ePublishing Knowledge BaseContinuumAdvertisingWhat are common online ad sizes, per the IAB Display Advertising Guidelines?

What are common online ad sizes, per the IAB Display Advertising Guidelines?

For standard ad sizes, please refer to the IAB, which publishes standards and best practices for online and mobile advertising, including videos. The IAB sets the standard for advertising in the publishing industry. Companies that frequently advertise across the Web will be familiar with these size options.

The IAB publishes a PDF with all guidelines for advertising, which can serve as a quick and easy reference guide as you develop your advertising packages. Find that here: http://www.iab.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/IAB_Display_Mobile_Creative_Guidelines_HTML5_2015.pdf

The IAB website also provides guidance on file size for these standard sizes. Find details here: http://www.iab.com/guidelines/universal-ad-package/

Find specs for what the IAB calls "rising stars ad units" here, including in some cases, examples: http://www.iab.com/guidelines/display-rising-stars-ad-units/. These allow for animation, video or audio, and may be collapsible. Sizes include:

  • 970 by 250 (billboard)
  • 300 by 600 (filmstrip)
  • 300 by 1050 (portrait)
  • 970 by 90 (pushdown)
  • 300 by 250, 300 by 600, 970 by 250 (sidekick)
  • 970 by 90 (slider)

Guidelines on mobile ads can be found here: http://www.iab.com/guidelines/mobile-phone-creative-guidelines/

Guidlines for digital video advertising can be found here: http://www.iab.com/guidelines/digital-video-rising-stars-ad-units/

It's important to follow the best practice guidelines presented by the IAB.

Desktop Universal Ad Package

The four most common sizes, considered the Universal Ad Package, are:

  • 300 by 250 (medium rectangle)
  • 180 by 150 (rectangle)
  • 160 by 600 (wide skyscraper)
  • 728 by 90 (leaderboard)

Common Tablet Sizes

For common tablet sizes:

  • 468 by 60
  • 300 by 250

Common pixel screen width for tablets is 800 pixels wide and smaller.

Common Mobile Sizes

For mobile sizes

  • 320 by 50
  • 250 by 250
  • 300 by 250

Common pixel screen widths for mobile devices have been as small as 300 pixels and up to 400 pixels wide.

Please note that these are always changing.