Everything You Need To Know About D-rings and Strap Hangers

They’re small, flat, and easy to overlook, until a frame slips, tilts, or worse, hits the floor. D-rings and strap hangers sit quietly on the back of your frame, but they do the heavy lifting to keep everything in place.

At a glance, they don’t look all that different. But D-rings and strap hangers are easy to tell apart when you know the basics of picture-hanging hardware: weight, frame size, and mounting style. 

This guide breaks down the different types of D-rings and strap hangers, how much weight they can handle, and which ones actually make sense for your setup.

Here’s a rundown of the different types and weight ratings under each category.

So remember, light duty hangers are ideal for small wood frames, pictures, and artwork, while medium and heavy-duty hangers are the best choices for medium and large-sized frames that weigh 20 lbs or more. 

RELATED ARTICLE:  Everything You Need to Know About Wood Frame Hangers

D-rings and strap hangers aren’t difficult to use, but knowing a few do’s and don’ts won’t hurt.

We’ve been hanging pictures for quite some time now, and we’d love to share tips we’ve picked up. Here’s what you need to know: 

D-rings and strap hangers are for wood frames only. Not all picture hangers are compatible with all types of frames, so carefully choose the right ones.  If you want to hang metal frames, too, check out our line of metal frame hangers.

RELATED ARTICLE: Everything You Need to Know About Metal Frame Picture Hangers

Make sure that your hangers have a published rating that supports the actual frame, and follow the product’s stated frame, wall, and installation requirements.

For example, your artwork weighs 30 lbs. Based on the rundown above, your options are 2-Hole D-Rings and Large Strap Hangers which can support 40 lbs and 50 lbs, respectively.

⚒️ Pro tip: You can use a bathroom scale to weigh your frame.

There are two ways to hang a frame using d-rings or strap hangers. The first is to hang directly onto the wall hook(s). The second option is to tie the picture wire onto the hangers and use that to hang on the wall hook.

Not sure how to tie picture wire onto d-rings and strap hangers? Here’s how:

For heavier frames, use 2-hole d-rings instead of one. Two-hole d-rings generally have a heavier weight capacity of 40 lbs, thanks to the additional screw support.  

Light duty hangers can only support up to 20 lbs, and the wide 1-hole d-ring can support up to 25 lbs. 

It's impossible to hang frames with just one hanger, and doing so will only lead to unevenly hung frames or a higher risk of it falling if you force it. 

We always recommend following instructions and using two d-ring hangers or two strap hangers for each frame. 

Here's how to install them the correctly:

1. Put the d-ring hangers on opposite sides of the frame, ⅓ of the way down

• Insert one screw in each hole and tighten to secure.
• If you’re using a picture wire, the D-ring hanger should be installed at an angle. This is so that the plane between the outer and inner wood screw holes intersect with the wire apex position.

2. If you’re hanging the frame on wall hooks, install the D-rings upright.

3. Hang the frame 

The D-Ring hanger should be angled so that the plane between the outer and inner wood screw holes intersect with the estimated wire apex position.

That's pretty much it. Doing it this way ensures that your pictures and art pieces on the wall are safe and level.

Sometimes, it’s tempting to eyeball the frame and skip the tape measure. 

But the correct way to install d-rings and strap hangers is to use one on each opposite side, ⅓ of the way down the frame. It’s important to space out the hangers evenly to ensure secure and level hanging. 

You might think that tighter means better. Not all the time, though.

In this case, tighten the screws only until you’re sure that the hanger is securely installed. Overdoing it might split the wood and destroy the frame.

The sharing of picture-hanging tips doesn’t stop there! We still have a few tricks up our sleeve that will make hanging your frames easier and better.

Painter's tape is your best friend.

Use painter’s tape or masking tape to mark where the hangers are. This way, it's easier to transfer the measurements from the frame to the wall. 

Painter’s tape is a light adhesive masking tape used to cover areas you don’t want to paint on. They’re used in many projects other than painting because they’re easy to work with, and they don’t leave any residue on any surface.

 Check out this video to see how she used this tip and how she installed the d-rings and wall hooks.

Make paper templates.

Use paper templates while figuring out where to hang your frames. It’s super easy! Here’s what you need to do:

• Trace your frames on paper
• Cut them to size
• Layout your paper templates
• Use painter’s tape to stick them to the wall 

The paper templates will make it easier to see how a layout will look before drilling. This tip is helpful when doing a gallery wall wherein you’re hanging a lot of frames.

Keep bumpers handy.

Use picture-hanging bumpers on the lower corners of the frame. They keep frames in place, disable tilting, and allow good airflow behind the frame.  

If you didn’t know, there are different types of bumpers, and they differ in color, size, shape, and thickness. In the video above, the man used round and clear ones for his frame. 

Bumpers may be small and straightforward to use, but they are the picture-hanging heroes . If your frame is tilting forward, give bumpers a try and see for yourself.

READ MORE: Everything You Need to Know about Picture Hanging Bumpers

The very last step in hanging wood frames is to hang them up on the wall. To do this, you’d need wall hardware such as screws, hooks, or a wall hanging system.

Again, there are different types, but we recommend these three products:

• Brass or Conventional Hooks
• Adjustable J Hooks
• Rail Hooks and Adjustable Picture Hooks

These types of hardware are a few of the best and robust hangers we have in store. You can rely on them to hold whatever you want to hang using d-rings, strap hangers, and picture wire. Just make sure to follow instructions during installation, and you’re good to go!

RELATED ARTICLE: Wall Hooks Buyer Guide, Everything You Need to Know About Wall Hooks

There might be a lot of picture hanging hardware out there, but d-rings and strap hangers are the gold standard. With their different sizes, weight capacities, and easy installation they’re indeed some of the most reliable wood frame hangers available!