Frame size calculator
Calculate the finished outside dimensions of a picture frame, not its shop label. Start with the physical photo or package width and height, moulding face width, lip overlap and clearance; this page uses no mat.
Result
Package / glass 11" × 14"
Finished outside 13 5/8" × 16 5/8"
Sight opening 10 5/8" × 13 5/8"
Your dimensions will carry over. Add your own artwork next.
- Artwork11" × 14"
- Package / glass (dashed)11" × 14"
- Actual rabbet recess11 1/8" × 14 1/8"
- Visible sight opening10 5/8" × 13 5/8"
- Finished outside13 5/8" × 16 5/8"
Worked example
- Artwork11" × 14"
- Package / glass (dashed)11" × 14"
- Actual rabbet recess11 1/8" × 14 1/8"
- Visible sight opening10 5/8" × 13 5/8"
- Finished outside13 5/8" × 16 5/8"
Inputs
- Artwork: 11" × 14".
- Face width 1 1/2"; rabbet overlap 1/4"; clearance 1/16" on each side.
Calculated result
- Board / glass / backing
- 11" × 14"
- Actual rabbet recess
- 11 1/8" × 14 1/8"
- Visible sight opening
- 10 5/8" × 13 5/8"
- Finished outside
- 13 5/8" × 16 5/8"
Use the finished outside result to reserve wall space or compare moulding widths. This example has no mat; it is not a retail frame-size recommendation.
Continue this example in StudioCalculated with the same FramePlan engine as the tool. Inches display to the nearest 1/16; internal dimensions use 0.01 mm precision. Examples are plans, not measurements of a purchased frame.
Which dimension are you measuring?
- Artwork size
- The physical photo, print or artwork area used by the calculation. Decide which edges can be covered; do not mix image size with a larger sheet of paper.
- Mat window
- The opening cut through the matboard. For an overlapped rectangular image, each dimension is artwork size minus twice the overlap.
- Board / glass / backing size
- The outer size of the rectangular package placed in the frame. Mat borders grow this size; window overlap does not.
- Nominal frame size and actual rabbet
- A shop’s label usually describes the components it accommodates, not the outside. The actual back recess may include additional fitting room. Check the maker’s sizing convention and measure it before ordering parts.
- Sight opening
- The opening visible from the front of the frame. The rabbet lip covers the package edges, so this is smaller than the actual rabbet recess.
- Finished outside size
- The frame measured between its outermost edges. Use it for wall space and long-point rail lengths; do not use it as a retail opening size.
Scope and making notes
This is a finished outside-dimension calculator for a rectangular photo frame with no mat. Know the package size, face width, lip overlap and desired fitting clearance. It is useful for wall layout and comparing profiles, rather than selecting a store’s nominal opening size.
The formula on each axis is: outside = package + 2 × clearance − 2 × rabbet overlap + 2 × face width. Clearance here is per side, so a 1/16 inch setting adds 1/8 inch overall. The lip overlap is a width, not rabbet depth.
Frame sizing conventions vary. Frame Destination’s profile 501 specification names component size and specifies extra room inside its frames. Measure the actual product rather than treating its shop label as a finished outside dimension.
How it works
With no mat, the package equals the artwork. That is the glass size.
The moulding face is not added twice in full. Part of the face covers the glass as the rabbet lip. The outside size is the sight opening plus the face on both sides.
Retail labels usually describe the components a frame accommodates. Measure the actual rabbet recess; the finished outside result is for wall space and long-point rail lengths.
Common mistakes
- Adding twice the face width to the print and cutting rails to that number.
- Buying an 11×14 frame because the outside measurement happened to be 11×14.
- Forgetting that a mat, if you add one later, grows the package before the moulding does.
Frequently asked questions
Is frame size the same as glass size?
Not when you are cutting moulding. Glass matches the package. The outside size includes the face.
What are common standard openings?
4×6, 5×7, 8×10, 11×14, 16×20, 18×24, 24×36, plus A4 and A3.
Can I calculate with a mat?
Use the picture frame calculator. This page is artwork and moulding only.