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What’s This About
Wrap a soft tape measure around your head where the hat will sit, across the middle of the forehead and about 1/8 inch above the ears, then match that measurement to the maker’s own size chart and go up a size if you are in between.
This guide answers the questions men ask before ordering a hat online, such as
• Where exactly do I measure my head?
• How do inches and centimetres convert to sizes like 7 1/8 or “large”?
• Why is a 7 1/8 different from one brand to the next?
• Should I size up or down if I am between sizes?
• How should a fedora, a fitted cap and a snapback fit?
and many more!
The style that suits your face is a separate question, covered in our face-shape guide linked below; this page is only about size and fit.
Key Points
01Measure where the sweatband will sit: Stetson, Village Hat Shop and Hats and Caps all say mid-forehead and about 1/8 inch above the ears, firm but not tight.
02Write the measurement down in centimetres or inches, not just as a size; Hats and Caps recommends this because size labels vary between makers.
03If you fall between sizes, go up: Stetson, New Era and Hats and Caps all say so, and a little padding behind the sweatband takes up the slack.
04A hat that fits sits level and stays on in a light wind without pressing; Stetson’s test is that it should be “reasonably snug so that a light wind can’t blow it off your head”.
The rule
Measure your head in centimetres or inches, read the maker’s chart for that exact hat, and size up if you are between two sizes.
How to measure your head for a hat
You need a soft tape measure, or a length of string and a ruler.
Wrap it around your head where the hat will sit: across the middle of your forehead, about 1/8 inch above the tops of your ears and round the back of your head.
Stetson’s instruction is to place it “at the middle of your forehead and about 1/8″ above your ear”, and to “Hold the tape firmly, but not uncomfortably tight.”
New Era describes a similar line for its caps, “about half an inch above your eyebrows and ears”, with the tape “snug, but not too tight, where the sweatband will rest.”
Keep the tape level and untwisted, and measure two or three times; New Era says “It’s recommended to measure yourself 2-3 times to ensure accuracy.”
If you use string, mark where it meets, then lay it along a ruler.
Record the result in centimetres or inches; Hats and Caps says “it can get confusing if you have a hat size and not a centimetre or inch measurement.”
Hat size chart: inches, centimetres and fitted sizes
American hat makers commonly label hats in fitted sizes such as 7 or 7 1/8, and many also use letter sizes from small to extra large.
The table below is New Era’s published chart for its 59FIFTY fitted caps.
Scroll horizontally to see all columns →
| Fitted size | Inches | Centimetres |
|---|---|---|
| 6 7/8 | 21 5/8 | 54.9 |
| 7 | 22 | 55.8 |
| 7 1/8 | 22 3/8 | 56.8 |
| 7 1/4 | 22 3/4 | 57.7 |
| 7 3/8 | 23 1/8 | 58.7 |
| 7 1/2 | 23 1/2 | 59.6 |
| 7 5/8 | 23 7/8 | 60.6 |
| 7 3/4 | 24 1/4 | 61.5 |
| 7 7/8 | 24 5/8 | 62.5 |
Use it as a guide, not as the answer for every brand: Stetson’s own chart puts a 7 1/8 at 22 5/8 inches and 57 cm, a quarter of an inch larger than New Era’s.
Letter sizes vary even more: Goorin Bros. lists its medium as 57 cm, covering US 7 to 7 1/8, and its large as 59 cm, covering 7 1/4 to 7 3/8.
Village Hat Shop is candid about it: “hats are no different from other apparel and sizes can vary somewhat from one manufacturer to another.”
So find the chart on the product page of the exact hat you are buying and read your measurement against it.
UK and US hat sizes are not the same number
British and American fitted sizes are offset by about an eighth.
Hats and Caps, a UK retailer, gives a medium head of 56 to 57 cm as UK 6 7/8 to 7 and US 7 to 7 1/8, and notes that “North American brands” use “North American sizing which varies from traditional UK hat sizing.”
If you buy from a British hatter, use your centimetre measurement rather than your American size.
Between sizes: size up
Almost every maker gives the same answer.
Stetson says, “If your measurement falls between sizes, order the next largest size”, and adds that “You can always add a bit of padding behind the sweatband to achieve just the right level of snugness”.
New Era says, “If you’re between sizes, We recommend rounding up.”
The reason is practical: a hat that is slightly large can be packed out with a foam or felt sizer strip behind the sweatband, but a hat that is too small has to be stretched, which is a bigger job.
How a hat should fit
Stetson describes the two failures: a hat that is too small will “sit awkwardly high” or “feel uncomfortably tight”, and one that is too large will “sit too low, with visible extra space around the edges”.
Fedoras and brimmed hats
Snug without pressing
The sweatband should touch your head all the way round without pressing; Stetson asks for a hat snug enough that a light wind cannot lift it, but “not be so tight as to cause discomfort or distraction.”
Fitted caps
Measured like a hat
A fitted cap such as a 59FIFTY has no adjuster, so the measurement matters as much as it does for a fedora; measure where the sweatband rests and use the cap maker’s chart.
Snapbacks and adjustable caps
A range, not a size
Adjustable caps cover a span of heads; Goorin Bros. gives its truckers a “snap back size range” of “55cm-61cm or 6⅞ to 7⅝”, so check the range if your head is near either end.
Hair can change the fit, so measure with your hair as you usually wear it, and measure again after a big change of length.
Choosing a hat for your face
Size is the measurement; style is a separate choice.
Stetson notes that finding the right hat starts with choosing a style “to fit your face shape, taste, and lifestyle, but it ends with the perfect fit.”
For crown heights, brim widths and styles by face shape, see our guide to hats for your face shape.
Common questions
Q. Is a size 7 1/4 a large?
It depends on the maker: Goorin Bros. puts 7 1/4 in its large, and other brands draw the line elsewhere, so check the chart for the hat you are buying.
Q. Can a hat that is too small be stretched?
Sometimes: Village Hat Shop sells sizing accessories for readers who “Need to stretch a hat 1 or 2 sizes”, but ask the maker or a hatter before you try it on a good hat.
Q. Should a hat cover my ears?
No: a fitted hat sits just above the ears, which is why you measure about 1/8 inch above them.
Sources checked for this article (5 October 2026)
Stetson, Size guide: https://stetson.com/pages/size-guide
Stetson, How to determine your hat size: https://blog.stetson.com/how-to-determine-your-hat-size/
New Era, 59FIFTY fitted cap sizing (product page size chart): https://www.neweracap.com/products/new-york-yankees-authentic-collection-59fifty-fitted
New Era Australia, 59FIFTY size guide: https://www.neweracap.com.au/pages/59fifty-size-guide
Goorin Bros., Size chart: https://goorin.com/pages/size-chart
Village Hat Shop, How to find your hat size: https://www.villagehatshop.com/pages/sizing-guide
Hats and Caps, Hat size guide: https://www.hatsandcaps.co.uk/pages/hat-size-guide
Mandy Meyer’s focus at The VOU is men’s body-shape styling, garment fit and outfit proportions. Her coverage addresses the practical questions behind a wardrobe choice: how a jacket sits across the shoulders, how trousers fall and how different cuts change the silhouette a wearer wants to create.
Her subject areas include the triangle, inverted triangle, rectangle, oval, trapezoid, hourglass and diamond labels used in body-shape styling. These provide starting references for comparing visible proportions; they do not capture every body or prescribe one correct way to dress. The focus connects those observations with garment shape, construction, length and the relationship between the upper and lower parts of an outfit.
Mandy’s editorial coverage combines visual comparisons with fit checks for comfort and movement. Readers can consider whether a cut gives them the room they need, where clothing pulls or gathers and which changes might support their preferred look. The aim is to make menswear choices more understandable while keeping personal preferences and the wearer’s own styling goals central.
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