Submitting square or 3:4 images carried over from a Shopify or Instagram library, when Zalando requires 1:1.44 portrait.
Marketplaces · Zalando
Zalando image requirements for brand partners
Every one of the 8 image rules below comes off a page Zalando publishes, with the source linked.
8 image rules8 read at ZalandoChecked 10 August 2026
The short answer
Zalando requires every article image in a 1:1.44 portrait aspect ratio, supplied as JPG or JPEG in sRGB at 20 MB or less. The minimum size is 762 by 1100 pixels, best practice is 1801 by 2600 pixels, and premium designer articles need 1800 by 2600 pixels. Packshot backgrounds must be pure white, hex FFFFFF.
Updated
Check your file against this
What Zalando asks for
Every row states where it comes from. A rule read off a page Zalando publishes is marked as a primary source; a figure that circulates among sellers without appearing in the platform’s own documentation is marked and hedged, and it is never printed as though the two carry the same weight.
| Requirement | What Zalando asks for | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 1:1.44 width by height, upright orientationThis is the single rule that fails most first submissions. Square and 3:4 images do not pass. | Primary source |
| Minimum and best practice size | Minimum 762 x 1100 pixels. Best practice 1801 x 2600 pixels.Zalando requires high resolution at any image size and rejects blurry images even when the pixel count passes. | Primary source |
| Premium designer minimum | 1800 x 2600 pixels for premium designer articlesThe designer floor is roughly the same as the best practice size for the rest of the catalogue. | Primary source |
| File type and maximum size | JPG or JPEG, 20 MB maximum per image | Primary source |
| Colour space | sRGB | Primary source |
| Packshot background | Pure white is mandatory, R255 G255 B255, hex FFFFFFZalando applies its own grey background to packshots for shop consistency, so supply the white version and let the platform composite. | Primary source |
| Model view background | Light grey or beige within Zalando's background colour range, best practice R241 G241 B241, hex F1F1F1 | Primary source |
| Number of compliant images | Most apparel, kids, lingerie and sports articles need three compliant images. Underwear needs two. Beauty, toys, electronics and sports equipment need one compliant primary packshot.For apparel that means one primary packshot or one front crop serving as the catalogue view, plus two further compliant images. | Primary source |
Slide the table sideways to see every column.
- Primary source means the value is read off a page Zalando publishes, linked under Sources below. 8 of 8 rows here are primary.
- Platforms change these rules without announcing them. Every source below carries the date it was read, and the figures here were checked on 10 August 2026.
Why this matters on Zalando
Zalando is a curated fashion platform, not an open catalogue. Images go through a content review before an article goes live, and the review is strict because the whole shop depends on a consistent grid. One article at the wrong ratio breaks that, so it gets sent back rather than adjusted.
The aspect ratio catches most brands. 1:1.44 is not a common ecommerce ratio. Studios shoot 3:4 or 2:3 by habit and Shopify catalogues are usually square, so an existing library almost never drops into Zalando unchanged. Reformatting late is not a simple crop either: 1:1.44 needs more headroom and footroom than a 2:3 frame gives, which is why late reformats end up with models cropped at the ankle.
The consequence is a delayed go live. The article sits unpublished while images are reworked and resubmitted, and in fashion that delay lands inside a season window you cannot get back.
The walkthrough
How do you get a photo through Zalando?
6 things in order, each one answering a question a seller actually types.
Is your export at 1:1.44, not 2:3 or 3:4?
Start here, because nothing else matters if the ratio is wrong. Height equals width multiplied by 1.44, which is why Zalando publishes 1801 x 2600 as the best practice size. Set that as a fixed canvas in your export preset rather than cropping by eye per image. 762 x 1100 is the floor, and anything below it is rejected regardless of how sharp the photograph is.
Which background does this view need?
Zalando runs two background rules and mixing them up is a common rejection. Packshots take a mandatory pure white background at hex FFFFFF. Model views take a light grey or beige inside Zalando's published range, with hex F1F1F1 as best practice. A model view on pure white cannot serve as the front crop, so a brand that shoots everything on white ends up with no valid catalogue view.
Photomop is a photo studio that runs on your own device, and the change-background tool sets an exact hex across a whole batch so both sets stay on their correct tones.
Does the packshot follow the mannequin rule?
Packshots use an invisible mannequin or a flat layout. Visible mannequins and hangers are not accepted. Position the article centrally in the image grid and keep styling minimal. The article has to be recognisable from the front in every compliant view, including crops.
Does the model set meet the styling rules?
Zalando publishes styling requirements alongside the technical ones, and content review applies both. Models wear shoes. Sleeves show full length with no rolling or folding. Wide cut tops pair with slim trousers and the reverse. Use size diverse models reflecting the range you sell. Sitting models are allowed for the front crop, back view, full body style shot and further views. Transparent women's tops require a bra, black under dark articles and nude under coloured ones.
How many compliant images does this category need?
Count before you submit. Most apparel, kids, lingerie and sports articles need three compliant images: one primary packshot or front crop as the catalogue view, plus two further compliant images. Shoes, bags and jewellery also need three. Underwear needs two. Beauty, toys, electronics and sports equipment need one compliant primary packshot.
Is the file a JPEG in sRGB under 20 MB?
Export JPG or JPEG in sRGB, under 20 MB per image. The ceiling is generous, so the real risk runs the other way: compressing a 2600 pixel tall file so hard that fabric texture turns mushy. Zalando rejects blurry images at any size, so keep JPEG quality high.
The settings, in one place
The Photomop preset for Zalando
Set a fixed 1801 by 2600 canvas, which is Zalando's 1:1.44 best practice size, fit the article centrally without stretching, fill the surround with hex FFFFFF for packshots or hex F1F1F1 for model views, then export JPEG in sRGB at high quality so the file lands well under the 20 MB ceiling.
Resize image runs on your own device, at full resolution, with no watermark on the export.
What goes wrong on Zalando
Every one of these is a real rejection or a real drop in placement, not a matter of taste.
Shooting the model views on pure white, which disqualifies them from serving as the front crop catalogue view.
Leaving a visible mannequin or hanger in the packshot instead of using an invisible mannequin or a flat layout.
Cropping a 2:3 original to 1:1.44 late in the process and losing the model's feet or the hem of the garment.
Exporting in Adobe RGB or CMYK from a print workflow when Zalando requires sRGB.
Sending two images for an apparel article that needs three compliant images, so the article never reaches the catalogue view stage.
Questions sellers ask
Zalando image requirements, answered
The questions people search for once a photo has already been refused.
What aspect ratio does Zalando require?
Zalando requires 1:1.44 width by height in upright orientation, so a 1801 pixel wide image is about 2600 pixels tall. This is not 2:3 or 3:4, so images built for other marketplaces need reformatting rather than a straight resize.
What is the minimum image resolution on Zalando?
The minimum is 762 by 1100 pixels. Best practice is 1801 by 2600 pixels, and premium designer articles have a higher floor of 1800 by 2600 pixels. Zalando also requires high resolution at any image size and rejects blurry images even when the pixel dimensions pass.
Does Zalando need a white background?
For packshots, yes. Pure white at R255 G255 B255, hex FFFFFF, is mandatory. Model views are different: they take a light grey or beige inside Zalando's background colour range, with R241 G241 B241, hex F1F1F1, as best practice. Zalando then applies its own grey to packshots for shop consistency.
How many images does a Zalando article need?
It depends on the category. Most apparel, kids, lingerie and sports articles need three compliant images. Shoes, bags and jewellery need three, with the primary packshot as the catalogue view. Underwear needs two. Beauty, toys, electronics and sports equipment need one primary packshot.
Can I use a visible mannequin or hanger on Zalando?
No. Packshots must use an invisible mannequin or a flat layout, and visible mannequins and hangers are prohibited. The article has to be centrally positioned in the image grid and recognisable from the front.
What file format and size does Zalando accept?
JPG or JPEG, in sRGB, at a maximum of 20 MB per image. Export at high JPEG quality rather than pushing the file size down, because heavy compression on a 2600 pixel tall garment shot destroys the fabric detail that Zalando shoppers zoom in to see.
Where these Zalando rules come from
Each link is the page the figures were read at, with the date it was opened and whether it could be read at all.
- Zalando Partner University, Zalando image guidelinesOpened and read in full on .
- Zalando Partner University, apparel image guideOpened and read in full on .
- Zalando Partner University, image guidelines indexOpened and read in full on .
Same cluster
More platform guides
Neighbouring guides, so every platform in the set is one hop from every other.
Alibaba.com
Alibaba.com blocks product images over 3MB, under 350x350px, or outside a 1:1 to 1:1.3 ratio. The exact published rule, how to meet it, and what to fix first.
AliExpress
AliExpress enforces its product image limits inside the seller centre, not on a public spec page. Here is what sellers report, what is verified, and what to export.
Walmart Marketplace
Walmart wants 2000 x 2000 px images to enable zoom, a seamless pure white RGB 255,255,255 background on the main image, and every image file kept under 1 MB.
From the studio
The tools this guide uses
Each one runs in the browser tab you are reading this in, on your own device.
Resize image
Exact pixels, or a marketplace preset that already knows the rules.
Crop image
Free crop, fixed ratios, and the aspect every platform asks for.
Change background
Drop the subject onto a colour, a gradient or a studio scene.
Remove background
One clean cut-out, hair and all, at whatever resolution you brought.
Keep reading
Elsewhere on Photomop
Image glossary
A hundred photo editing terms, defined in plain words and filed by the job they do.
Read itResize image
Exact pixels, marketplace presets and an aspect lock, run on your own device.
Read itCompress image
Name a file size limit and the tool re-encodes until the photo fits it.
Read itAll the tools
The whole toolbox in three families, with what each one needs before it can run.
Read it
Get the file right before you upload it
Photomop is a photo studio that runs on your own device. Resize to the exact pixels Zalando asks for, compress to the weight limit, convert the format and batch the lot, all at full resolution with no watermark. The image glossary explains any word in the table above.