Hat Size Chart: US, UK & EU Sizes by Head Circumference

The full hat size chart

Every row below is New Era's published 59FIFTY fitted-cap chart, checked against two independent published reproductions of it. The centimetre figures are New Era's own; the EU size is the head circumference in centimetres, rounded to the nearest whole number.

How to measure your head

Wrap a soft measuring tape around the widest part of your head, about half an inch above your eyebrows and ears — where the sweatband will sit. Keep the tape level, snug but not tight, and measure two or three times; New Era recommends measuring 2–3 times to be sure. If you only have string, wrap it the same way, mark where it meets, then lay it flat against a ruler. A 22.5-inch head is the default on this page and a common adult size — it rounds up to a US 7 1/4. If your head runs more oval than round — longer front-to-back than side-to-side — your circumference can match the chart while the hat still feels tight across the forehead; in that case go up a size or pick a stretch-fit style.

Where the published charts disagree

Hat sizes vary a little from one maker to another, and the published charts say so themselves. 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 22 3/8 inches and 56.8 cm — so a head that is a New Era 7 1/8 is a Stetson 7. At the top of the range the reproductions disagree too: one lists a US 8 1/4 at 25 3/8 inches, while another lists a US 8 1/8 at 25 3/8 inches and a US 8 1/4 at 25 3/4 inches. This page follows New Era's chart for the rows it publishes (6 7/8 through 8) and the widely reproduced extension for 6 3/4, and it stops at 8 rather than guessing at the disputed 8 1/8 and 8 1/4 rows. The honest rule, which Village Hat Shop states outright, is that sizes vary somewhat from one manufacturer to another — always check the chart on the product page of the exact hat you are buying.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• The fitted-cap buyer: measures 22.5 inches and learns the answer is a US 7 1/4, not the 7 1/8 they guessed — and orders the right size the first time.
• The international shopper: buys from a European shop and converts a US 7 1/2 to an EU 60, or a 59.6 cm head to a US 7 1/2, without a second chart.
• The gift buyer: measures a partner's head at 23 1/2 inches and buys a US 7 1/2 with confidence, knowing the chart row is exact.
• The between-sizes wearer: measures 22.5 inches, sees it falls between 7 1/8 and 7 1/4, and rounds up — because a fitted hat stretches a little but never shrinks.

Accuracy & limitations

This chart is New Era's published 59FIFTY fitted-cap sizing, checked against two independent published reproductions that agree on every row from 6 7/8 through 8. It is a guide, not a guarantee for every brand: Stetson puts a 7 1/8 a quarter inch larger, and other makers differ by similar amounts, so always check the chart on the product page of the exact hat you are buying. The chart stops at US 8 because the published sources disagree on the 8 1/8 and 8 1/4 rows; heads above 25 inches or below 21 1/4 inches are outside it. Head shape matters too: an oval head can match the circumference chart and still feel tight across the forehead. Wool can stretch or shrink slightly with wear; polyester will not. Measure twice, and when between sizes, go up.