Banner Ad Sizes: The Complete Reference (2026)

Get the banner ad sizes wrong and your creative either won't serve, will be cropped into irrelevance, or will look like it was designed by a hostile party. This is the reference you keep open while setting up campaigns — every IAB standard size, Google Display Network requirement, and social platform spec in one place.

Master Dimensions Table: All Standard Banner Ad Sizes

This table covers every size you'll actually encounter across major ad networks and platforms. Start here.

IAB Standard Ad Units

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) maintains the industry-standard ad unit specification. The current IAB New Ad Portfolio (introduced 2017, updated through 2024) defines flexible-sized "aspect ratio" units alongside the legacy pixel-fixed units. Most ad networks accept both.

The Six Core IAB Units

These are the units every ad network must support. If you only have resources to produce six creative sets, produce these.

Performance Ranking by CTR (IAB Network Data)

Based on Google Ads and IAB network aggregates through Q4 2025:

The 300×250 doesn't have the highest CTR per impression, but it has the highest total click volume because of sheer impression dominance. If you run one size, run 300×250.

IAB Flexible Ad Units (Aspect-Ratio Defined)

The 2017 IAB New Ad Portfolio introduced fluid units defined by aspect ratio rather than fixed pixels, designed for responsive layouts:

Google Display Network Ad Sizes

Google Ads serves across 35 million websites and apps. Their requirements are the de facto standard for programmatic display.

Google Ads: Required Sizes for Maximum Reach

Google recommends producing all of these to maximize impression coverage. Network data shows that advertisers with 5+ creative sizes reach 20–30% more inventory than single-size advertisers.

Google Ads File Requirements

Animation rules: GIF and HTML5 animations must stop after 30 seconds. Initial animation loop max 3 times. No strobe effects or rapidly flashing content (accessibility requirement). See image format comparisons for when to use JPEG vs PNG for your creatives.

Google Responsive Display Ads

Responsive Display Ads (RDAs) automatically assemble your assets into ads that fit any placement. You supply the components; Google does the layout.

For RDAs, supply all optional assets — Google's machine learning serves better combinations when it has more to work with. The portrait image in particular dramatically improves mobile story/feed placements.

Social Media Banner Ad Sizes

Each platform has its own ad format system. The dimensions below are current as of Q1 2026.

Facebook Ad Sizes

Facebook's ad system serves across Facebook, Instagram, Audience Network, and Messenger. Design to the recommended dimensions to avoid automatic cropping.

Facebook enforces a 20% text rule informally — creatives with more than ~20% text coverage may see reduced delivery. For the full Facebook sizing breakdown, see our Facebook image size guide.

Instagram Ad Sizes

Instagram ads share the same backend as Facebook but have slightly different optimal dimensions for feed placement.

Instagram crops feed images to a 4:5 portrait (1080×1350) in feed by default — design to that canvas if you want control over what shows. The 1:1 square is the safest if you're adapting one creative across multiple placements.

LinkedIn Ad Sizes

LinkedIn's audience skews toward B2B, professionals, and higher-income demographics. Their ad formats reflect that — professional, static-image-heavy, minimal animation.

LinkedIn's 5 MB file limit for standard image ads is much stricter than Facebook's 30 MB. Use Pixotter's compress tool to get image files down without losing visible quality before uploading.

X (Twitter) Ad Sizes

Pinterest Ad Sizes

Pinterest is a 2:3 platform. Pins designed at 1000×1500 consistently outperform square or landscape formats because they occupy more feed real estate.

Platform File Format Requirements Summary

Amazon DSP's 200 KB limit is the tightest you'll encounter. For large image files that need to hit strict size targets, see the compress to 200KB guide.

For choosing between JPEG and PNG when preparing ad creatives, the JPG vs PNG breakdown covers the quality vs compression trade-offs in detail.

Design Tips by Ad Size Category

Leaderboard (728×90) and Super Leaderboard (970×90)

You have a 90px height to work with. That's roughly the height of two lines of 14px text with comfortable padding. Effective leaderboard ads do one thing: deliver a single clear message with a logo and a CTA. No hero image. No supporting copy. Test: if you have to squint to read the ad at normal browser zoom, it's too complex.

Safe margins: 5px on all sides minimum. CTA button should be at least 30px tall.

Medium Rectangle (300×250) and Large Rectangle (336×280)

The workhorse format. Large enough for a real image + headline + CTA. Treat this like a small print ad: image top half, copy bottom half, or full-bleed image with text overlay. Avoid centering everything — it reads as generic. Asymmetric layouts perform better.

Half Page (300×600)

This is the format you spend time on. Half-page ads have the highest viewability score of any standard unit because they sit in sidebars and survive scrolling. You have a 600px canvas — enough for a real visual hierarchy. Treat it as a mini landing page: hero visual, benefit statement, social proof (one data point), CTA.

Wide Skyscraper (160×600)

160px wide is narrow. The skyscraper format forces vertical layouts. Use tall product shots, vertical lifestyle photography, or a column of benefit bullets. Avoid dense copy — at 160px, 12px body text is 13 characters wide.

Mobile Banner (320×50) and Large Mobile Banner (320×100)

These serve when someone is actively using a phone. CTAs need to be tap-friendly: at least 44×44px touch target (Apple HIG minimum, also Google Material Design). The 320×100 gives you room for a brief line of body copy above the CTA; the 320×50 is logo + CTA only territory.

Social Feed (1080×1080, 1080×1350, 1200×628)

Social ads compete with friends' photos and professional content creators. Ads that look like ads get ignored. Design these to blend with organic content on each platform: natural photography over stock, minimal logo presence, text overlaid where it fits the platform vernacular.

Responsive Display Ads vs. Static Banners

The practical answer: run responsive display ads for reach and prospecting; run static banners for retargeting (where precise brand messaging matters more) and for premium placements where you've negotiated specific inventory.

Preparing Banner Ad Images with Pixotter

Once you have your dimensions list, producing all required sizes efficiently matters. A campaign requiring 12 different sizes from a single master creative is exactly the workflow Pixotter's resize tool is built for — upload once, hit each required dimension, download without leaving the browser.

For file size compliance (especially Google's 150 KB limit and LinkedIn's 5 MB limit), compress your banner images after resizing. Pixotter processes everything client-side, so your unreleased campaign assets never hit a server.

For format conversion — JPEG to PNG for logos, PNG to WebP for platforms that now accept it — use the Pixotter convert tool.

For broader guidance on preparing images for web use, see the image size for website guide and the social media image sizes reference. If you're working out custom aspect ratios, the image aspect ratio calculator makes that quick.

FAQ

What is the most common banner ad size? The 300×250 medium rectangle. It has the highest impression volume of any display ad unit — roughly 40% of all Google Display Network inventory accepts it. If you produce one size, this is it.

What is the standard leaderboard banner size? 728×90 pixels. It sits at the top of pages on desktop. Some premium publishers use the 970×90 super leaderboard or the 970×250 billboard instead — check your placement spec before designing.

What banner ad size performs best? The 300×600 half page has the highest CTR per impression due to its large canvas and high viewability score. The 300×250 produces the highest total clicks by volume because it appears everywhere.

What file size do banner ads need to be? Google Display Network: 150 KB maximum. LinkedIn: 5 MB for images. Facebook/Instagram: 30 MB. Amazon DSP: 200 KB. Google's 150 KB limit is the most common constraint — design within it from the start rather than compressing at the end.

What image format should I use for banner ads? JPEG for photography-heavy creatives; PNG for graphics, logos, and anything with hard edges or text. GIF for animation (max 150 KB on Google, 30-second loop limit). HTML5 for interactive ads on Google's network. WebP is now accepted by X (Twitter) and increasingly by other platforms.

Do all banner ad sizes need to be designed separately? Not necessarily. Responsive Display Ads on Google accept component assets and assemble placements automatically. For social platforms, a 1:1 and a 9:16 creative cover most placements with minor cropping adjustments. Start with 300×250, 728×90, 300×600, 320×100, and 1080×1080 to cover the majority of inventory.

What are IAB standard banner sizes? The IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) defines a portfolio of standard units. The six core units are: 300×250 (medium rectangle), 728×90 (leaderboard), 160×600 (wide skyscraper), 300×600 (half page), 320×100 (large mobile banner), and 970×250 (billboard). Every major ad network supports all six.

What size should a Facebook banner ad be? For feed placement, 1200×628 (1.91:1 landscape), 1080×1080 (square), or 1080×1350 (4:5 portrait). Facebook crops landscape images in mobile feed — if you're running mobile-heavy campaigns, design to 1080×1350 for maximum control. For stories and reels placements, 1080×1920 (9:16). See the Facebook image size guide for the full breakdown.