in |
| A0 | 841 × 1189 mm | 84.1 × 118.9 cm | 33.1 × 46.8 in |
Classic photo sizes (3:2)
Most cameras — film and digital, full-frame and APS-C — shoot 3:2. These sizes match that ratio exactly, so a 3:2 photograph fills the frame edge to edge with nothing cropped.
| Size | Centimeters | Inches |
|---|---|---|
| 10 × 15 cm | 4 × 6 in | 1.5 : 1 |
| 15 × 22.5 cm | 6 × 9 in | 1.5 : 1 |
| 20 × 30 cm | 8 × 12 in | 1.5 : 1 |
| 30 × 45 cm | 12 × 18 in | 1.5 : 1 |
| 40 × 60 cm | 16 × 24 in | 1.5 : 1 |
| 50 × 75 cm | 20 × 30 in | 1.5 : 1 |
| 60 × 90 cm | 24 × 36 in | 1.5 : 1 |
| 70 × 105 cm | 28 × 42 in | 1.5 : 1 |
4:3 sizes
4:3 is the classic compact-camera and smartphone sensor ratio, and many standard frames follow it. A 4:3 image drops into these sizes without any crop.
| Size | Centimeters | Inches |
|---|---|---|
| 15 × 20 cm | 6 × 8 in | 4:3 |
| 18 × 24 cm | 7 × 9.5 in | 4:3 |
| 30 × 40 cm | 12 × 16 in | 4:3 |
| 40 × 53.3 cm | 16 × 21 in | 4:3 |
| 50 × 66.7 cm | 20 × 26 in | 4:3 |
| 60 × 80 cm | 24 × 32 in | 4:3 |
Square sizes (1:1)
Square frames are popular for portraits, Instagram-style prints and galleries of mixed work. A 1:1 image fills them exactly; anything else needs a passepartout or a crop.
| Size | Centimeters | Inches |
|---|---|---|
| 20 × 20 cm | 8 × 8 in | 1:1 |
| 30 × 30 cm | 12 × 12 in | 1:1 |
| 40 × 40 cm | 16 × 16 in | 1:1 |
| 50 × 50 cm | 20 × 20 in | 1:1 |
| 60 × 60 cm | 24 × 24 in | 1:1 |
| 70 × 70 cm | 28 × 28 in | 1:1 |
Panorama sizes (16:9)
16:9 is the widescreen video and panorama ratio. Ready-made frames at this ratio are rare — for large panoramas, custom framing or a passepartout is usually the realistic route.
| Size | Centimeters | Inches |
|---|---|---|
| 20 × 35.6 cm | 8 × 14 in | 1.8 : 1 |
| 30 × 53.3 cm | 12 × 21 in | 1.8 : 1 |
| 40 × 71.1 cm | 16 × 28 in | 1.8 : 1 |
| 50 × 88.9 cm | 20 × 35 in | 1.8 : 1 |
| 60 × 106.7 cm | 24 × 42 in | 1.8 : 1 |
Frame sizes you can actually buy
The tables above show print formats. Ready-made frames only exist where manufacturers produce them. This is the glass size catalogue Ratioframe currently matches against (Modulor changeover frames, Berlin) — sorted by area, with the DIN label where the size is a DIN format:
| Glass size | Aspect ratio | Standard | Available as |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 × 18 cm | 7:5 | — | Wood & aluminium |
| 14.8 × 21 cm | 1 : √2 (DIN) | A5 | Aluminium |
| 15 × 21 cm | 1 : √2 (DIN) | A5 | Wood |
| 20 × 20 cm | 1:1 | — | Wood & aluminium |
| 18 × 24 cm | 4:3 | — | Wood & aluminium |
| 20 × 30 cm | 1.5 : 1 | — | Wood |
| 21 × 29.7 cm | 1 : √2 (DIN) | A4 | Wood & aluminium |
| 24 × 30 cm | 1.3 : 1 | — | Wood & aluminium |
| 30 × 30 cm | 1:1 | — | Wood & aluminium |
| 30 × 40 cm | 4:3 | — | Wood & aluminium |
| 29.7 × 42 cm | 1 : √2 (DIN) | A3 | Wood & aluminium |
| 30 × 45 cm | 1.5 : 1 | — | Wood |
| 40 × 40 cm | 1:1 | — | Wood & aluminium |
| 35 × 50 cm | 1 : √2 (DIN) | — | Wood |
| 40 × 50 cm | 1.3 : 1 | — | Wood & aluminium |
| 40 × 60 cm | 1.5 : 1 | — | Wood |
| 42 × 59.4 cm | 1 : √2 (DIN) | A2 | Wood & aluminium |
| 50 × 50 cm | 1:1 | — | Wood |
| 45 × 60 cm | 4:3 | — | Wood |
| 50 × 60 cm | 1.2 : 1 | — | Wood & aluminium |
| 50 × 65 cm | 1.3 : 1 | — | Wood |
| 50 × 70 cm | 1 : √2 (DIN) | — | Wood & aluminium |
| 60 × 60 cm | 1:1 | — | Wood |
| 50 × 75 cm | 1.5 : 1 | — | Wood |
| 60 × 80 cm | 4:3 | — | Wood & aluminium |
| 70 × 70 cm | 1:1 | — | Wood |
| 59.4 × 84 cm | 1 : √2 (DIN) | A1 | Wood & aluminium |
| 60 × 90 cm | 1.5 : 1 | — | Wood |
| 70 × 90 cm | 1.3 : 1 | — | Wood |
| 70 × 100 cm | 1 : √2 (DIN) | — | Wood & aluminium |
| 84 × 118.9 cm | 1 : √2 (DIN) | A0 | Aluminium |
Notice the gaps: there are no ready-made 3:2 or 16:9 frames in this catalogue at all, and popular photography sizes like 50 × 70 cm sit roughly 1 % away from the DIN ratio rather than exactly on it. When a frame does not match your image's ratio, a passepartout is the standard fix — the frame stays standard, the visible window is cut to your picture.
Why the aspect ratio matters more than the size
Any image can be printed at any size — the ratio decides how much of it survives. If your photo is 4:3 and the frame is DIN A (1 : √2), something has to go: either the image gets cropped, or a passepartout covers the difference. The same photo in a 30 × 40 cm frame keeps 100 % of its pixels; in an A3 frame it loses a strip on two sides.
Instead of calculating this by hand, you can compare every standard format directly on your own image:
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