Stubble Beard Lengths in mm, the Neckline and Upkeep

The short answer

Stubble is a beard trimmed to a few millimetres and kept there.

Gillette’s guide puts the ideal length for three-day stubble at 1 to 3 mm, a length that, in its words, “gives you an even, masculine scruff without looking overgrown”; Braun’s guide agrees, “A smart stubble is normally between 1 mm and 3 mm”, and calls the style “the 3 day beard”, a name it ties to trimming every two or three days.

The Book of Barbering sets three bands, light stubble at about 1 to 2 mm, designer stubble at about 3 mm and heavy stubble at about 5 to 6 mm, and notes that “Guard sizes vary a little between brands”.

What separates stubble from a man who has not shaved is the trimmer and the two lines, and the rest of this page is those.

The key rule is to pick a length in millimetres, trim to it every two to three days against the grain, keep the neckline low and clean, and moisturise.

Light, medium and heavy stubble, in millimetres and days

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The settings are millimetres on a beard trimmer’s comb; comb numbers and lengths differ between makers, so read the markings on your own comb.

Gillette’s method for finding your length is to “start by trimming at 3 mm to establish your base length” and then “refine your look by adjusting to 2 mm or 1 mm”; Braun’s is to start at 3 mm and step down in 0.5 mm stages. The Book of Barbering’s caution comes once you have found the length, because stubble drifts longer between trims, and its advice is “If you are not sure, go one guard shorter than you think and trim more often.”

The claim that heavy stubble is the most attractive length goes back to a 2013 study by Barnaby Dixson and Robert Brooks of the University of New South Wales, published in Evolution and Human Behavior; as NPR reported, ten men were photographed clean-shaven, with five and ten days of growth and with a full beard, 528 heterosexual women and men rated the pictures, and on average the women rated the ten-day stubble most attractive and the five-day stubble last.

It was one set of photographs and one sample, the reports describe its stages in days of growth rather than millimetres, and a 2014 study by the same group found that heavy stubble and full beards were judged more attractive when beards were rare among the faces shown than when beards were common; it is a reason to try a longer setting, not proof that one length suits every face.

Growth rates differ, so the days in the table are a guide and the millimetres are the measure; in the Book of Barbering’s words, “How fast you get there depends on your growth”.

The neckline and the cheek line

Two lines separate stubble from stubble that happens to be there, and the neckline matters more.

Published guides put the neckline anywhere from the Adam’s apple itself to about two fingers above it, so start at the lower end and move it up only if needed; our guide to how to shape a beard compares the conventions.

Curve the line up on each side to the point under the ear where the jaw ends, trim below it with the comb off, then shave the neck; Gillette’s routine is to remove the comb and use the blade freehand, “cleaning up the neck and cheek areas so the 3-day stubble looks sharp rather than overgrown”.

The sources split on the razor, with Braun’s guide shaving against the direction of growth and the Book of Barbering advising, if shaving the neck gives you red bumps or ingrown hairs, to “shave with the direction of growth and soften the hair first”.

The cheek line has two versions, and the sources split here too, with the Book of Barbering keeping it natural at stubble length and removing “only stray hairs high on the cheekbones”, and Gillette advising you to keep the “neckline and cheek lines defined for a clean stubble style”.

Under the chin, keep the stubble down to the neckline rather than shaving up to the jaw.

How to grow and keep stubble

Stop shaving first. Light stubble is, in the Book of Barbering’s words, “the shadow you get a day or two after shaving”; let it reach the length you want before the first trim, and do not shape the lines until then.

Trim to length with a guarded beard trimmer set to the millimetre you want, against the grain in slow strokes, then with the grain to catch strays; Braun’s guide trims against the grain and stresses that the length must be “consistent through your whole beard area”.

Set the neckline and, if you want it, the cheek line, with the comb off and then a razor.

Repeat every two to three days. Gillette’s interval is every two to three days “to prevent uneven growth”, Braun’s is “every two or three days”, and the Book of Barbering adds that light stubble “may need it daily”.

Wash the face daily and moisturise after every trim; Gillette’s advice is to “Moisturize after trimming to reduce dryness, itchiness, and irritation”, and the Book of Barbering’s fix for itchy, dry skin is to “wash daily and use a light moisturizer or a drop of beard oil”.

Shave the neck between trims if it grows fast, so the line stays clean.

Face shape, colour, moustache and a bald head

Braun’s verdict is that stubble is “a great beard style for any man, any occasion, any face shape”; the adjustments are small.

On a round face, a little more length at the chin and a defined cheek line can draw the face down and in.

For a square jaw, even coverage at 2 to 3 mm softens the angles without hiding them.

A long face suits lighter stubble with the cheeks kept full, so nothing adds length.

Grey stubble needs the same evenness and a clean neck, and the Book of Barbering’s note is that at stubble length “the mix of colors blends together, so there is no need to dye it”.

On patchy cheeks the sources disagree, with the Book of Barbering saying “gaps hide better at short lengths” and Gillette saying “Keep your scruff slightly longer to blend patchy spots”, so try both before deciding.

A moustache over stubble is the beardstache, which our guide to moustache styles covers; the Book of Barbering’s version keeps the moustache “a touch longer than the rest of the stubble” and trimmed so it never covers the lip.

On a bald or shaved head, heavy stubble or a short beard puts some weight low on the face, and a clean neckline keeps it neat; our guide to how to shave your head covers the head itself.

Our beard styles guide covers the full beards, our guide to short beard styles covers the next length up, and the face shapes guide explains the proportions.

The trimmer and the products

A beard trimmer with an adjustable comb that moves in small steps does the whole job; Braun’s guide works with a 1 to 10 mm comb stepped in 0.5 mm stages.

A hair clipper’s attachment combs are coarser, at 1.5 mm for the number 1/2, 3 mm for the number 1 and 6 mm for the number 2 on Wahl’s printed chart, and numbering varies between makers and ranges, so read the markings on your own combs.

A razor for the neck and, if defined, the cheeks.

A face wash, a light moisturiser or beard oil for after the trim, and a small brush to lift the stubble before trimming.

Common questions