Bracelet Size Chart: How to Turn Your Wrist Size into a Bracelet Length

Bracelet size chart by wrist measurement

Find your measured wrist circumference in the first column. The other columns give the bracelet length to order, measured end to end including the clasp.

Snug suits tennis bracelets and anything you do not want sliding onto the hand. Comfort is the usual choice for chains. Loose suits charm bracelets and chunky chains meant to drape toward the hand.

Standard bracelet lengths and labels

Bracelets sold in fixed lengths cluster around a few sizes. Letter labels are not standardized, so read the length in inches or centimeters rather than the label.

These standards match real wrists. In the ANSUR II survey of US Army personnel, the average wrist was 6.1 in (155 mm) for women and 6.9 in (176 mm) for men. An average woman's wrist plus a comfortable 0.75 in comes to 6.85 in, which is why 7 in is the women's default. Men often prefer a looser fit, which puts the average man at about 7.75 to 8 in.

How to measure your wrist

1. Find the spot. Bracelets sit just above the wrist bone (the ulna's bump on the little-finger side), toward the hand. Measure there, not higher up the forearm.
2. Wrap a soft tape measure flat around the wrist, touching the skin all the way round without pressing in. Read the measurement where the tape meets its zero end.
3. No tape? Wrap a strip of paper or a phone charging cable, mark the overlap and lay it on a ruler. Avoid string, which stretches.
4. Measure twice. Take one reading in the morning and one in the evening and use the larger one.
5. Add the allowance for the fit and style you want from the tables on this page.

Beaded and chunky bracelets need more length

A bracelet's length is measured along its center line. Thick beads or links take up room on the inside of the circle, so the space left for the wrist is smaller than the stated length. The inside circumference is the stated length minus π × the bead or link thickness.

The right-hand column adds about 0.25 in of ease to the space lost, which gives the close fit a stretch bracelet should have. Many sellers of beaded bracelets list the inside circumference instead; if the listing says "inner" or "inside", use your wrist plus 0.25 to 0.5 in. The same geometry applies to wide Cuban, Franco and rope chains of 8 mm and up, which is why men's chunky bracelets are often sold half an inch longer than fine chains.

Sizing cuffs, tennis, charm and link bracelets

Cuff bracelets

A cuff has an opening instead of a clasp. Sellers list the inside length (around the metal, excluding the gap) and the gap width, typically 1 to 1.5 in (2.5 to 3.8 cm). As a rule of thumb, inside length plus gap should be about 0.5 in more than the wrist. Slide a cuff on sideways at the narrow part of the wrist and turn it into place. Solid gold and silver cuffs can be gently squeezed or opened a little, but repeated bending fatigues the metal.

Tennis bracelets

Wear them snug, wrist plus 0.5 in. A loose tennis bracelet slides over the hand bones, which strains the clasp and the stone settings. The most common lengths are 7 in for women and 8 in for men, with a safety catch next to the box clasp.

Charm bracelets

Each charm hangs inward and reduces the room, so charm bracelets run longer: Pandora recommends the wrist plus 2 cm (0.8 in), and a size up if you plan to carry many charms. Details are in the charm size guide.

Link and watch-style bracelets

Metal link bracelets are adjusted by removing links, typically 5 to 10 mm per link. A jeweler or watch shop can take out links; it is the same process as sizing a watch bracelet.

Bangles

Bangles have no clasp and must pass over the hand, so they are sized by the hand, not the wrist. See the bangle size chart.

Bracelet width: how wide should a bracelet be

Chain styles and their strength at each width are compared in the jewelry chain guide. Anklets follow the same measure-and-add method with different numbers; see anklet sizes.

Bracelet sizing mistakes

• Measuring too far up the arm. The forearm is wider, so the bracelet ends up loose at the wrist.
• Adding the allowance twice. Some size charts already include it. If a chart says "wrist size 6 in: order small", do not add another inch.
• Ignoring the clasp. A large lobster or box clasp adds stiff length that does not curve. On a snug bracelet, add a little more length.
• Choosing a stretch bracelet for a thick-boned hand. Repeated stretching over a wide hand wears out the cord. A clasp bracelet lasts longer.

A ring is sized the same way in principle: measure the body, then allow for width and thickness.

Frequently asked questions