The PW17 Heavy Duty Picture Frame Spring Clip (SKU S06) is XKY Framing’s most powerful spring clip for large-format frame assembly. With a wide 27 mm body, serrated foot edges, and 1.7 g of stainless steel construction, it provides the holding strength and lateral stability that large frames — 40×50 cm and above — require to keep heavy glass panels, thick mat boards and backing safely retained in the rabbet.
Wide-Body Engineering of the PW17 Heavy Duty Picture Frame Spring Clip
The PW17 Heavy Duty Picture Frame Spring Clip’s most distinctive feature is its wide 27 mm body — nearly four times the width of a standard PW20 clip. This wide body serves two critical functions: it generates greater spring force per clip (fewer clips needed for large frames), and it distributes that force across a 27 mm contact zone on the backing board surface, preventing point-loading and potential backing board deformation that can distort the artwork beneath.
The head slot measures 11 mm tall and 8 mm wide, accommodating the full range of standard wood and MDF rabbet lip thicknesses found in large-format frame mouldings. The 23 mm body width spans the inner rabbet channel, leaving minimal clearance to the sides — ensuring the clip cannot rotate or shift laterally once installed.
Serrated Foot for Superior Grip
A key innovation on the S06 is its serrated foot edges. The small teeth along the sides of the foot bite into the wood or MDF surface of the inner rabbet, preventing lateral clip migration during content loading or frame transport. On smooth-routed rabbets in large frames — where the substantial weight of the content stack can push clips sideways — this serration provides the additional mechanical grip that smooth-foot clips cannot deliver.
Specifications
Material: 0.5 mm stainless steel | Total length: 27 mm | Body width: 23 mm | Clip head width: 27 mm | Head slot: 11 mm tall, 8 mm wide | Body slot: 4 mm tall, 8 mm wide | Foot: 15×27 mm | Weight: 1.7 g.
Installation of the PW17 Heavy Duty Picture Frame Spring Clip
With the large frame face-down on a padded table, load the content stack (glass, spacer if used, mat, artwork, backing board). Position the PW17 clip with the serrated foot aligned to the rabbet lip. Apply firm downward pressure — the wider body requires slightly more force to compress the spring compared to smaller clips — until the foot snaps under the rabbet edge. The serrations will immediately grip the rabbet surface.
Clip Quantity for Large Frames
For frames 40×50 cm: 4–6 clips per long side, 3–4 per short side. For frames 50×60 cm or larger: 5–7 per long side, 4–5 per short side. The PW17’s wider body means each clip covers more of the rabbet edge, reducing the total number of clips required versus smaller PW20 clips.
Combining PW17 with PW16 Large Clips
For the very largest frames (60×80 cm and above), some professional framers combine PW17 (S06) clips at the corners — where lateral stability is most critical — with PW16 large clips (S11) along the straight sides, taking advantage of the PW16’s longer 52 mm body and greater spring travel for larger content stack accommodation.
PW17 vs. Other XKY Framing Clips for Large Frames
The PW17 Heavy Duty Picture Frame Spring Clip occupies the wide-body specialist niche in the XKY range. The PW16 (S11) is longer (52 mm) but narrower (16 mm body), making it better for frames with deeper rabbets. The PW17 is shorter but wider, better for frames with wider-but-shallower rabbets containing heavy content stacks.
Order the PW17 Heavy Duty Picture Frame Spring Clip from XKY Framing today and give your large-format frames the secure, professional retention they require.
