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What is a D-ring hanger?
A D-ring is a D-shaped metal ring screwed to the back of a wood frame; two of them, usually joined by wire, carry the frame. CustomPictureFrames sizes them by weight: small under 10 lb, medium 10 to 25 lb, large over 25 lb. Place each a quarter to a third of the way down.
Diagram: D-ring positions on a frame back. Schematic, not to scale.
Placement and size
| Point | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Placement | One quarter to one third of the frame height down from the top, about 1 to 2 in in from each side, openings facing up | CPFH |
| Small ring | Frames under 10 lb | CPFH |
| Medium ring | 10 to 25 lb | CPFH |
| Large ring | Over 25 lb | CPFH |
| Standing | Called the industry standard wood-frame hanger; the two-hole version is versatile and heavy-duty | PHS |
| Catch | Hanging on several wall nails means lining the rings up with the nails, harder than one hole | PHS |
Ring position for common frame heights
Distance down from the top = frame height divided by 4 and by 3. Inches first, then the cm for the height only.
| Frame height (in) | cm | Quarter down (in) | Third down (in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 25.4 | 2.5 | 3.3 |
| 16 | 40.6 | 4 | 5.3 |
| 20 | 50.8 | 5 | 6.7 |
| 24 | 61 | 6 | 8 |
| 30 | 76.2 | 7.5 | 10 |
| 36 | 91.4 | 9 | 12 |
Wire is added between the two rings; see picture wire. The ring is only as strong as its screws and the frame rail behind it, so a large ring on a thin rail is not a heavy-duty setup.
Sources
- Picture Hang Solutions: a beginner's guide to 4 types of picture hangers (fetched 2026-11-12)
- CustomPictureFrames: installing picture frame hanging hardware (fetched 2026-11-12)
Figures from these pages are paraphrased and re-checked on 2026-11-12. Where two sources disagree, both figures are shown. Hardware and wall products vary, so follow the pack instructions.