Guide

Banner Ad Sizes: Desktop & Mobile Size Chart

A banner ad size is the width and height of a display creative in pixels.

Common banner ad sizes at a glance

Banner ad size normally means the pixel dimensions of a display creative: width by height. Common banner sizes are useful reference points when you are planning a placement or checking a file. They are not a specification that every publisher, platform, or ad network uses.

The size a campaign file needs depends on the publisher, the platform, the placement, and the workflow. Dimensions are also only one part of the creative requirements. Formats, file size, and a landing URL still have to be defined. Ad creative specifications explains those checks.

The names in this table are useful labels for fixed display sizes people often encounter. They are not universal publisher terminology, and a placement does not have to accept any of them.

Common desktop banner sizes

Desktop display placements often reserve a fixed box. The box can be compact, wide, or tall, because a homepage, a sidebar, and an article page do not share one layout. A publisher may offer several of these sizes. Another publisher may offer none of them.

Rectangular placements

300 × 250, often called a medium rectangle, is a compact block. 336 × 280, often called a large rectangle, is a slightly larger block with the same 6:5 proportion. 250 × 250, often called a square, is a different shape. A file made for one of these does not match the others.

Horizontal placements

468 × 60 is often called a full banner. 728 × 90 is the size often called a leaderboard: wide and short. 970 × 90, a large leaderboard, is wider at the same height. 970 × 250, often called a billboard, keeps that wide footprint and adds height. A file made for one of these will not match the others.

Vertical placements

120 × 600, often called a skyscraper, is a tall narrow unit. 160 × 600, a wide skyscraper, is a wider sidebar-style unit. 300 × 600, a half-page, is a larger vertical block. All three are tall. They are not interchangeable.

Common mobile banner sizes

Mobile layouts have less horizontal room than a desktop page. A wide desktop leaderboard often will not fit. Common compact horizontal examples are 300 × 50, 320 × 50, and 320 × 100. 300 × 50 is often called a mobile banner. 320 × 50 is often called a mobile leaderboard. 320 × 100 is often called a large mobile banner because it is taller.

These are not the only mobile formats. A placement can ask for a larger unit, a square, or an aspect ratio instead of one exact pixel size.

Banner dimensions vs aspect ratio

Dimensions are an exact width and height in pixels. Aspect ratio is the proportion between those two numbers. 300 × 250 and 336 × 280 are both 6:5, and they are not the same banner size. Aspect ratio vs dimensions explains that difference in more detail.

If the placement reserves one box, the creative has to match that pixel size. If the placement only requires the proportion, more than one pixel size can fit. Ad creative specifications explains how to write that requirement, including when pixel size does not apply.

Fixed banner sizes vs responsive ad formats

A fixed-size creative is built for one width and one height, such as 728 × 90. A responsive or flexible format can adapt to the space the page has available. Modern workflows may therefore ask for exact dimensions, an aspect ratio, or another rule, depending on the placement.

Fixed banners are not obsolete. They are still the right request when a placement has one reserved size. The specification should say which rule applies, so a list of common display ad dimensions is not mistaken for the brief.

Banner dimensions are not the same as file size

300 × 250 describes pixels. KB or MB describes how heavy the file is. Two advertising files with identical pixel dimensions can have different file sizes because of format, compression, and what is in the image.

Publishers and platforms set their own maximum file sizes. There is no single limit that applies to every banner. The limit that matters is the one written for that placement.

How publishers should define banner requirements

Before asking an advertiser for a banner file, write the requirement for that placement:

• Exact dimensions, or the accepted aspect ratio.
• Accepted file formats.
• Maximum file size.
• Number of files expected.
• Whether a landing URL is required.
• Any instructions that apply only to this placement.

That list stops a page of common banner sizes from being treated as the actual specification. Publishers collecting advertiser files, and ad operations teams checking them before trafficking, both need the placement spec in writing. Media sales teams handing off campaign files, and regional media teams collecting local advertiser banners, need that same written spec. Ad creative requirements covers what else to ask the advertiser to send.

Banner ad size checklist

• Confirm the dimensions for this placement, not a generic list of banner sizes.
• Check whether the placement needs exact pixels or an aspect ratio.
• Confirm the accepted file formats.
• Check the maximum file size for this placement.
• Include the landing URL when the placement requires one.
• Validate the creative against that specification before trafficking.

How DropAsset handles banner specifications

The publisher creates a request and defines the requirements for each asset slot, including the banner size the placement actually needs. The advertiser receives one upload link and does not need an account. DropAsset checks the submission against those requirements. The team can see whether the asset is Ready or Needs attention.

For example, a publisher requests a 300 × 250 banner. The advertiser receives one submission link and uploads the file without an account. DropAsset checks that file against the requested dimensions. If it matches, the publisher sees the asset as Ready. If it does not, the submission shows that it Needs attention. An advertising agency can collect the same kind of client file through one request.

Once you know which sizes your placements require, you can collect ad creatives from advertisers through one structured request instead of chasing files by email.

When a supported still image can be downscaled, compressed, or converted without cropping, stretching, or upscaling, Safe AutoFix can prepare that file. The original stays, and a Ready-to-Use file is added only when that preparation applies. Originals and Ready-to-Use files stay separate.

Questions about banner ad sizes