How Much Does Picture Framing Cost in the UK?

What Drives the Price

A frame is six costs added together: moulding, mat (mount), glass, backing board, hanging hardware and labour. Moulding is usually the largest, followed by glass. Professional framers then apply a retail markup of typically 2-3 times materials plus labour, with 2.5x common, so a frame that costs £40 to make sells for around £100. That margin covers the workshop overheads, the framer’s expertise and the guarantee, which is why a shop quote is always well above the raw material cost.

Worked Example: A 40 × 30 cm Print

Using our calculators’ own maths for a 400 × 300 mm artwork in a standard 30 mm moulding:

• Moulding length: outer frame 460 × 360 mm, so the perimeter is (460 + 360) × 2 = 1,640 mm; adding the usual 10% cutting allowance gives about 1,804 mm, call it 1.8 m (from the frame moulding calculator)
• Moulding cost: 1.804 m × £8/m ≈ £14.43
• Other materials: mat £5 + glass £8 + backing £3 + hardware £2 = £18
• Materials total: about £32.43
• Labour: 1 hour at £15/hr = £15, giving a total cost of about £47.43

That materials figure sits inside the £15-50 DIY band, and at a 2.5x retail markup the same frame prices at roughly £119, comfortably inside the professional £50-200+ band. Swap in £20/m hardwood moulding and UV glass and it climbs fast, which is exactly what the frame cost calculator lets you test line by line.

Is DIY Framing Worth It?

Framing your own work saves roughly 50-70% versus a professional framer. You need a mitre saw, a mat cutter and basic assembly tools, an initial investment of about £100-200 that typically pays for itself after 3-5 frames. For valuable or sentimental artwork, spend the extra on conservation materials whichever route you take: acid-free mat board, UV-filtering glass and acid-free backing prevent yellowing and deterioration over the decades, and the extra cost is small next to the artwork’s value.