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HOW TO FIND YOUR PERFECT BELT SIZE

Black braided belt next to measuring tape

Belts are undoubtedly one of the most common accessories out there; especially for men. It is all the more surprising that many people still struggle to measure belt sizes and find their perfect fit. To make things even more frustrating, a quick Internet search will only leave you more confused, as brands use several different ways to determine belt sizes. Luckily, there are many ways to solve this mystery and we’ll show you how in our belt size guide.

HOW TO MEASURE BELT SIZES

The only proper and logical way to measure belt sizes is from the inner edge of the buckle, where belt buckle and buckle pin meet, to the middle hole (usually there are 5 holes). If belt size and hip size coincide (or waist size depending on where you want to wear the belt), the belt will have the right size needed to apply it exactly one time around your hip so that you can pull the buckle pin through the middle hole. Voilà, the perfect fit.

General Sizing Chart Belts

In case you are wondering why there are several holes or why you should measure to the middle hole, here are the answers: The variety of holes gives your body some room for changes and allows you to wear the belt at different levels of your waist or hip without forcing you to buy a new belt constantly. Additionally, your effective hip size (your hip circumference alongside the outside of your pants) can vary depending on the thickness of the material of your pants and whether you tuck your shirt in or not. So, measuring to the middle hole gives you the most room for variations.

Left classic women's belt black and right classic men's belt grey Left: Our classic women's belt Carolina; Right: Our classic men's belt Javier

Additionally, it also leaves you with just the right amount of belt to pull through the loop without having the end of the belt hang down loosely. Ideally, you will be left with about 15-17cm/5.9-6.7in of length from the middle hole to the end of the belt.

Alternative Measurement Techniques
Some brands measure the belt size from the outside part of the buckle, from the middle of the buckle pin, from the beginning of the leather strap, to the first hole or to the last hole. All of these options leave you with wrong measurements and will inevitably lead to unsatisfying purchases.

FOUR WAYS TO FIND YOUR BELT SIZE

All nice and good but you are probably still wondering how to identify your personal perfect belt size. Here are four straightforward methods:

A Flexible Tape Measure is Your Best Friend
The most accurate way to determine your belt size is to thread a flexible tape measure through the belt loops of your pants (as you would with a belt) and mark the spot where the tape reaches exactly one time around your hip. Pick the belt size which is closest to your hip circumference. Remember to put on a pair of pants which fits you well and represents what you plan to wear. Note, that the thickness of the pants material can influence the measurements.

Illustration showing how you can measure your belt size using a measuring tape.

Don’t Have a Flexible Tape Measure? – No Problem. You can also get creative and thread any kind of cord, cable, or ribbon through the belt loops, mark the spot where it goes all around your waist or hip exactly one time, and then measure this distance with a regular tape measure.

On the left our wool belt Rodolfo and on the right our braided wool belt Federico Left: Our elastic wool belt Rodolfo; Right: Our braided wool belt Federico

Use One Of Your Old Belts
You can also get your belt size with your current belt even if it does not fit perfectly: simply use a measuring tape or a folding rule to measure the length from the inner end of the buckle to the hole or spot (for braided belts, there are no holes) which fits you most comfortably - it will likely be the spot to show the most wear and tear. Should the first hole (or the last) show the most wear as seen on the subsequent illustration you should double-check whether this is the spot that fits best or whether the belt would ideally fit even tighter (or looser), which means that you would need to adjust your measurement accordingly.

Illustration showing how can measure you belt size using an old belt.

Looking for a Shortcut? - Use Our Conversion Chart
Even though this method is less effective than the other two options, as waist size can vary from brand to brand, it can work well for most men’s sizes. You just need to know the waist size of one of your jeans which fits you well and the chart will tell you which belt size to choose. The reason why the belt size is always a little bigger than the hip circumference is the thickness of the material of your pants. Please note that this method is not suited for women.

Jeans Belt Conversion Chart

Size Up Your Jeans – It Doesn’t Get Any Easier
This is the fastest, most convenient but also most inaccurate method. Just add 3 inches to your jeans size and you’ll get a pretty good estimate for your belt size (this method works best in inches). So, if you have a 32in jeans size, a 35in belt size will be a good place to start. Some sizing guides will tell you to only add 2in but in our opinion adding 3in yields better results.

HOW TO FIND YOUR PERFECT DALGADO BELT

Now that you have identified your waist size, you can enjoy your next belt shopping trip. We can’t say which measuring system other companies use but if you are on the lookout for a Dalgado belt, here is what you need to do to find your perfect fit:

Classic women's leather belt blue with golden buckle Our classic women's belt Mia

First, you’ll have to find the right belt size chart for your type of belt, as it might vary slightly depending on the kind of belt you are looking at. When you are looking through our shop, the appropriate sizing chart is always displayed in the Details Dropdown Field for each belt. Here are all three sizing charts at a glance:

Classic and Braided Belt Sizing Charts

Braided Belts
Let’s assume you are looking at Riccardo, a men’s braided belt, and your waist size is a 93cm/36.6in. Looking at the chart in the Details section you’ll see that your hip size falls in the 88-98cm/34.5-38.5in range. That infers that your perfect belt size is M. In this example your waist size falls right in the middle of the range which is ideal. But there is no need to worry if it doesn’t. The beauty of braided belts is that you can tie the belt wherever it fits you best.

Riccardo Braided Belt - Sizing Example Our suede leather belt Riccardo

Classic Belts
Things get a bit more complicated for classic belts, as sizes are not indicated in S/M/L/XL but rather in numbers ranging from 70-120cm in steps of 5cm (27.5-47in in steps of 2in).

Let’s assume you are looking at a women’s classic belt and your waist size is 91cm/35.8in. When you check the ranges displayed in the Women's/Men's Classic Belts chart, you’ll notice that your waist size falls within the ranges 86-94cm/34-37in and 91-99cm/36-39in. This overlap is normal and is due to the 5 holes. You always want to pick the range for which your waist size is most centric; in this case the 86-94cm/34-37in range which results in your perfect belt size of 90cm/35.4in.

Our classic black men's belt Roberto Our classic men's belt Roberto

For any of these belt sizes you can add 16cm/6.3in to get the total belt length.

Not so difficult, right? If you should still have any questions regarding your belt size or our belt size guide, just get in contact with us and we’ll help you find your perfect belt size.