Canvas Stretcher Calculator
Bar lengths, mitre angles and bracing for a stretcher frame, and the canvas to cover it.
At a glance
- What you enter
- Finished canvas length (long side), Finished canvas width (short side), Bar width (the face you see from the side), Profile depth, Fold allowance at each edge, Bracing, Price of bar stock per metre
- What you get
- Long bars to cut, Short bars to cut, Braces to make, Length of each brace, Bar stock needed, Bar stock to order, Cost of the bar stock, Canvas length to cut, Canvas width to cut, Canvas to buy, Painting face, Share of the canvas that wraps, Rough weight of the bare frame, Staples to allow for
- Formula shown
- Yes, every step, right below your results.
- Cost and privacy
- Free, no account needed, and nothing you type is stored.
See worked examples ↓ Read the FAQ ↓ Share this calculator ↓
Results are estimates for general information only, always verify with a professional or official source before acting on them.
How to use the Canvas Stretcher Calculator
- 1 Enter Finished canvas length (long side) (cm), The outside dimension of the stretcher, which is the size of the canvas face.
- 2 Enter Finished canvas width (short side) (cm)
- 3 Enter Bar width (the face you see from the side) (cm), Standard bar stock is about 4.5 to 5 cm wide across the face.
- 4 Enter Profile depth
- 5 Enter Fold allowance at each edge (cm), Fabric that folds onto the back and takes the staples.
- 6 Enter Bracing, Any dimension over about 60 cm wants a brace, because the bars bow inward under canvas tension.
- 7 Enter Price of bar stock per metre, Optional. Used for the bar cost.
- 8 Press Calculate. You get Long bars to cut, Short bars to cut, Braces to make, Length of each brace, Bar stock needed, Bar stock to order, Cost of the bar stock, Canvas length to cut, Canvas width to cut, Canvas to buy, Painting face, Share of the canvas that wraps, Rough weight of the bare frame, Staples to allow for, and every intermediate step stays visible under "How is this calculated?"
- 9 Change one number at a time to see what moves the result, that is usually the most useful thing a calculator can tell you.
Worked examples
Real numbers run through this calculator. Open any example to load it into the form above and change it.
A 50 by 60 cm stretcher, standard bars
A 1.8 centimetre profile with a 2.5 centimetre fold, braces worked out from the dimensions.
You enter
- Finished canvas length (long side)
- 60 cm
- Finished canvas width (short side)
- 50 cm
- Bar width (the face you see from the side)
- 4.50 cm
- Profile depth
- 1.8
- Fold allowance at each edge
- 2.50 cm
- Bracing
- 1
- Price of bar stock per metre
- $6.00
You get
- Long bars to cut
- 60.00 cm
- Short bars to cut
- 50.00 cm
- Braces to make
- 0
- Length of each brace
- 60.00 cm
- Bar stock needed
- 2.20 m
- Bar stock to order
- 2.42 m
- Cost of the bar stock
- $14.52
- Canvas length to cut
- 68.60 cm
- Canvas width to cut
- 58.60 cm
- Canvas to buy
- 0.40 sq m
- Painting face
- 0.30 sq m
- Share of the canvas that wraps
- 25.4%
- Rough weight of the bare frame
- 1.21 kg
- Staples to allow for
- 52
Two 60 cm bars and two 50 cm bars, no brace at this size, 2.2 metres of bar stock and canvas of 58.6 by 68.6 centimetres.
A large gallery profile canvas
A 90 by 120 centimetre stretcher on a 3.8 centimetre gallery profile, braces worked out automatically.
You enter
- Finished canvas length (long side)
- 120 cm
- Finished canvas width (short side)
- 90 cm
- Bar width (the face you see from the side)
- 5 cm
- Profile depth
- 3.8
- Fold allowance at each edge
- 3 cm
- Bracing
- 1
- Price of bar stock per metre
- $8.00
You get
- Long bars to cut
- 120.00 cm
- Short bars to cut
- 90.00 cm
- Braces to make
- 1
- Length of each brace
- 120.00 cm
- Bar stock needed
- 5.40 m
- Bar stock to order
- 5.94 m
- Cost of the bar stock
- $47.52
- Canvas length to cut
- 133.60 cm
- Canvas width to cut
- 103.60 cm
- Canvas to buy
- 1.38 sq m
- Painting face
- 1.08 sq m
- Share of the canvas that wraps
- 22.0%
- Rough weight of the bare frame
- 2.97 kg
- Staples to allow for
- 92
Two braces across the short span, 4.2 metres of bar stock plus ten percent, and canvas of 133.6 by 103.6 centimetres.
A small study on a deep profile
A 30 by 40 centimetre stretcher on gallery bars, no brace.
You enter
- Finished canvas length (long side)
- 40 cm
- Finished canvas width (short side)
- 30 cm
- Bar width (the face you see from the side)
- 4.50 cm
- Profile depth
- 3.8
- Fold allowance at each edge
- 2.50 cm
- Bracing
- 2
- Price of bar stock per metre
- $7.00
You get
- Long bars to cut
- 40.00 cm
- Short bars to cut
- 30.00 cm
- Braces to make
- 0
- Length of each brace
- 40.00 cm
- Bar stock needed
- 1.40 m
- Bar stock to order
- 1.54 m
- Cost of the bar stock
- $10.78
- Canvas length to cut
- 52.60 cm
- Canvas width to cut
- 42.60 cm
- Canvas to buy
- 0.22 sq m
- Painting face
- 0.12 sq m
- Share of the canvas that wraps
- 46.4%
- Rough weight of the bare frame
- 0.77 kg
- Staples to allow for
- 36
Under 60 centimetres in both directions, so no brace. Canvas of 52.6 by 42.6 centimetres, of which about 40 percent wraps.
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