Wall and height
Frame sizes are in inches (or cm). The wall is in feet: type 10'6" or 10.5. Use How many for frames of the same size, and add a frame size for each other size. Everything is saved on this device.
About the picture hanging calculator
This free picture hanging calculator tells you exactly where to put the nail. Enter the frame size and the hanger drop (how far the wire or hook sits below the top of the frame). You get the nail height from the floor, so the picture hangs at the right height.
Hanging several frames? Enter how many, and the calculator spaces them with equal gaps and gives each nail spot from the left wall. A drawing of your wall shows the frames and the nails to scale.
Features
- Nail height from the floor — the frame's middle at 57 in (145 cm), your own height, or above a sofa or bed
- Rows of frames — equal gaps, centred on the wall, or spread over the whole wall
- Nail spots from the left wall — for each frame in the row
- Wire, sawtooth or two D-rings — one nail in the middle, or two nails for D-rings
- Different sizes in one row — middles, tops or bottoms in one line
- Drawing to scale — the wall, the frames, the nails and the main measurements
- Inches or cm — tape-measure numbers to the nearest 1/8 in, or to the millimetre
- Saved on this device — the plan is still there when you pick up the drill
The 57-inch rule
Museums and galleries hang art so that its middle is 57 in (145 cm) from the floor. That is about the eye level of an average adult. It works in homes too, and it makes pictures in different rooms line up. Some people like 58–60 in (147–152 cm); choose My own height for that.
The nail is not at the middle of the frame. It is higher, but a little below the top:
nail height = middle height + half the frame height − hanger drop
For a 16 × 20 in frame (20 in tall) with a 2 in drop: 57 + 10 − 2 = 65 in from the floor.
How to measure the hanger drop
The hanger drop is the distance from the top of the frame down to where the frame rests on the nail:
- Wire: pull the wire up tight toward the top of the frame, as the nail will, and measure from the wire to the top of the frame.
- Sawtooth hanger: measure from the top of the frame to the notch in the middle of the hanger.
- D-rings: measure from the top of the frame to the top of a ring. Pick Two D-rings and enter how far each ring is from the side of the frame — you get two nails at the same height.
Above a sofa, bed or table
Over furniture, the 57 in rule can put the picture too high or too low. The usual advice is to leave 8–10 in (20–25 cm) between the furniture and the bottom of the frame. Pick Above furniture, enter the height of the sofa back or the table, and the gap. A 30 × 20 in frame with a 2 in drop over a 33 in sofa, with an 8 in gap: the bottom is at 41 in, the top at 61 in, and the nail at 59 in.
A row above a sofa usually looks best when it is about two-thirds of the sofa's width.
Worked examples
These numbers come from the calculator, on a 10 ft wall:
| Frames | Hanger | Height | Nail height | Nails from the left wall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One 24 × 36 in, 3 in drop | wire | middle at 57 in | 72 in | 60 in |
| One 11 × 14 in, 1/2 in drop | sawtooth | middle at 57 in | 63 1/2 in | 60 in |
| One 36 × 24 in, rings 6 in down, 2 in from the sides | two D-rings | middle at 57 in | 63 in | 44 in and 76 in |
| One 30 × 20 in, 2 in drop | wire | 8 in above a 33 in sofa | 59 in | 60 in |
| Three 16 × 20 in, 2 in drop, 3 in gaps | wire | middle at 57 in | 65 in | 41, 60 and 79 in |
| 11 × 14, 24 × 30, 11 × 14 in, drops 2, 3, 2 in, 3 in gaps | wire | middles at 57 in | 62, 69 and 62 in | 39 1/2, 60 and 80 1/2 in |
A row of three 16 × 20 in frames: the frames and two 3 in gaps are 3 × 16 + 2 × 3 = 54 in wide. On a 120 in wall that leaves 66 in, so 33 in at each end. The first nail is at 33 + 8 = 41 in, the next ones 19 in further: 60 in and 79 in.
Spread over the wall: four 12 × 16 in frames on a 12 ft wall leave 144 − 48 = 96 in. Five equal spaces (two ends and three gaps) are 19 1/4 in each, and the nails are at 25 1/4, 56 3/8, 87 5/8 and 118 3/4 in.
In metric: three 40 × 50 cm frames with a 5 cm drop and 8 cm gaps, on a 3 m wall, get nails 165 cm high at 102, 150 and 198 cm from the left. A 70 × 50 cm frame 20 cm above an 85 cm sofa gets its nail at 150 cm.
Frequently asked questions
How high should I hang a picture?
Put the middle of the picture about 57 in (145 cm) from the floor. Then the nail goes at 57 + half the frame height − the hanger drop.
How do I hang a picture centred on a wall?
Find the middle of the wall and put the middle of the frame there. For one frame with a wire, the nail is at the middle of the wall. For a row, the calculator centres the whole row and gives every nail from the left wall.
How far apart should frames be in a gallery wall?
Most designers use 2–3 in (5–8 cm) between frames. Bigger frames can take a bigger gap. Keep all gaps the same — that is what makes a row look planned.
How high should a picture be above a couch?
Leave 8–10 in (20–25 cm) between the back of the couch and the bottom of the frame. Choose Above furniture and type the couch height.
Should I use one nail or two?
Two nails (or two D-rings) keep a frame level and stop it from turning. Use two for big or heavy frames. A wire on one nail is easy to straighten but moves more.
What if my wall is not straight?
Floors and ceilings are not always level. Measure the first nail from the floor, then mark the other nails from it with a level (or your phone's bubble level) instead of measuring each one from the floor.
Related tools
- Bubble Level — check that the frame hangs straight
- Online Ruler — measure small things on your screen
- Poster Printer — print a big picture on several sheets
- Paint Calculator — paint the wall first
- Inches to cm — frame sizes in both units
How to use it
- Choose Feet & inches or Metres & cm
- Enter the frame width, frame height and hanger drop, and how many frames of that size
- Enter the wall width and wall height
- Pick the hanger and the height rule: 57 in, your own height, or above furniture
- For a row, pick Centred on the wall with a gap, or Spread over the wall
- Mark each nail at the height and the distance from the left wall that the result shows, and check with a level
