diff --git a/docs/doxygen/overviews/xrc_format.h b/docs/doxygen/overviews/xrc_format.h
index a6a2c7edae..1cf826545c 100644
--- a/docs/doxygen/overviews/xrc_format.h
+++ b/docs/doxygen/overviews/xrc_format.h
@@ -281,6 +281,17 @@ preceding it is interpreted as dialog units in the parent window, otherwise
 it's a DPI-independent pixel value.
 
 
+@subsection overview_xrcformat_type_pair_ints Pair of integers
+
+This is similar to @ref overview_xrcformat_type_size size, but for values that
+are not expressed in pixels and so doesn't allow "d" suffix nor does any
+DPI-dependent scaling, i.e. the format is just
+
+  size := x "," y
+
+and @c x and @c y are just integers which are not interpreted in any way.
+
+
 @subsection overview_xrcformat_type_text Text
 
 String properties use several escape sequences that are translated according to
@@ -2316,11 +2327,11 @@ properties:
     (default: 0).}
 @row3col{minsize, @ref overview_xrcformat_type_size,
     Minimal size of this item (default: no min size).}
-@row3col{ratio, @ref overview_xrcformat_type_size,
+@row3col{ratio, @ref overview_xrcformat_type_pair_ints,
     Item ratio, see wxSizer::SetRatio() (default: no ratio).}
-@row3col{cellpos, @ref overview_xrcformat_type_pos,
+@row3col{cellpos, @ref overview_xrcformat_type_pair_ints,
     (wxGridBagSizer only) Position, see wxGBSizerItem::SetPos() (required). }
-@row3col{cellspan, @ref overview_xrcformat_type_size,
+@row3col{cellspan, @ref overview_xrcformat_type_pair_ints,
     (wxGridBagSizer only) Span, see wxGBSizerItem::SetSpan() (required). }
 @endTable
 
diff --git a/include/wx/xrc/xmlres.h b/include/wx/xrc/xmlres.h
index e7fe700330..de31ea27a4 100644
--- a/include/wx/xrc/xmlres.h
+++ b/include/wx/xrc/xmlres.h
@@ -544,6 +544,9 @@ public:
     wxCoord GetDimension(const wxString& param, wxCoord defaultv = 0,
                          wxWindow *windowToUse = NULL) wxOVERRIDE;
 
+    // Gets a size which is not expressed in pixels, so not in dialog units.
+    wxSize GetPairInts(const wxString& param) wxOVERRIDE;
+
     // Gets a direction, complains if the value is invalid.
     wxDirection GetDirection(const wxString& param, wxDirection dirDefault = wxLEFT) wxOVERRIDE;
 
diff --git a/include/wx/xrc/xmlreshandler.h b/include/wx/xrc/xmlreshandler.h
index 0dab73b3d4..5c2f6b4be1 100644
--- a/include/wx/xrc/xmlreshandler.h
+++ b/include/wx/xrc/xmlreshandler.h
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ public:
     virtual wxPoint GetPosition(const wxString& param = wxT("pos")) = 0;
     virtual wxCoord GetDimension(const wxString& param, wxCoord defaultv = 0,
                                  wxWindow *windowToUse = NULL) = 0;
+    virtual wxSize GetPairInts(const wxString& param) = 0;
     virtual wxDirection GetDirection(const wxString& param, wxDirection dir = wxLEFT) = 0;
     virtual wxBitmap GetBitmap(const wxString& param = wxT("bitmap"),
                                const wxArtClient& defaultArtClient = wxART_OTHER,
@@ -296,6 +297,10 @@ protected:
     {
         return GetImpl()->GetDimension(param, defaultv, windowToUse);
     }
+    wxSize GetPairInts(const wxString& param)
+    {
+        return GetImpl()->GetPairInts(param);
+    }
     wxDirection GetDirection(const wxString& param, wxDirection dir = wxLEFT)
     {
         return GetImpl()->GetDirection(param, dir);
diff --git a/misc/schema/xrc_schema.rnc b/misc/schema/xrc_schema.rnc
index fe6858f794..b290ec057a 100644
--- a/misc/schema/xrc_schema.rnc
+++ b/misc/schema/xrc_schema.rnc
@@ -442,6 +442,7 @@ t_colour     = xsd:string { pattern = "#[0-9a-zA-Z][0-9a-zA-Z][0-9a-zA-Z][0-9a-z
                xsd:string { pattern = "[^#].*" }
 t_position   = t_size
 t_size       = xsd:string { pattern = "(-?\d+),(-?\d+)d?" }
+t_pair_ints  = xsd:string { pattern = "(-?\d+),(-?\d+)" }
 t_dimension  = xsd:string { pattern = "(-?\d+)d?" }
 
 t_bitmap     = t_url?,
@@ -1756,7 +1757,7 @@ wxBoxSizer_horz_item =
         [xrc:p="o"] element option   {_, t_integer }* &
         [xrc:p="o"] element border   {_, t_dimension }* &
         [xrc:p="o"] element minsize  {_, t_size }* &
-        [xrc:p="o"] element ratio    {_, t_size }* &
+        [xrc:p="o"] element ratio    {_, t_pair_ints }* &
         [xrc:p="o"] element flag     {_, t_horz_sizer_flags}*
     }
 
@@ -1777,7 +1778,7 @@ wxBoxSizer_vert_item =
         [xrc:p="o"] element option   {_, t_integer }* &
         [xrc:p="o"] element border   {_, t_dimension }* &
         [xrc:p="o"] element minsize  {_, t_size }* &
-        [xrc:p="o"] element ratio    {_, t_size }* &
+        [xrc:p="o"] element ratio    {_, t_pair_ints }* &
         [xrc:p="o"] element flag     {_, t_vert_sizer_flags }*
     }
 
@@ -1797,7 +1798,7 @@ wxGridSizer_item =
         stdObjectNodeAttributes &
         [xrc:p="o"] element border   {_, t_dimension }* &
         [xrc:p="o"] element minsize  {_, t_size }* &
-        [xrc:p="o"] element ratio    {_, t_size }* &
+        [xrc:p="o"] element ratio    {_, t_pair_ints }* &
         [xrc:p="o"] element flag     {_, t_grid_sizer_flags }*
     }
 
@@ -1817,9 +1818,9 @@ wxSizerGB_item =
         stdObjectNodeAttributes &
         [xrc:p="o"] element border   {_, t_dimension }* &
         [xrc:p="o"] element minsize  {_, t_size }* &
-        [xrc:p="o"] element ratio    {_, t_size }* &
-        [xrc:p="o"] element cellpos  {_, t_position }* &
-        [xrc:p="o"] element cellspan {_, t_size }* &
+        [xrc:p="o"] element ratio    {_, t_pair_ints }* &
+        [xrc:p="o"] element cellpos  {_, t_pair_ints }* &
+        [xrc:p="o"] element cellspan {_, t_pair_ints }* &
         [xrc:p="o"] element flag     {_,
             xsd:string {
                 pattern = "(wxLEFT|wxRIGHT|wxTOP|wxBOTTOM|wxNORTH|wxSOUTH|wxEAST|wxWEST|wxALL|wxGROW|wxEXPAND|wxSHAPED|wxSTRETCH_NOT|wxALIGN_CENTER|wxALIGN_CENTRE|wxALIGN_LEFT|wxALIGN_RIGHT|wxALIGN_TOP|wxALIGN_BOTTOM|wxALIGN_CENTER_HORIZONTAL|wxALIGN_CENTRE_HORIZONTAL|wxALIGN_CENTER_VERTICAL|wxALIGN_CENTRE_VERTICAL|wxRESERVE_SPACE_EVEN_IF_HIDDEN)( *\| *(wxLEFT|wxRIGHT|wxTOP|wxBOTTOM|wxNORTH|wxSOUTH|wxEAST|wxWEST|wxALL|wxGROW|wxEXPAND|wxSHAPED|wxSTRETCH_NOT|wxALIGN_CENTER|wxALIGN_CENTRE|wxALIGN_LEFT|wxALIGN_RIGHT|wxALIGN_TOP|wxALIGN_BOTTOM|wxALIGN_CENTER_HORIZONTAL|wxALIGN_CENTRE_HORIZONTAL|wxALIGN_CENTER_VERTICAL|wxALIGN_CENTRE_VERTICAL|wxRESERVE_SPACE_EVEN_IF_HIDDEN))*"
diff --git a/src/xrc/xh_sizer.cpp b/src/xrc/xh_sizer.cpp
index fbb22cf828..4c38078acc 100644
--- a/src/xrc/xh_sizer.cpp
+++ b/src/xrc/xh_sizer.cpp
@@ -514,7 +514,7 @@ void wxSizerXmlHandler::SetGrowables(wxFlexGridSizer* sizer,
 
 wxGBPosition wxSizerXmlHandler::GetGBPos(const wxString& param)
 {
-    wxSize sz = GetSize(param);
+    wxSize sz = GetPairInts(param);
     if (sz.x < 0) sz.x = 0;
     if (sz.y < 0) sz.y = 0;
     return wxGBPosition(sz.x, sz.y);
@@ -522,7 +522,7 @@ wxGBPosition wxSizerXmlHandler::GetGBPos(const wxString& param)
 
 wxGBSpan wxSizerXmlHandler::GetGBSpan(const wxString& param)
 {
-    wxSize sz = GetSize(param);
+    wxSize sz = GetPairInts(param);
     if (sz.x < 1) sz.x = 1;
     if (sz.y < 1) sz.y = 1;
     return wxGBSpan(sz.x, sz.y);
@@ -856,7 +856,7 @@ void wxSizerXmlHandler::SetSizerItemAttributes(wxSizerItem* sitem)
     wxSize sz = GetSize(wxT("minsize"));
     if (!(sz == wxDefaultSize))
         sitem->SetMinSize(sz);
-    sz = GetSize(wxT("ratio"));
+    sz = GetPairInts(wxT("ratio"));
     if (!(sz == wxDefaultSize))
         sitem->SetRatio(sz);
 
diff --git a/src/xrc/xmlres.cpp b/src/xrc/xmlres.cpp
index 8e91c6cc8a..6a1e813c26 100644
--- a/src/xrc/xmlres.cpp
+++ b/src/xrc/xmlres.cpp
@@ -2172,6 +2172,28 @@ wxCoord wxXmlResourceHandlerImpl::GetDimension(const wxString& param,
     return ParseValueInPixels(this, param, defaultv, windowToUse);
 }
 
+
+wxSize wxXmlResourceHandlerImpl::GetPairInts(const wxString& param)
+{
+    const wxString s = GetParamValue(param);
+    if ( s.empty() )
+        return wxDefaultSize;
+
+    wxSize sz;
+    if ( !XRCConvertFromAbsValue(s, sz) )
+    {
+        ReportParamError
+              (
+               param,
+               wxString::Format("cannot parse \"%s\" as pair of integers", s)
+              );
+        return wxDefaultSize;
+    }
+
+    return sz;
+}
+
+
 wxDirection
 wxXmlResourceHandlerImpl::GetDirection(const wxString& param, wxDirection dirDefault)
 {