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Handcraft

Picture Hanging Calculator

Work out the exact height for a picture hook, the spacing for a group, and the layout that keeps a gallery level.

Home DIY Crafts
The centre of a picture belongs at about 145 centimetres, or 57 inches, from the floor. That single convention is what makes a wall of pictures look deliberate rather than accidental, and it is also the number most people get wrong by nailing the hook at eye level. This calculator turns the gallery height into a hook position for the frame you actually have, and lays out a group of frames so they relate to each other and to the furniture below them.

At a glance

What you enter
Frame width, Frame height, Centre of the picture from the floor, Distance from the top of the frame down to the wire on the hook, How many frames in the group, Arrangement, Gap between frames
What you get
Height for the hook, Height for the hook, Top edge of the frame, Bottom edge of the frame, Centre of the frame, Centre height, Hook above the frame centre, Hook below the top of the frame, Width of the group, Height of the group, Top of the group, Bottom of the group, Frames across the group, Frames down the group, Bottom of the group above the floor, Hooks for this frame
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 ↓

Measure the outside of the frame, not the artwork.

The gallery standard is 145 cm, or 57 inches. Lower, to about 135 cm, over a sofa or a sideboard.

For a sawtooth hanger or a D ring hung directly, enter the distance from the top edge to the hanging point. For a wire, measure how far it pulls up.

Enter one for a single picture.

Arrangement

For a single picture, leave this as it is.

Two to five centimetres for a tight group, ten or more for a scattered collection.

Reset

Results are estimates for general information only, always verify with a professional or official source before acting on them.

How to use the Picture Hanging Calculator

  1. 1 Enter Frame width (cm), Measure the outside of the frame, not the artwork.
  2. 2 Enter Frame height (cm)
  3. 3 Enter Centre of the picture from the floor (cm), The gallery standard is 145 cm, or 57 inches. Lower, to about 135 cm, over a sofa or a sideboard.
  4. 4 Enter Distance from the top of the frame down to the wire on the hook (cm), For a sawtooth hanger or a D ring hung directly, enter the distance from the top edge to the hanging point. For a wire, measure how far it pulls up.
  5. 5 Enter How many frames in the group, Enter one for a single picture.
  6. 6 Enter Arrangement, For a single picture, leave this as it is.
  7. 7 Enter Gap between frames (cm), Two to five centimetres for a tight group, ten or more for a scattered collection.
  8. 8 Press Calculate. You get Height for the hook, Height for the hook, Top edge of the frame, Bottom edge of the frame, Centre of the frame, Centre height, Hook above the frame centre, Hook below the top of the frame, Width of the group, Height of the group, Top of the group, Bottom of the group, Frames across the group, Frames down the group, Bottom of the group above the floor, Hooks for this frame, and every intermediate step stays visible under "How is this calculated?"
  9. 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 single 40 by 50 cm frame

Centred at the standard 145 cm with a 10 cm wire drop.

You enter

Frame width
40 cm
Frame height
50 cm
Centre of the picture from the floor
145 cm
Distance from the top of the frame down to the wire on the hook
10 cm
How many frames in the group
1
Arrangement
1
Gap between frames
4 cm

You get

Height for the hook
160.00 cm
Height for the hook
62.99 in
Top edge of the frame
170.00 cm
Bottom edge of the frame
120.00 cm
Centre of the frame
145.00 cm
Centre height
57.09 in
Hook above the frame centre
15.00 cm
Hook below the top of the frame
15.00 cm
Width of the group
40.00 cm
Height of the group
50.00 cm
Top of the group
170.00 cm
Bottom of the group
120.00 cm
Frames across the group
1
Frames down the group
1
Bottom of the group above the floor
120.00 cm
Hooks for this frame
1

The top edge is at 170 cm and the hook goes at 160 cm, which is 63 inches. The bottom edge at 120 cm is the figure to check against the furniture.

Open this example in the calculator →

A picture over a sofa

A 60 by 45 cm frame hung lower so it relates to the furniture.

You enter

Frame width
60 cm
Frame height
45 cm
Centre of the picture from the floor
130 cm
Distance from the top of the frame down to the wire on the hook
8 cm
How many frames in the group
1
Arrangement
1
Gap between frames
4 cm

You get

Height for the hook
144.50 cm
Height for the hook
56.89 in
Top edge of the frame
152.50 cm
Bottom edge of the frame
107.50 cm
Centre of the frame
130.00 cm
Centre height
51.18 in
Hook above the frame centre
14.50 cm
Hook below the top of the frame
14.50 cm
Width of the group
60.00 cm
Height of the group
45.00 cm
Top of the group
152.50 cm
Bottom of the group
107.50 cm
Frames across the group
1
Frames down the group
1
Bottom of the group above the floor
107.50 cm
Hooks for this frame
1

Lowering the centre to 130 cm puts the bottom edge at 107.5 cm, about 20 cm above a typical sofa back.

Open this example in the calculator →

A pair of frames side by side

Two 30 by 40 cm frames with a 4 cm gap, hung as one group.

You enter

Frame width
30 cm
Frame height
40 cm
Centre of the picture from the floor
145 cm
Distance from the top of the frame down to the wire on the hook
7 cm
How many frames in the group
2
Arrangement
2
Gap between frames
4 cm

You get

Height for the hook
158.00 cm
Height for the hook
62.20 in
Top edge of the frame
165.00 cm
Bottom edge of the frame
125.00 cm
Centre of the frame
145.00 cm
Centre height
57.09 in
Hook above the frame centre
13.00 cm
Hook below the top of the frame
13.00 cm
Width of the group
64.00 cm
Height of the group
40.00 cm
Top of the group
165.00 cm
Bottom of the group
125.00 cm
Frames across the group
2
Frames down the group
1
Bottom of the group above the floor
125.00 cm
Hooks for this frame
2

The block is 64 cm wide and 40 cm tall, so both frames share the same centre line at 145 cm. With a 7 cm wire drop the hooks go at 158 cm in both cases.

Open this example in the calculator →

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Frequently asked questions

At what height should I hang a picture?
The centre of the picture should be about 145 centimetres, or 57 inches, from the floor. That is the museum and gallery standard and it suits a standing adult eye level. Over a sofa or a sideboard, hang it lower so the bottom edge sits 15 to 25 centimetres above the furniture, which makes the picture read as belonging to that piece. In a hallway where people are always standing, the 145 centimetre rule is the right one.
How do I work out where to put the hook?
Take the height of the frame centre, add half the frame height to get the top edge, then subtract the distance from the top edge down to where the wire sits on the hook. A 50 centimetre tall frame centred at 145 centimetres has its top at 170 centimetres, and with a 10 centimetre wire drop the hook goes at 160 centimetres. The wire drop is the number people forget, and it is why a picture hung by eye usually ends up too high.
Should I use one hook or two?
Two hooks on the same wire for anything wider than about 60 centimetres. Two hooks share the load, stop the frame tilting to one side over time, and keep the picture level when the wall is not quite flat. Set them apart by roughly a third of the frame width and make sure both are at exactly the same height, or the wire will ride on one and the frame will sit crooked.
How much weight will a picture hook hold?
The figure on the packet is a static limit under ideal conditions in sound plaster or plasterboard, and it is not a working allowance for a frame that gets knocked. Use a hook rated comfortably above the weight of the frame, glass and mount together, which is often more than people estimate: a glazed 40 by 50 centimetre frame can weigh three kilograms or more. For heavy mirrors and large glazed frames, fix into a stud or use a plasterboard fixing rated for the load, and follow the manufacturer instructions.
How far apart should pictures be in a group?
Two to five centimetres between frames for a tight, deliberate group, and ten or more if you want a scattered arrangement. Hang the group as if it were one picture: measure the whole block, put its centre at 145 centimetres, and work the individual frames from there. Laying the frames out on the floor first is the fastest way to find a layout you are happy with before any holes are made.

More money questions answered →

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