To measure belt size, take a belt that already fits you well, lay it flat, and measure from the point where the buckle attaches to the leather out to the hole you actually use. That number, in inches, is your belt size. It is not your waist size and it is not your pant size, which is where most people go wrong. And one more thing the internet keeps getting wrong: the old "pant size plus 2 inches" rule only works for thin department store belts. A thick, full grain leather belt takes more leather to wrap around you, so for our belts we recommend ordering 4 inches over your pant size, or adding 2 inches to whatever a thin belt measures. This guide covers all of it, plus a free downloadable sizing guide you can keep.
In this article
- How do you measure belt size in 3 steps?
- Why do thick leather belts run bigger?
- What size belt should you get for your pant size?
- How do you size a belt for a woman?
- What if you have no belt to measure?
- FAQ
How do you measure belt size in 3 steps?
The most reliable way to size a belt is to measure one you already own and like the fit of. Grab a tape measure and the belt you wear most:
- Lay the belt flat on a table and pull it straight.
- Measure from where the buckle attaches to the leather (the fold, not the tip of the buckle) out to the hole you use the most.
- That number in inches is your belt size. If it lands between sizes, round up.
The single most common mistake is starting the tape at the end of the buckle instead of where the buckle meets the leather. That adds a couple of inches and buys you a belt that never cinches down right.
Every belt we build is sized exactly this way: the number on our belt is the distance from where the buckle attaches to the middle hole. Land on the middle hole and you have adjustment room in both directions.
One catch before you order: the belt you just measured is almost certainly thinner than one of ours. A thin belt's number comes up short on a thick belt (the next section explains why), so when you use that measurement to order one of our belts, add 2 inches to what the tape says.
Why do thick leather belts run bigger?
Here is the part almost nobody explains, and the reason customers are sometimes surprised by the number on one of our belts: thickness changes the fit.
A belt does not lie flat when you wear it. It wraps in a circle around your body, over your pants. The thicker the belt, the bigger the circle it has to travel, so the more leather it takes to make the same trip. A thin mall belt hugs tight to your waist. A stout piece of full grain harness leather, and especially a doubled and stitched belt, rides its own thickness further out, and those fractions of an inch add up over a full wrap.
That is why the internet's standard advice ("order 2 inches over your pant size") will leave you short on a serious belt. Our belts are generally far thicker than anything most people have ever worn, because they are built to last a lifetime. So do not be surprised if the number on your belt is larger than you expect. The belt did not get bigger; it got thicker.
Our rule for men's pants: order 4 inches over your pant size. If you wear a 34 pant, order a 38. If your measurement lands between sizes, round up.
Our printable guide walks you through the measurement so your belt fits perfectly the first time.
What size belt should you get for your pant size?
Use this chart as your starting point for our belts. When in doubt, go up a size; the middle hole does the fine tuning.
| Men's pant size | Typical thin belt (+2) | Our thick belts (+4) |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 32 | 34 |
| 32 | 34 | 36 |
| 34 | 36 | 38 |
| 36 | 38 | 40 |
| 38 | 40 | 42 |
| 40 | 42 | 44 |
Doubled and stitched harness/bridle leather with a lifetime guarantee. The kind of thick this whole post is about.
How do you size a belt for a woman?
Same method, one warning: women's pant sizes are useless for belt sizing, because a size 8 or a 29 tells you nothing in inches. Skip the pant math entirely.
Measure a belt you already wear the way we showed above, buckle attachment to your hole. If you do not have one, run a soft tape through the belt loops of the pants you will wear the belt with, and where you will actually wear it: true waist reads smaller, hips read bigger. Then remember the thickness rule, and when you land between sizes of a thick belt, take the bigger one.
Doubled and stitched with crisp buckstitching. Also in White, Turquoise, and Pink.
What if you have no belt to measure?
Thread a soft cloth tape measure through the belt loops of a pair of pants that fit you, while you are wearing them, standing relaxed. That reading is honest in a way pant sizes are not; most "34" jeans actually measure closer to 36 inches around, which is exactly why the pant size rules exist in the first place.
From there: for one of our thick belts, use your pant size plus 4 inches, or take your belt loop measurement and add 2 inches. And if you are still unsure, grab the free sizing guide or just reach out; we would rather answer a sizing question than ship a belt twice.
Frequently asked questions
What size belt should I get for a men's 32 pant?
For a typical thin belt, a 34. For a thick, full grain belt like ours, order a 36. Thick belts take more leather to wrap around you.
Will a 38 belt fit a 34 waist?
On our belts, yes: a 34 pant takes a 38. On a thin department store belt, a 38 would run big on a 34 pant.
Is a size 36 belt for a 36 inch waist?
No. Belt size is the measurement from the buckle attachment to the middle hole, not your waist. On our thick belts, a 36 fits about a 32 pant.
Why is the number on my Tyler Shupe belt bigger than my pant size?
Because our belts are much thicker than most belts people have owned. A thick belt wraps a bigger circle around your body, so it takes more leather to reach the same hole. The number is bigger; the fit is right.
I measured my old belt. Do I order that same number from you?
Only if that belt is as thick as ours, which is rare. If you measured a typical thin belt, add 2 inches: a thin belt that reads 36 means a 38 in ours. Thickness eats up length.
Where exactly do I start the tape measure?
At the point where the buckle attaches to the leather, right at the fold. Never at the tip of the buckle; that adds inches that are not really there.
Measure once, wear it for life
Grab the free sizing guide, find your number, and pick a belt built to outlast the pants it holds up.
Shop All Belts →Lifetime guarantee. 100% satisfaction. Ships in 2 to 3 business days.
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