Reference · Updated August 2026
Standard Canvas Sizes: The Complete Chart
Every standard pre-stretched canvas size — small to oversized, square and panoramic — in inches and centimeters, with the two things most charts leave out: the depth profile that decides whether you frame it, and which size to actually buy for the wall in front of you.
By the Austin Gallery editors · June 24, 2026
The quick answer
The most-used sizes are 8×10, 11×14, 16×20, 18×24, and 24×36 inches. 16×20 is the popular all-rounder; 24×36 is the go-to large statement size. Standard canvas depth is about ¾ inch — go to a 1.5-inch gallery depth if you want to hang it without a frame.
Unlike paper, canvases come pre-stretched in their own set of standard sizes, sold at every art-supply store. Buying a standard size is far cheaper than a custom-stretched canvas, and it keeps framing simple later. The tables below cover the common sizes by scale — in both inches and centimeters — then the depth profiles and a plain-English guide to choosing.
Small canvas sizes
The studies, gifts, plein-air, and first-canvas sizes — quick to fill and cheap to experiment on.
| Size (inches) | Metric | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 4×4 | 10 × 10 cm | Minis, ornaments, studies |
| 4×6 | 10 × 15 cm | Postcard-size studies |
| 5×7 | 13 × 18 cm | Small studies, gifts |
| 6×8 | 15 × 20 cm | Plein air sketches |
| 8×8 | 20 × 20 cm | Small square |
| 8×10 | 20 × 25 cm | The classic small canvas |
| 9×12 | 23 × 30 cm | Plein air, studies |
| 11×14 | 28 × 36 cm | Small finished work |
Medium canvas sizes
The workhorse range. If you're painting something to keep or hang, it's probably in here — 16×20 most of all.
| Size (inches) | Metric | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 12×12 | 30 × 30 cm | Square décor |
| 12×16 | 30 × 41 cm | Portraits, studies |
| 14×18 | 36 × 46 cm | Finished pieces |
| 16×16 | 41 × 41 cm | Mid-size square |
| 16×20 | 41 × 51 cm | The most common mid-size |
| 18×24 | 46 × 61 cm | Statement work, posters |
| 20×24 | 51 × 61 cm | Finished paintings |
Large & oversized canvas sizes
Statement pieces for a feature wall or above a sofa. Bigger canvases are usually gallery-depth so they can hang without a frame.
| Size (inches) | Metric | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 24×24 | 61 × 61 cm | Large square |
| 24×30 | 61 × 76 cm | Vertical feature work |
| 24×36 | 61 × 91 cm | Living-room statement piece |
| 30×40 | 76 × 102 cm | Large feature wall art |
| 36×48 | 91 × 122 cm | Oversized / gallery scale |
| 48×48 | 122 × 122 cm | Oversized square |
Panoramic & long canvas sizes
Wide, low formats made for above a sofa, headboard, or mantel, where a square or portrait shape would look wrong.
| Size (inches) | Metric | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 12×36 | 30 × 91 cm | Narrow horizontal accent |
| 16×48 | 41 × 122 cm | Above-sofa panoramic |
| 24×48 | 61 × 122 cm | Wide statement piece |
| 20×60 | 51 × 152 cm | Long mantel / hallway |
Square canvas sizes
Squares are pulled together here because they are the format people search for most and the one most charts scatter across the tables above. The common stretched squares are 4×4, 6×6, 8×8, 10×10, 12×12, 16×16, 20×20, 24×24, 30×30, 36×36, and 48×48 inches (10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 41, 51, 61, 76, 91, and 122 cm). 12×12 is the décor and gift size; 24×24 and 30×30 are the most common squares for a feature wall, and a pair of 24×24s over a sofa reads as one piece.
Free to use
Put this canvas-size chart on your site
Run an art, painting, or print site? Embed our canvas-size chart for your readers — copy the snippet below. It renders a clean, responsive table anywhere. The only ask: keep the small credit link to Austin Gallery.
Click inside the box, select all (⌘A / Ctrl-A), and copy. Includes one credit link back to this page.
Canvas depth: standard vs. gallery profile
This is the spec that quietly decides everything about how a canvas hangs, and it's the one most size charts skip. Stretched canvases come in three depths:
| Profile | Depth | How it hangs |
|---|---|---|
| Thin / traditional | ≈ 1/2–5/8" (1.3–1.6 cm) | Lightweight; almost always framed. |
| Standard | ≈ 3/4" (1.9 cm) | The default. Frame it, or hang as-is. |
| Gallery / deep edge | ≈ 1.5" (3.8 cm) | Built to hang frameless — paint wraps the sides. |
If you want to hang a canvas without a frame — the clean, modern, gallery look — buy a gallery (1.5-inch) depth and paint the sides too. If you plan to frame it, a standard ¾-inch depth in a floater frame looks more finished.
Canvases we would buy
Four stretched canvases worth the money
The chart is the point of this page, but readers keep asking which canvas to actually order. These four are the ones we would buy in the popular 16×20 size, from brands that have been priming canvas for decades. Prices are checked at the time of writing and move often; links go to Amazon with our affiliate tag.
Winsor & Newton
Winsor & Newton Classic Cotton Canvas, 16×20
The 16×20 most people should buy once: triple-primed cotton from a 190-year-old brand, standard 3/4-inch depth for framing.
around $25 · Check price on Amazon →
U.S. Art Supply
U.S. Art Supply 16×20 Gallery Depth, 3-Pack
1.5-inch gallery depth so you can hang frameless; the value pack for painters working in series.
around $50 for 3 · Check price on Amazon →
Arteza
Arteza Stretched Canvas Multipack, 5×7 to 16×20
Five standard sizes in one box, the practical way to test which size you actually like painting at.
around $41 · Check price on Amazon →
Fredrix
Fredrix Pro Belgian Linen, 16×20
Oil-primed Belgian linen for finished work you intend to sell; the surface serious oil painters reach for.
around $55 · Check price on Amazon →
Which canvas size should you buy?
Match the size to the job. Learning to paint? 9×12 or 11×14 — big enough to work, cheap enough to fail on. A gift or a small accent? 8×10 or a 12×12 square. The main piece over a sofa or bed? Don't go small: a sofa-width piece should span roughly two-thirds of the furniture, which usually means 24×36 or a 16×48 panoramic. We work the exact proportions out in our what size art for your wall guide.
Do canvas sizes match frame sizes?
Many do — 8×10, 11×14, 16×20, 18×24, and 24×36 are shared by canvases and frames. But a canvas is far thicker than a print, so it won't drop into a normal frame; you use a floater frame built for the depth. See the matching standard frame size chart. Painting your own? Start with the right easel and acrylic paints; printing on canvas instead? See what a giclée print is.
Working on paper rather than canvas? Our paper weight conversion chart gives lb to gsm by paper type, the paint brush size chart publishes measured hair dimensions by size and shape, and the lightfastness ratings reference covers whether the paint you put on either surface will hold its color.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular canvas size?
16×20 inches is the most popular all-around size — large enough for finished work, small enough to be affordable and easy to hang. For small studies and gifts, 8×10 and 11×14 are the go-to sizes; for a living-room statement piece, 24×36 is the most common large size.
Do canvas sizes match standard frame sizes?
Many do — 8×10, 11×14, 16×20, 18×24, and 24×36 are shared by both canvases and frames. But canvases are thicker than a print, so they don't drop into a normal frame. To frame a canvas you use a floater frame, which is built to hold the depth and leave a small reveal around the edges.
What size canvas should a beginner start with?
Start around 9×12 or 11×14. It's big enough to actually paint a scene without feeling cramped, cheap enough that mistakes don't hurt, and small enough to finish in a session or two. Move up to 16×20 once you're comfortable.
What is the standard depth of a stretched canvas?
Standard depth is about 3/4 inch (1.9 cm). Thin/traditional canvases run about 1/2 inch and are meant to be framed; gallery or deep-edge canvases are about 1.5 inches and are built to hang frameless with the painting wrapping around the sides.
What are the standard canvas sizes in cm?
The common stretched sizes convert to roughly 20×25 cm (8×10 in), 28×36 cm (11×14), 30×41 cm (12×16), 41×51 cm (16×20), 46×61 cm (18×24), 61×91 cm (24×36), 76×102 cm (30×40), and 91×122 cm (36×48). A 30×40 cm canvas, a common European size, is about 12×16 inches. Every table on this page lists both units.
What are the standard square canvas sizes?
Stretched squares come in 4×4, 6×6, 8×8, 10×10, 12×12, 16×16, 20×20, 24×24, 30×30, 36×36, and 48×48 inches. 12×12 is the most common small square for gifts and shelf décor; 24×24 and 30×30 are the usual feature-wall squares.
Are canvases sold in metric (cm) sizes?
Outside the US, canvases are commonly sold in metric and in the European 'F/P/M' figure-landscape-marine standards. The inch sizes in this chart convert directly to the centimeter values shown — e.g. 16×20 in ≈ 41×51 cm.