Standard Picture Frame Sizes — The IKEA Edition (cm × inch)

You walked into IKEA holding an A4 print, walked out with a “30 × 40 cm” RÖDALM, and want to know whether you bought the right one. You did. IKEA’s 30 × 40 cm frame is purpose-built for A4 — that’s exactly why it’s their bestseller. The trick is that “30 × 40 cm” isn’t the size of the frame you’re hanging; it’s the size of the print that fits behind it with the mat removed. IKEA’s product pages spell this out in five separate measurement fields. Once you can read those five fields, every IKEA frame stops being a guessing game.

The 30-second answer

The frames everyone actually buys are eight rectangles and four squares, give or take. The “30 × 40 cm” on the IKEA box is the size of the print that fits without the mat — IKEA calls this field Picture without mount. The actual outer frame is bigger (IKEA’s Frame width × height field). The visible window through the mat is smaller (Mount opening). And the recommended print to actually buy when you’re using the mat is the Picture with mount number — which, on the 30 × 40 cm RÖDALM, is 21 × 30 cm, which fits A4 (21 × 29.7 cm) cleanly.

“Approximately” matters — A4 isn’t exact, neither is A3

First: prints don’t float inside a matted frame, they’re mounted. The standard way to use a mat is to glue or tape the print to a backing board (the frame’s hardboard back) or to the back of the mat itself — so the print is fixed in position, not loose. “Will it fit?” is really two questions: (a) does the print physically go in, and (b) does its size line up cleanly with the mat opening. A frame with mismatched dimensions still works, you just see the mismatch.

A4 is 21 × 29.7 cm. The 30 × 40 cm RÖDALM’s Picture with mount field is 21 × 30 cm. A4 fits with about 3 mm of vertical play, which the mat covers — clean fit, mount-and-go. The “30 × 40 cm = A4” relationship is engineered close, not measured equal.

A3 is 29.7 × 42 cm. The 40 × 50 cm IKEA frame’s Picture with mount field is roughly 30 × 40 cm — bigger than A3 in width by 0.3 mm, smaller than A3 in height by 2 cm. What this means in practice: if you mount an A3 print behind the 40 × 50 cm frame’s mat, the top and bottom 1 cm of your A3 will be hidden behind the mat. The print itself doesn’t move (it’s glued to the backing), but you lose 2 cm of vertical artwork to the mat overlap. For most photographic prints this is fine — the bottom edge is usually background. For prints where edge content matters (a framed certificate, a poster with text near the edge), it’s not.

A2 (42 × 59.4 cm) in a 50 × 70 cm matted frame has the same issue — the mat opening is ≈ 40 × 50 cm, so A2 mounts behind it with about 1 cm hidden on each side and 4–5 cm hidden top/bottom. A1 (59.4 × 84.1 cm) in 61 × 91 cm is the closest cleaner match (mat opening ≈ 50 × 70 cm, A1 covers it fully with mat hiding ~5 cm top/bottom and ~5 cm each side — a wide visible mat border, but no clipped edge content).

The practical rule: A4 is the only A-series size that lines up cleanly with an IKEA frame. For A3 / A2 / A1 you have two options: (1) reprint your artwork to the IKEA Picture with mount size (e.g. crop A3 down to 30 × 40 cm), or (2) accept a couple of centimetres being hidden behind the mat. If neither works, you’ll need a non-IKEA frame sized to the A-series exact.

Five numbers, one frame — IKEA’s official measurement fields

Pull up any IKEA frame product page and scroll to Measurements. You’ll see exactly five numbers. Knowing what each one means is the difference between an A4 print that sits cleanly behind the mat and a print that rattles inside a too-big window. The example below uses the RÖDALM Frame, 30 × 40 cm — IKEA’s bestseller — and the numbers match the official product page word-for-word.

• Frame width × height — for the 30 × 40 cm RÖDALM, this is 32 × 42 cm. It’s the outer dimension of the frame — what actually hangs on the wall. IKEA reserves the word “Frame” for this outer measurement, even though the box and the product name say “30 × 40 cm” — those refer to a different field. Counter-intuitive but consistent.
• Frame depth — 3 cm. The profile thickness. Matters for shadow depth and for SANNAHED-style shadow boxes, which run deeper.
• Mount opening — 20 × 29 cm. The hole cut in the mat (cardboard insert). This is what’s actually visible: the centre window where your artwork shows through.
• Picture with mount — 21 × 30 cm. The recommended print size when you keep the mat in. The mat overlaps the print by about 0.5 cm on each side, so it hides the print’s edges cleanly with no gap. On the 30 × 40 cm RÖDALM this number fits A4 (A4 = 21 × 29.7 cm) — the frame is designed around A4.
• Picture without mount — 30 × 40 cm. The print size when you remove the mat and let the artwork sit flush behind the glass. This is the number on the box and in the product name. IKEA names every frame after this field because most buyers will at some point have a print that fills the frame edge-to-edge.

IKEA frames aren’t all wood — and a few aren’t even close

A common misread: that “wooden picture frame” image makes everyone assume IKEA frames are real wood. They’re not. IKEA’s lineup spans four material families, and which one you’re buying matters for weight, durability, and how the frame ages.

Two practical consequences:

• If you’re buying for kids’ rooms or anywhere safety matters, plastic-front (every IKEA series) beats glass on impact resistance — IKEA switched from glass to plastic years ago for exactly this reason.
• If you want the frame to age like real wood (patina, take a sand-and-restain in five years), only HÄCKHAGTORN and EDSBRUK qualify. Series with names that sound wood-like (KLOTKÖRSBÄR / PLOMMONTRÄD / RÖDALM) look like real wood but are fibreboard with a paper-foil finish — they wear, but they won’t age the way oak does. Check the Materials and care section on the IKEA product page if in doubt; IKEA always lists the actual material.

The mat is decoration, not function

Most “frame sizes” articles treat the mat as a structural part of the frame — like the glass or the back. It isn’t. The mat is a piece of cardboard whose only job is to add visual breathing room between the artwork and the frame edge. You can leave it in, you can take it out. IKEA designs many of its frames around this duality on purpose.

This is why a single 30 × 40 cm RÖDALM can display either:

• Picture with mount = 21 × 30 cm (fits A4) — mat in place, A4 print sits behind the mat, the mat hides ~0.5 cm of the print’s edges on the sides and ~0.35 cm top and bottom, and you see the central 20 × 29 cm window. This is IKEA’s intended A4 use — the Picture-with-mount field is engineered to A4 dimensions.
• Picture without mount = 30 × 40 cm — mat removed, print sits flush, edge to edge, no border. Used when you have artwork printed to the 30 × 40 cm size itself (e.g. a poster).

Both are correct uses of the same item. Which one you want is a styling choice, not a fit problem.

“Does A4 fit a 21 × 30 cm frame?” Yes, with the mat out.

The matted 21 × 30 cm frame isn’t designed for A4. Its Mount opening is only ~12 × 17 cm — a deliberately small window, sized for a 5 × 7 in / 13 × 18 cm photo or a small artwork. Putting an A4 print behind that mat would hide most of the page; nobody does this on purpose, and IKEA never recommends it. The 21 × 30 cm matted frame is for small prints — that’s its job.

But the same item with the mat removed is a perfectly good A4 frame. The Picture-without-mount field is 21 × 30 cm; A4 (21 × 29.7 cm) sits behind it with the frame edge overlapping the print by under 5 mm on each side, and 3 mm of vertical play. Modern, edge-to-edge look. A4 fits.

The cleaner default for A4 is still the 30 × 40 cm matted RÖDALM (purpose-built for A4 with the airy mat border). The 21 × 30 cm mat-removed option is for the modern, no-border aesthetic.

Mat or no mat — depends on the series

Three IKEA series ship without a mat: your print sits flush at the box number itself (Picture without mount). Every other current series includes a mat. Knowing which is which decides what size print to order.

Practical rule. If you printed your artwork exactly to the IKEA cm number (you ordered a 30 × 40 cm print to match a 30 × 40 cm frame), buy a mat-free series — FISKBO, YLLEVAD, or HÄCKHAGTORN — or buy a matted series and take the mat out. If you have a standard paper print (A4, A3, A2) or a photo print (5 × 7, 16 × 20), buy a matted series and let the mat do the work.

cm ↔ inch — quick lookup (for shopping abroad, or US prints in EU frames)

IKEA UK / AU / EU stores sell cm-based sizes. IKEA US sells the same physical frames re-labelled in imperial-first (8 × 10 in, 12 × 16 in, 16 × 20 in, 19¾ × 27½ in, 24 × 36 in, 27½ × 39¼ in). IKEA standardises frame dimensions globally for manufacturing efficiency — the EU 30 × 40 cm and the US 12 × 16 in are the same physical item, just labelled in different units (with rounding shown to the buyer).

The IKEA paper-size map (which print → which frame)

IKEA’s own picture frame size guide lines up their cm sizes against the UK paper standards. The mapping is clean for A4 and smaller. For A3 and larger, IKEA’s 10-cm steps don’t match the A-series exactly — the print mounts in place behind the mat, but the mat either hides part of the edge or shows a wider-than-intended border. Each line below spells out what actually happens.

• A6 (10.5 × 14.8 cm) → clean fit in a 13 × 18 cm matted frame.
• A5 (14.8 × 21 cm) → clean fit in a 21 × 30 cm matted frame.
• A4 (21 × 29.7 cm) → clean fit in a 30 × 40 cm matted frame — IKEA’s purpose-built A4 size (Picture with mount = 21 × 30 cm).
• A3 (29.7 × 42 cm) → mounts in a 40 × 50 cm matted frame, with Mount opening ≈ 30 × 40 cm. The mat hides the top and bottom ~1 cm of A3. Acceptable for photos, not for prints with edge text.
• A2 (42 × 59.4 cm) → mounts in a 50 × 70 cm matted frame, with Mount opening ≈ 40 × 50 cm. The mat hides ~1 cm side, ~5 cm top/bottom — verify on the product page.
• A1 (59.4 × 84.1 cm) → mounts in a 61 × 91 cm matted frame, Mount opening ≈ 50 × 70 cm. A1 sits fully behind a wide mat border (~5 cm each side / ~5 cm top/bottom) — no clipped content, but a more prominent mat than the smaller sizes give.

If you printed at home on A-series paper, this map is your shortcut for A4 and smaller. For US photo lab prints (8 × 10, 16 × 20, 24 × 36), see the cm ↔ inch table above.

Plan it before you buy

This is the part where every other “frame sizes” guide on the internet stops. You now know which IKEA frame fits which print — but you don’t yet know how it’ll look on your wall.

Open the HangPlanner demo. Drop in a photo of the wall you’re planning. Pick a known object in the photo — a sofa, a doorway, anything you’ve measured — to scale the photo to real-life size. Now drag any of these IKEA standard frame sizes onto the wall at true proportion.

You’ll do in 30 seconds what 8 weeks of “rough idea, buy it, return it” can’t do: see whether a 50 × 70 cm looks airy or claustrophobic above your sofa, whether two 40 × 50 cm side by side balance the chimney breast, or whether the 30 × 40 cm you were going to buy disappears. Then click through to the IKEA product page for the exact item and colour you want. No paint trial, no two-week return loop.

For more on how to space those frames once you’ve picked sizes, see our gallery wall spacing guide. And if you’re planning a full gallery wall, the step-by-step planning guide covers the whole flow from concept to drilled holes.

Quick FAQ

Sizes verified against IKEA UK (picture frames size guide · UK frame category), IKEA AU (AU frame category · RÖDALM 30 × 40 cm AU), and IKEA US (US frame category · FISKBO US series · RÖDALM US series · RÖDALM 12 × 16 in US · LOMVIKEN US) product listings (current items in stock as of the last review date). Material breakdown sourced from IKEA product-page Materials sections. Field names — Frame width / height, Frame depth, Mount opening, Picture with mount, Picture without mount — match IKEA’s official product-page Measurements section. Last reviewed: June 2026.