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Glove Size Calculator

Use this free glove size calculator to find the glove size that fits your hand. Measure your hand circumference around the palm at the knuckles, enter it in inches or centimetres, pick the fit, and it gives your glove size as a letter size from XS to XXL and as a numeric size, for men, women, and youth. It also tells you when your measurement falls between sizes, so you can order the right size the first time.

How it works

Glove sizing starts with one measurement: the circumference of your hand around the palm at the knuckles, the widest part of the hand when the fingers are together. Wrap a soft tailor’s tape around your dominant hand just below the fingers, where the knuckles are, and leave the thumb outside the tape. Keep the tape snug but not tight, with your hand relaxed and fingers together. A clenched fist makes the hand wider and gives a size that is too big, while a stretched-flat hand gives a size that is too small. Measure twice, and if the two readings differ, use the larger one.

The calculator accepts the measurement in inches or centimetres. If you measure in centimetres, it divides by 2.54 to convert to inches, because the standard glove size chart is built on inches. The size chart underneath is the same either way, so entering 21.6 centimetres gives exactly the same size as entering 8.5 inches.

Next, pick the fit: men’s, women’s, unisex, or youth. Men’s and women’s gloves are cut on different charts because men’s hands are wider on average, and women’s gloves are usually narrower with shorter fingers. A women’s size 7.5 is not the same glove as a men’s size 7.5. Unisex gloves use the men’s chart, the usual convention for work gloves and disposable gloves sold without a gendered fit. Youth gloves use a smaller chart for children’s hands, running from size 4 to size 7.

The calculator then looks your circumference up in the size chart below and returns two answers: the letter size, from XS to XXL, and the numeric size. Men’s numeric sizes run from 7 to 11 in half steps, women’s from 6 to 9, and youth sizes from 4 to 7. The letter and the number describe the same fit: a men’s Large is a numeric 9 or 9.5, and a women’s Medium is a 7.5 or 8. Shops list one or the other, so having both answers saves converting again.

Hand length is optional, and it does not change your size. It is a check on the shape of your hand. Measure from the tip of your middle finger to the base of your palm, where the wrist crease is. If your hand is much longer than it is wide, your fingers may reach the ends of a glove that fits around the palm, and you may be more comfortable sizing up. If your hand is much shorter than it is wide, the fingers of your size may feel too long. The calculator flags your length when it is notably long or short for your width, but the circumference still decides the size.

When your measurement falls close to the boundary between two sizes, the calculator says so and recommends the larger size. Gloves stretch a little with wear, but not much, and a glove that starts tight only gets uncomfortable: it restricts movement and wears through at the seams sooner. A glove that is half a size loose is easy to live with. The exception is gloves for precise work, such as mechanics’ gloves, where a snug fit matters most; for those, try the smaller size first if the brand allows exchanges.

Fit also depends on what the gloves are for. Winter gloves are often worn over a thin liner, so many people size up half a size for them. Leather work gloves break in and stretch slightly, so a snug new pair is normal. Disposable gloves, such as nitrile gloves, are meant to fit tightly, like a second skin, so order your exact size rather than sizing up. This calculator is for ordinary fitted gloves: work gloves, winter gloves, leather gloves, gardening gloves, and driving gloves.

Glove size chart

The table below is the chart the calculator uses. Find your hand circumference and read across for the letter size and the numeric size for your fit. Circumferences are in inches, with the centimetre equivalent in brackets.

Worked example

A man measures his dominant hand around the palm at the knuckles and gets 8.5 inches. He wants leather work gloves that list sizes as letters and numbers.

Step 1: No conversion is needed: it is already in inches (8.5 × 2.54 = 21.6 cm).
Step 2: Pick the men’s fit in the calculator.
Step 3: Look up 8.5 inches in the men’s chart. The 8.5-to-9.25-inch row is letter L, numeric 9.
Step 4: Read the result: letter size L, numeric size 9.

He should order Large / 9 — exactly what the calculator shows when you enter 8.5 inches with the men’s fit. If his hand had measured 8 inches instead, the same steps give Medium / 8. If it had measured 9.5 inches, the result would be Large / 9.5.

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