How to measure your head for a hat
Two minutes and a soft tape. Here is where the tape goes, how tight to pull it, and how to turn the number into your size in any brand.
By Fitness Hats Editorial Team, published October 28, 2026
Get a soft tape
A cloth or plastic tailor's tape that bends around your head. A metal tape measure will not follow the curve. No tape? Print our calibrated head tape, or use a piece of string and a ruler.
Put it where the hat will sit
Start in the middle of your forehead, about half an inch (1.3 cm) above your eyebrows. Run it just above the tops of your ears and around the fullest part of the back of your head.
Keep it level, flat and snug
Not twisted, not sagging at the back, snug but not tight: about how a sweatband feels. Hair counts, so wear it the way you will wear the hat.
Read it, then do it again
Read the number where the tape meets its own start. Measure a second time. If the two readings are more than a few millimeters apart, measure a third time and use the number that repeats.
Look up your size, brand by brand
Enter the number in the hat size chart. It shows your US size and your size on each brand's own chart, because brands do not size alike.
What the sources say
The steps above follow these, word for word where quoted.
“Place the tape measure in the middle of your forehead.”
“Wrap the tape measure around the circumference of your head, about half an inch above your eyebrows and ears.”
“Ensure the tape measure is straight and not twisted.”
“Make sure the tape measure feels snug, but not too tight, where the sweatband will rest.”
“If you're between sizes, we recommend rounding up.”
“You can also use a piece of string to measure your head and then measure the length of the string with a ruler.”
“Using a tape measure, position it around your head approximately one-half inch above your eyebrows, where your hat will sit.”
“Ensure the tape measure is straight and not twisted to obtain an accurate measurement.”
“If a tape measure isn’t available, use a piece of string to encircle your head, then measure the length of the string with a ruler.”
“If uncertain about the size or in between sizes, opt for the larger size to ensure a comfortable fit.”
“Hat sizes are determined by measuring the circumference of a person's head about 1 centimetre (2⁄5 in) above the ears.”
Four ways to get it wrong
- Wrong height. Your head is not the same size all the way up. Measure where the sweatband will sit, not across your eyebrows or over your ears.
- Too tight or too loose. Pulling hard reads small; a tape sagging at the back reads big. Snug, like a sweatband.
- Twisted tape. A twist adds length. Keep the tape flat against your head all the way round.
- Measuring an old hat. Charts list head sizes, not hat sizes. Measure your head.
Once you have the number, the hat size chart shows it in US sizes, inches and centimeters.
Measuring for a child or a ponytail? The method is the same: measure the head as the hat will be worn.
Frequently asked questions
Where do you measure your head for a hat?
Around the widest part of your head where a hat sits: across the middle of your forehead about half an inch above your eyebrows, just above your ears, and around the fullest part of the back of your head.
What size hat is a 23 inch head?
A 23 inch head is 58.4 cm, which is US size 7 3/8 by the convention (23 divided by pi, to the nearest eighth). Brands round differently, so check the chart: King & Fifth The Jack (fitted): M (22 1/2 to 23 1/8 in, 57 to 58.9 cm); Lamood Big Hats Size chart: 7 3/8 (23 to 23 1/4 in, 58.2 to 59.1 cm); New Era 59FIFTY fitted: between 7 1/4 (22 3/4 in, 57.7 cm) and 7 3/8 (23 1/8 in, 58.7 cm); New Era says to go up, so 7 3/8; Richardson Fitted: between 7 1/4 (22 3/4 in, 58 cm) and 7 3/8 (23 1/8 in, 59 cm); Richardson says to go up, so 7 3/8; Under Armour Hat size table: between 7 1/4 (22 3/4 in, 57.8 cm) and 7 3/8 (23 1/8 in, 58.7 cm), and the brand does not say which way to go.
How do I measure my head without a tape measure?
Wrap a piece of string or a phone charging cable that does not stretch around your head at hat height, pinch where it meets the end, and measure that length against a ruler or a metal tape laid flat. Or print our calibrated head tape, which has a bank-card check so you can trust its scale.
Should I measure an old hat that fits instead?
Measure your head. Brand size charts list the head size each hat is made for, not the size of the hat itself, and two hats with the same label can differ inside.
Keep going
- Printable Head Measuring Tape (Calibrated PDF)
A free printable tape for measuring your head for a hat: 0 to 72 cm with inches, on Letter or A4, with a bank-card and 10 cm check for print scale.
- Head Circumference to Hat Size Chart, in cm and Inches
Head circumference in half-centimeter and quarter-inch steps, with the hat size each brand chart lists for it. Download the lookup table as CSV.
- Fitted Hat Size Chart: 59FIFTY and Other Fitted Caps
Fitted cap sizes by brand, from each brand’s own chart: the head size every label is cut for, in inches and cm, and how stretch-fit sizes compare.
- Nike Fitted Hat Size Chart: Head Size in CM and Inches
Nike hat size chart in cm and inches, how Nike says to measure, one-size ranges, and what the chart leaves out.