What is gallery wrap?

Gallery wrap means the canvas wraps around the sides of the stretcher bars so the painting continues around the edges. This allows the artwork to be displayed without a frame. Standard gallery wrap depth is 38mm.

How much extra canvas do I need for stapling?

Allow 20-30mm beyond the stretcher bar depth for folding and stapling to the back. 25mm is a good standard allowance.

What are standard stretcher bar depths?

The two most common depths are 18mm (slim profile, usually framed) and 38mm (gallery profile, can be displayed unframed). Some artists use 50mm or deeper bars for large work.

How much gesso will I need?

Acrylic gesso covers roughly 100ml per square metre per coat (Golden quotes about 125ml/m²), and canvas usually wants at least two coats. The gesso figure here primes the visible front face plus the four wrapped side strips. For a more detailed estimate that accounts for canvas absorbency, use the dedicated Gesso Coverage Calculator.

ArtCalcs

Canvas Size Calculator — Dimensions with Wrap

Calculate canvas fabric dimensions including gallery wrap allowance and stapling overlap.

Canvas Width

Finished visible width of the stretched painting (the front face)

Canvas Height

Finished visible height of the stretched painting (the front face)

Stretcher Bar Depth

Standard: 18mm or 38mm

Stapling Allowance

Extra fabric to fold over and staple to the back; 20-30mm is typical, 25mm standard

How We Calculate This

Fabric dimension = Canvas dimension + (2 × wrap depth) + (2 × stapling allowance)

This adds wrap-around on all four sides. The visible painting area is canvas width × height, while total fabric includes all extra material. Increase the optional fabric-shrinkage allowance if you are priming raw cotton or linen, which can tighten as it absorbs water.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Calculators

Stretcher Bar Calculator

Work out stretcher bar lengths, cross braces and corner keys needed for your canvas. Includes brace spacing for large canvases.

Canvas Area Calculator

Calculate the total area of canvas fabric needed including overlap for stapling. Works for single canvases or cutting multiples.

Gesso Coverage Calculator

Calculate how much gesso primer you need for your canvas or wood panel based on surface area, absorbency and number of coats applied.

Panel Size Calculator

Work out wood panel dimensions and cradling requirements for rigid painting surfaces. Covers MDF, birch plywood and hardboard panels.

Canvas Cost Calculator

Estimate the total material cost of canvas fabric, stretcher bars, gesso and staples for building your own stretched canvases.

Last updated: February 2026

All calculations are estimates. Always verify quantities before purchasing materials.