What is a 16:9 aspect ratio?
The 16:9 aspect ratio is the current most popular standard format for landscape images, videos, TV shows, and films. It's also the ratio of the dimensions for most HDTV[1], projectors, and computer screens.
The aspect ratio has a standard format as W:H or WxH, where W is the width, and H is the height of an image, screen, or container. In digital space, the measurement unit is in pixels. You can pronounce it "sixteen-by-nine" or "sixteen-to-nine" aspect ratio.
16:9 ratio formula
You can use the following formula and steps to check if an image or display has a 16:9 aspect ratio. First, determine the width and height of your image, video, or screen in centimeters, inches, or pixels. Then, divide the width by the height. If the answer is 1.78 (1.77778), it has a 16:9 aspect ratio.
To find a new width (W) from a desired height (H):
To find a new height (H) from a desired width (W):
Example 1: Calculating a new image height.
For instance, suppose you wish to compress an image by reducing its resolution so you can easily share it on the web. The original dimensions are 1920 pixels horizontally and 1080 pixels vertically. What is the new height of the image if you want the new compressed image's width at 320 pixels without stretching and distortion?
Solutions
Before calculating the new height, you first need to calculate the original image aspect ratio:
By knowing the desired width and the image ratio, you can calculate the new height by using the 16:9 formula as follows:
Common 16:9 resolutions
Below is a cheat sheet with the 16:9 aspect ratio resolutions for various devices, such as images, videos, televisions, tablets, and projectors. You can refer to this sheet to find the appropriate resolution for your device
| Width (px) | Height (px) | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| 256 | 144 | 144p video |
| 426 | 240 | 240p video |
| 640 | 360 | nHD |
| 854 | 480 | FWVGA |
| 1024 | 576 | WSVGA |
| 1280 | 720 | HD (High Definition) |
| 1366 | 768 | WXGA or FWXGA |
| 1600 | 900 | WSXGA |
| 1920 | 1080 | FHD (Full HD) |
| 2560 | 1440 | QHD |
| 3840 | 2160 | 4K UHD[2] |
| 5120 | 2880 | 5K UHD |
| 7680 | 4320 | 8K UHD[3] |
You can use our pixel density calculator to determine your device's pixel density classification and compare it with others.
Common 16:9 screen sizes
Below are the dimensions, in inches and centimeters, for commonly used display and printing sizes with a 16:9 aspect ratio and diagonals ranging from 1 to 98 inches. We have a screen size calculator that provides tools, formulas, and examples to help you calculate your screen's dimensions and area.
| Diagonal | Width | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 1″ 2.54 cm | 0.87″ 2.21 cm | 0.49″ 1.25 cm |
| 2″ 5.08 cm | 1.74″ 4.43 cm | 0.98″ 2.49 cm |
| 3″ 7.62 cm | 2.61″ 6.64 cm | 1.47″ 3.74 cm |
| 4″ 10.16 cm | 3.49″ 8.86 cm | 1.96″ 4.98 cm |
| 5″ 12.7 cm | 4.36″ 11.07 cm | 2.45″ 6.23 cm |
| 6″ 15.24 cm | 5.23″ 13.28 cm | 2.94″ 7.47 cm |
| 7″ 17.78 cm | 6.1″ 15.5 cm | 3.43″ 8.72 cm |
| 8″ 20.32 cm | 6.97″ 17.71 cm | 3.92″ 9.96 cm |
| 9″ 22.86 cm | 7.84″ 19.92 cm | 4.41″ 11.21 cm |
| 10″ 25.4 cm | 8.72″ 22.14 cm | 4.9″ 12.45 cm |
| 11″ 27.94 cm | 9.59″ 24.35 cm | 5.39″ 13.7 cm |
| 12″ 30.48 cm | 10.46″ 26.57 cm | 5.88″ 14.94 cm |
| 13″ 33.02 cm | 11.33″ 28.78 cm | 6.37″ 16.19 cm |
| 14″ 35.56 cm | 12.2″ 30.99 cm | 6.86″ 17.43 cm |
| 15″ 38.1 cm | 13.07″ 33.21 cm | 7.35″ 18.68 cm |
| 16″ 40.64 cm | 13.95″ 35.42 cm | 7.84″ 19.92 cm |
| 17″ 43.18 cm | 14.82″ 37.63 cm | 8.33″ 21.17 cm |
| 18″ 45.72 cm | 15.69″ 39.85 cm | 8.82″ 22.41 cm |
| 19″ 48.26 cm | 16.56″ 42.06 cm | 9.31″ 23.66 cm |
| 20″ 50.8 cm | 17.43″ 44.28 cm | 9.81″ 24.91 cm |
| 21″ 53.34 cm | 18.3″ 46.49 cm | 10.3″ 26.15 cm |
| 22″ 55.88 cm | 19.17″ 48.7 cm | 10.79″ 27.4 cm |
| 23″ 58.42 cm | 20.05″ 50.92 cm | 11.28″ 28.64 cm |
| 24″ 60.96 cm | 20.92″ 53.13 cm | 11.77″ 29.89 cm |
| 25″ 63.5 cm | 21.79″ 55.35 cm | 12.26″ 31.13 cm |
| 26″ 66.04 cm | 22.66″ 57.56 cm | 12.75″ 32.38 cm |
| 27″ 68.58 cm | 23.53″ 59.77 cm | 13.24″ 33.62 cm |
| 28″ 71.12 cm | 24.4″ 61.99 cm | 13.73″ 34.87 cm |
| 29″ 73.66 cm | 25.28″ 64.2 cm | 14.22″ 36.11 cm |
| 30″ 76.2 cm | 26.15″ 66.41 cm | 14.71″ 37.36 cm |
| 32″ 81.28 cm | 27.89″ 70.84 cm | 15.69″ 39.85 cm |
| 34″ 86.36 cm | 29.63″ 75.27 cm | 16.67″ 42.34 cm |
| 40″ 101.6 cm | 34.86″ 88.55 cm | 19.61″ 49.81 cm |
| 42″ 106.68 cm | 36.61″ 92.98 cm | 20.59″ 52.3 cm |
| 43″ 109.22 cm | 37.48″ 95.19 cm | 21.08″ 53.55 cm |
| 48″ 121.92 cm | 41.84″ 106.26 cm | 23.53″ 59.77 cm |
| 50″ 127 cm | 43.58″ 110.69 cm | 24.51″ 62.26 cm |
| 55″ 139.7 cm | 47.94″ 121.76 cm | 26.96″ 68.49 cm |
| 58″ 147.32 cm | 50.55″ 128.4 cm | 28.44″ 72.23 cm |
| 60″ 152.4 cm | 52.29″ 132.83 cm | 29.42″ 74.72 cm |
| 65″ 165.1 cm | 56.65″ 143.9 cm | 31.87″ 80.94 cm |
| 70″ 177.8 cm | 61.01″ 154.97 cm | 34.32″ 87.17 cm |
| 75″ 190.5 cm | 65.37″ 166.04 cm | 36.77″ 93.39 cm |
| 77″ 195.58 cm | 67.11″ 170.46 cm | 37.75″ 95.89 cm |
| 83″ 210.82 cm | 72.34″ 183.75 cm | 40.69″ 103.36 cm |
| 85″ 215.9 cm | 74.08″ 188.17 cm | 41.67″ 105.85 cm |
| 86″ 218.44 cm | 74.96″ 190.39 cm | 42.16″ 107.09 cm |
| 97″ 246.38 cm | 84.54″ 214.74 cm | 47.56″ 120.79 cm |
| 98″ 248.92 cm | 85.41″ 216.95 cm | 48.05″ 122.04 cm |
FAQs
How do I calculate the 16:9 aspect ratio?
The 16:9 aspect ratio is a widescreen format that contains 16 units horizontally for every nine units vertically. It can be calculated by dividing the width by height and getting a value of 1.78 (1.7777778).
For example, the ratio between the width and height of the HD (1280 x 720), Full HD (1920 x 1080), and 4K UHD (3840 × 2160) resolutions are equal to 1.78.
What is the optimal distance between my eyes and a 16:9 TV or monitor?
The optimal distance for your 16:9 TV or monitor depends on its size. Adjust the distance so the screen covers a recommended 30° of your total eye's field of view.
Use our ideal TV distance calculator to help you determine an optimal distance to place your 16:9 monitor or TV. Here are some calculated results:
- 17.3" screen is 2.34 ft (0.71 m)
- 21" screen is 2.85 ft (0.87 m)
- 32" screen is 4.34 ft (1.32 m)
Alternatively, you can use the ideal TV size calculator to help you find an optimal screen size for your preferred viewing distance.
