Framing Cost Calculator

Custom framing cost is really five separate line items added together, and this calculator prices each one from your artwork size and choices rather than quoting a single flat rate. First it builds the "frame opening" — your artwork dimensions plus the mat border added to all four sides — and uses its perimeter to size the moulding: cost per linear foot times a 1.2 multiplier, since frame shops typically add about 20% extra for waste and mitred-corner joining. Mat board is priced off the cut-out area (the frame opening's area minus the artwork's area) at roughly 3 cents per square inch, with an $8 floor for small mats, or skipped entirely if you set mat width to zero. Glazing is priced per square foot of the frame opening at rates that scale with protection level — about $4 for regular glass, $10 for UV-filtering glass, $25 for museum-grade anti-reflective glass, and $8 for acrylic/plexiglass — plus a small backing-board charge at 50 cents a square foot.

Labor is modeled as a $35 flat assembly fee plus $2 per linear foot of perimeter, and mounting/hinging cost is whatever archival mounting method you specify, added in directly. All six pieces sum to the total. Real-world framing quotes vary by shop and region, and this doesn't account for regional labor-rate differences, rush fees, or non-standard shapes (ovals, multi-opening mats), so treat it as a solid ballpark for budgeting rather than a binding estimate.