7 Steps to measure your Head for the Perfect Hat

by Grace Mulvihill June 22, 2021

You may be used to seeing a ‘One Size Fits All’ label inside of some of your more casual hats. This is fine for adjustable hats such as baseball caps but to ensure you get the best fit you need to know what hat size you are. And to know this, you need to measure your head circumference.

Even though hat sizes may follow industry standards such as S, M L etc, don’t presume that your hat size will always be the same. Just as your size may differ between your favourite clothing brands, the same is true for hat manufacturers. Most hat sizes run from 53 – 64 cm so picking your hat based on an estimate could be the difference between nailing that look with your fabulous new hat or packing it up to return it!

The average women’s hat size tends to be 57cm, and the average men’s hat size 59cm. Obviously, this is just a rough guide though so be wary of using this to determine your own size.

Our Panama hats are available in sizes S, M and L, ranging from 55 – 60cm and our wool Fedora hats are available is sizes 55cm – 60cm but see our sizing chart below for guidance.

We want you to be 100% happy with your purchase and the best way to ensure this is to measure your head circumference and compare against our sizing chart below.

Read on for these 7 easy steps to get the perfect fit every time!

Step 1 – What Tools do I Need to Measure my Head?

A sewing tape measure OR
A piece of string and a ruler
Your head!

Step 2 – How do I Measure my Head?

This literally takes 2 minutes or less.

Guide the tape (or string) around the widest part of the head, at the point where your hat will sit, about 1 inch above your ears usually.

Ensure the tape sits flat against your head all the way around and do not pull too tight as you want the hat to fit comfortably and not too tight.

Remove the tape or string at the point where the 2 ends meet (if using string, measure this against the ruler to get your true measurement.

Congratulations, you’ve got your head size.

Step 3 - Repeat

As the old carpenter’s adage goes ‘Measure twice, buy once”!

To be sure you have got an accurate measurement, write down your result from Step 2 and repeat the measuring process. If you get the same measurement, you are good to go. If it differs, then measure a third time to be confident you have got the right size.

If you find you get a different result every time, call on a friend or family member to take the measurement a few times for you.

Step 4 – How to Determine your Hat Size

Now that you have your head size simply compare your measurement against our sizing chart below. We always recommend doing this before you buy any hat. Our hats are all handmade in Ecuador and the sizing between seasons may vary slightly.

We always update our sizing chart to reflect any variations so even if you have measured and know your head size from a previous order it’s best to compare against the latest sizing chart.

Size	Measurement
Small	55-56cm
Medium	57-58cm
Large	59-60cm

Step 5 – What if I’m in between sizes?

If you have measured 2 to 3 times and you are in-between, for example 54 ½ cm, we recommend you go to the next size up, in this case 55cm. Hats generally shrink rather than expand so it’s much easier to insert a band inside the rim to ensure a better fit than to stretch a tight hat.

Step 6 – Does your chosen Hat have a hat band?

You will notice some of our hats have an additional band around the crown and some don’t. Why is this important? Well, those that do not have a band fitted on the crown will have a little extra give.

Those that do come with a fitted band (usually made with materials such as ribbon, suede or leather) will feel a little tighter with less room to expand. This is because the band is measured to fit snugly against the crown, so make sure you order a size that is not too small.

Step 7 - Which hat shape will suit me best?

If you’re not quite sure what hat shape and brim size to order, knowing your face shape will help you to determine if a certain hat shape suits you better. Use the following guidelines if you are unsure:

Long face shapes look best with wide brims and a low crown.
Round face shapes suit a straight brim and high crown.
Square face shapes are flattered by hats with a straight brim and round crown.
Heart-shaped faces can rock any style, just look for hats that are wider at the crown.
Diamond face shapes should look for hats where the crown is narrower than the cheekbones.

So that’s it, just taking 2 minutes to check your head size from the comfort of your own home helps you take the guess work out of ordering the perfect hat.

If you have any questions on our sizing or on a specific hat, please do reach out and contact us, we are happy to measure the hat in question for you before you order.

Reach us at:

hello@clementandgrace.com or call on +353 (0) 83 828 9625