In the shop, we find that “How do you size a hat?” is probably the #1 question we’re asked every day.

It is not as easy as it might sound.

A hat can speak volumes about you, and it is most important to find the styles that speak to you. We might recommend a wider brim for people with larger noggins and shorter brimmed hats for folks with less pronounced craniums, but none of that advice means anything if you envision yourself in specific style. We aren’t going to push a cowboy hat on a hipster or a top hat on a paperboy.

Hat sizes aren’t measured in traditional inches. Clearly, a size 7 ¼ hat doesn’t mean the circumference of your head is 7 ¼ inches.

To figure out your hat size, get a tape measure. As a hat should rest about a finger’s width above your ear, wrap the tape measure evenly around your head at that level. (Use a mirror to make sure you take an even measurement.) Then check out our handy-dandy hat-size converter below. See what your measurement in inches becomes in hat sizes.

A nicely fitted hat should rest gently above your brow, neither pinching or squeezing your head nor sliding down to your ears.

If you already know that your head is particularly oblong or round, our friendly staff can gently adjust your new hat to better fit you.

Just remember, measuring isn’t an exact science. Like shoes, not every brand measures exactly the same fit. However, following these guidelines should get you pretty close. The best way to get a true fit is to try on your new hat.

Use a tape measure to learn the size of your head and use that measurement to find your proper hat size.