Standard canvas sizes: the definitive guide

Canvas prints come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, so you can always find the perfect fit for your wall space. 

Standard canvas sizes are simply the most commonly used sizes for canvas prints and paintings. These popular canvas sizes are the easiest to find online and in shops - yes, all of these sizes are currently available at Max Spielmann. 

This means standard canvas sizes offer the easiest, most convenient way of supersizing your favourite photos. From the most popular 20x16” canvases to huge panoramic canvas sizes, this canvas size chart should give you a better understanding of common canvas sizes.

Large standard canvas sizes: 20x16”, 30x20”

Large canvas sizes are the most common choice, as they create an impressive focal point in most rooms around the house. Instead of being used as part of a gallery wall, large canvas sizes are big enough to fill the wall space on their own, so it’s the perfect way to put the spotlight on your favourite photo! 

Extra standard canvas sizes: 40x30”, 60x40”

Since they scale everything up so much, extra large canvas sizes are most suitable for photos of the highest resolution. Any poor-quality pictures could appear blurry when enlarged, but these canvases will showcase any high-quality photos in absolutely spectacular fashion. 

Panoramic standard canvas sizes: 60x16”, 10x30”, 40x10” 

These wider canvas sizes are ideal for beautiful landscape photography, wide group shots or unique photo collages. Whether they’re displayed vertically or horizontally, panoramic prints make a jaw-dropping impact on your walls and show off all the photos that feel larger than life. 

Square standard canvas sizes: 10x10”, 20x20”

Square canvas sizes are fantastic for creating triptychs and diptychs, since they’re ideal shape and size to make a cohesive display. Due to the similar image dimensions, square canvases are the perfect choice for anyone who wants to display their favourite Instagram photos!

Okay, so you already know that extra large canvas sizes are great for large spaces, and medium canvases are perfect for smaller nooks. However, every wall is different, so you’ll need to do some really quick maths to find out exactly which canvas sizes you need.  

As a general rule, your canvases will ideally take up between 60-75% of your available wall space. To find out which canvas size you need, simply measure your wall’s height and width and multiply both by 0.6 and 0.75 - this will give you the range of canvas sizes available for your space.

There’s a good chance you’ll be hanging your canvas above a piece of furniture. Whether it’s going above a bed, sofa or a set of drawers, the size of your furniture will impact the size of your canvas.

Your canvas size should be between ⅔ and ¾ of your furniture’s width, as anything bigger or smaller will look massively out of proportion. To calculate your canvas size, simply measure the width of your furniture, and then multiply this number by 0.6 and 0.75. 

The aspect ratio is the proportional relationship between the height and width of your canvas. This is a huge factor to consider when choosing canvas sizes, since the right aspect ratio will keep your image looking balanced (instead of really stretched!). 

Since the height and width are equal, square canvas sizes have an aspect ratio of 1:1, while the most common canvas aspect ratios are 2:3, 3:4 and 4:5. 

In most cases, you’ll want to choose canvas sizes that have the same aspect ratio as your photo or picture, as this will minimise any cropping or stretching. However, depending on the subject of your photo, you may want to play around with slightly different aspect ratios to test how they affect the composition of your piece. 

Now you’ve got a better idea of which canvas sizes are right for you, you need to start shopping for the sizes you need. 

Max Spielmann offer all of the standard canvas sizes mentioned in this post, including panoramic canvases, slim canvases and gallery-wrap canvases. The most popular photo canvases are even available for same-day Click & Collect, and they’re all printed with sensational HD image quality!