Parts of a Picture Frame – Molding, Mat, Glazing, Rabbet

All 8 parts on the diagram

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Start here: 5 main parts 5

Molding The strips of wood (or other material) that make the frame. Shaped in cross-section like an L.
Mat (mount) A card border round the picture. It keeps the picture from touching the glass. Also called a mount or matte.
Artwork The picture being framed: a print, drawing, painting or photograph.
Glazing The clear sheet over the picture, framing glass or acrylic. It protects the picture. Works on paper are normally glazed.
Rabbet The recess cut in the back of the molding. A shelf that holds the glazing, mat, artwork and backing.

From the front 1

Miter (corner joint) The diagonal joint at a corner, where two mitred moulding strips meet.

Cut through 2

Lip The front edge of the molding. It reaches over the edge of the glazing and holds it in.
Backing board Board behind the artwork, protecting it from damage and pollution from behind.

How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-27. Wikipedia, Picture frame, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picture_frame , Construction: mouldings in many profiles, generally an L shape that has an upward lip and a level rabbet, the rabbet a shelf holding the glazing if any, a spacer or mat to keep the object behind the glazing, then the object, then backing boards guarding it from physical damage and pollutants; glazing of picture framing glass or acrylic, works on paper normally glazed; frames made from mitred moulding strips. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-27. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

The parts of a picture frame, first from the front and then cut through one side to show how the layers stack inside it. Start with the 5 main parts, then the front and the section.

Read the full guide

From the front

The moulding makes the frame, its strips joined at mitred corners. A mat surrounds the artwork, and the glazing, glass or acrylic, covers both.

Cut through

The moulding is L-shaped. Its lip reaches over the front; behind the lip, the rabbet is a shelf that holds the stack: glazing, mat, artwork and backing board, in that order from the front. The lip keeps those layers in the frame and helps set off the picture, and the backing protects the artwork from damage and dirt.

From the front, the stack in the rabbet always runs glazing, mat, artwork, backing board.

Questions and answers

What is the rabbet of a picture frame?

The recess behind the lip of the moulding: a shelf that holds the glazing, the mat, the artwork and the backing board.

What is the border around a framed picture called?

The mat, also called a mount or matte. It surrounds the picture and keeps it from touching the glazing.

What is the glass in a picture frame called?

The glazing. It can be framing glass or acrylic; works on paper such as prints and drawings are normally glazed to protect them.