3 Ways To Measure Hand Size - WikiHow

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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow

• Categories
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• Fashion
• Body Type and Fashion
• Clothing Sizes
• Body Measurements

How to Measure Hand Size Download Article Co-authored by Shaelynn Haning

Last Updated: December 3, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Measuring Hand Circumference
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• Measuring Hand Length
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• Measuring Hand Span
|
• Video
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• Expert Interview
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• Expert Q&A
|
• Tips
|
• Things You'll Need

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This article was co-authored by Shaelynn Haning. Shaelynn Haning is a Tailor & Business Owner based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Shaelynn is the founder of the highest-rated and most-reviewed alterations and tailoring service in Oklahoma, Tallgrass Tailor, employing a team of skilled craftsmen and women from across the country and the world. Shaelynn is a member of the State of Oklahoma Education Careers and Technologies Board and a member of both the Custom Tailors and Designers Association and the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals. She is the host of The Sew Show with Shae, an entertaining and educational sewing channel posting weekly videos on YouTube. Shaelynn earned her BS in Apparel Design and Product Development from Marist College. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 756,732 times.

There are several ways to measure hand size, and the specific metric that you need will depend on why you're measuring these hands. Proper glove sizing requires a circumference or length measurement in inches or centimeters. Hand span, or reach, can help to assess a person's aptitude for sports. Hand size is also important when selecting certain musical instruments.

Steps

Method 1 Method 1 of 3:

Measuring Hand Circumference

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1. 1 Measure the hand. Wrap a fabric-measuring tape around the hand at the fullest part, where your fingers meet your palm. This usually stretches around from the outer side of the palm (just below the pinkie finger) to the inner crook of the hand (between the index finger and thumb). Do not measure the outside of the thumb – just the palm.
   • If you don't have a fabric-measuring tape, just use a string or a long strip of paper. Wrap the string (or other loose length reference) around your palm as you would use a measuring tape, and be sure to mark off where the end of the string meets the looped length. Now, unfurl the string and measure the marked portion with a ruler.
2. 2 Record the measurement. Read the number at the point where the end of the fabric-measuring tape overlaps with the rest of the length. Adult hands are usually between 6 inches (15.2 cm) and 11 inches (27.9 cm). Kids generally have a hand size between one and six inches. The number of inches of circumference directly correlates to the glove size.[1] Advertisement
3. 3 Find your glove size. Once you've measured the circumference of your hand, you can compare the number against the "standard" measurements in order to find your glove size.[2] Review the hand circumferences that guide the standard glove sizes:
   • XS: 7 inches (17.8 cm)
   • S: 7.5–8 inches (19.1–20.3 cm)
   • M: 8.5–9 inches (21.6–22.9 cm)
   • L: 9.5–10 inches (24.1–25.4 cm)
   • XL: 10.5–11 inches (26.7–27.9 cm)
   • XXL: 11.5–12 inches (29.2–30.5 cm)
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Method 2 Method 2 of 3:

Measuring Hand Length

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1. 1 Measure hand length for large hands. If your hands are especially large or long, you may need to use the hand length instead of the hand circumference to find the right glove size. Most gloves are made for hands that are relatively even in length and width. Thus, if your hands are significantly longer than the average hands, you may only fit into the largest glove sizes even if your palms are not especially thick.
2. 2 Hold your hand up in the air as though you were about to wave. Point your fingertips toward the ceiling.
3. 3 Measure from the top of your middle finger to the base of your palm.[3] The base of your palm is the meaty part where your hand meets your wrist. Write down the measurement. If the length of your hand is longer than the circumference, use this size in inches over the hand circumference. The number of inches corresponds to the size of the glove.[4]
   • If you are measuring your fit for a baseball glove, measure from the tip of your index finger down to your wrist. This number, in inches, corresponds to the listed size of the glove.[5]
   • If you are measuring for tennis racquet grip size, measure from the tip of your ring finger down to the lowest lateral crease of your palm. This is where your palm folds along the thumb-line.[6]
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Method 3 Method 3 of 3:

Measuring Hand Span

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1. 1 Consider measuring your hand span. This number is typically used as a gauge of natural advantage for sports that involve catching, throwing, tackling, or gripping – notably, for quarterbacks in American football. Hand span is also used to choose the correct size of cello, violin.
   • If your finger span is six inches or wider, then you should buy a full-sized 4/4 cello. If your span is 5–6 inches (12.7–15.2 cm), choose a 3/4 cello; if 4–5 inches (10.2–12.7 cm), pick a 1/2 cello; if 3–4 inches (7.6–10 cm), a 1/4. Bear in mind that height, arm length, age, skill level, and other indices may also be used to decide between cello sizes.
   • Sports camps and sports statistics analyzers use hand span as a handy heuristic. If you are trying to make a name for yourself in competitive football or basketball, you may be asked to report your hand span.
2. 2 Place a ruler on a flat surface. Tape it to a table if the surface is slick. Make sure that you can comfortably stretch your hand across the space.[7]
3. 3 Flex your hand. Hold out your dominant hand, and stretch the fingers as wide as possible. Focus on your thumb and pinkie finger, each pulling at your palm.
4. 4 Place the left side of your dominant hand at the zero point of the ruler. The measurement can be taken from your left or right hand, so this can be either your pinkie finger or your thumb. Lay your hand palm-down. Your middle finger should run perpendicular to the ruler.
5. 5 Record your hand span. Measure the point at which the right side of your hand falls on the ruler. You should be able to see the "span" or width of your hand, measured across the thickest point from left to right. For your grip width, measure from the tip of your thumb to the tip of your outstretched little finger.[8]
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Expert Q&A

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• Question How do I measure my fingers? Shaelynn Haning Professional Tailor & Business Owner Shaelynn Haning is a Tailor & Business Owner based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Shaelynn is the founder of the highest-rated and most-reviewed alterations and tailoring service in Oklahoma, Tallgrass Tailor, employing a team of skilled craftsmen and women from across the country and the world. Shaelynn is a member of the State of Oklahoma Education Careers and Technologies Board and a member of both the Custom Tailors and Designers Association and the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals. She is the host of The Sew Show with Shae, an entertaining and educational sewing channel posting weekly videos on YouTube. Shaelynn earned her BS in Apparel Design and Product Development from Marist College. Shaelynn Haning Professional Tailor & Business Owner Expert Answer So you would need to measure the length of every finger using a tape measure. The measurement should be from the base, where the finger joins the hand, right down to the tip of the finger. If you have big fingernails, include it to ensure that your gloves turn out the right fit.  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 3 Helpful 6
• Question What is the average hand span for men and women? Community Answer The average spread of a male hand is 7-11 inches, while the average for a woman is 6.5-9.5 inches. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 71 Helpful 41
• Question Are men and women's gloves sized the same? Community Answer No, but they are usually similar. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 44 Helpful 14

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Tips

• It is a good idea to convert your measurement to cm if you are looking for gloves in countries outside of the United States. Multiply your measurement in inches by 2.54 to get the measurement in cm. The cm measurement should correspond to the glove size. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 1
• If you have small hands, and you are having trouble reaching around the neck of a standard violin, consider buying a smaller 7/8 size. This is often called a "ladies' violin." Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 3

Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review! Advertisement

Things You'll Need

• Fabric measuring tape
• Pen
• Pencil
• Friend/assistant
• Tape

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Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about tailoring and alterations, check out our in-depth interview with Shaelynn Haning.

References

1. ↑ https://www.glove.org/Modern/glovemeasure.php
2. ↑ https://www.glove.org/Modern/glovemeasure.php
3. ↑ Shaelynn Haning. Professional Tailor & Business Owner. Expert Interview
4. ↑ https://www.glove.org/Modern/glovemeasure.php
5. ↑ https://my.alfred.edu/environmental-health-safety/determine-glove-size.cfm
6. ↑ https://www.glove.org/Modern/glovemeasure.php
7. ↑ https://tasks.illustrativemathematics.org/content-standards/tasks/485
8. ↑ https://www.mathsisfun.com/definitions/handspan.html

About This Article

Co-authored by: Shaelynn Haning Professional Tailor & Business Owner This article was co-authored by Shaelynn Haning. Shaelynn Haning is a Tailor & Business Owner based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Shaelynn is the founder of the highest-rated and most-reviewed alterations and tailoring service in Oklahoma, Tallgrass Tailor, employing a team of skilled craftsmen and women from across the country and the world. Shaelynn is a member of the State of Oklahoma Education Careers and Technologies Board and a member of both the Custom Tailors and Designers Association and the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals. She is the host of The Sew Show with Shae, an entertaining and educational sewing channel posting weekly videos on YouTube. Shaelynn earned her BS in Apparel Design and Product Development from Marist College. This article has been viewed 756,732 times. 5 votes - 48% Co-authors: 15 Updated: December 3, 2025 Views: 756,732 Categories: Body Measurements Article SummaryX

To measure hand size, wrap a fabric measuring tape around your hand at the fullest part, where your fingers meet your palm. Don't include the outside of your thumb, just your palm. Write down the measurement and compare it to standard sizing measurements to identify glove size. If your hands are large, you may need to measure length instead of circumference. In that case, measure from the top of your middle finger to the base of your palm! To learn about measuring hand span and why that measurement is useful, read on! Did this summary help you?YesNo

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Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Co-authored by: Shaelynn Haning Professional Tailor & Business Owner 5 votes - 48% Click a star to vote 48% of people told us that this article helped them. Co-authors: 15 Updated: December 3, 2025 Views: 756,732

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