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Tool

What size bracelet do I need?

Turn a wrist measurement into a bracelet length at three fits — and work out the bangle that will actually go over your hand.

What are you sizing?

Units

Wrap a tape or a strip of paper around the bare wrist, just below the wrist bone, snug but not tight.

cm

Bracelet length, comfortable fit

18.0 cm

Your wrist measurement plus the standard allowance. The three fits below are all defensible — which one you want is a preference, not a correct answer.

Snug

17.3 cm

6.81 in

Sits against the wrist with very little movement. Suits a tennis bracelet or anything with stones that should stay facing upwards.

Comfortable

18.0 cm

7.09 in

Moves a little but does not slide over the hand. The default for a chain bracelet, and what most shops mean by a standard fit.

Loose

18.5 cm

7.28 in

Drapes and slides down towards the hand. Suits heavier curb chains and a deliberately relaxed look.

A wrist of 16.0 cm takes a bracelet of 18.0 cm for a normal fit. If you are between the standard lengths shops stock, size up rather than down — a bracelet that is slightly long can have links taken out, and one that is short cannot be extended without adding a piece that will show.

Where that lands against stocked lengths

LengthIn cmFits a wrist of
6.5"16.5 cm14.015.2 cm
7"17.8 cm15.316.5 cm
7.5"19.1 cm16.617.8 cm
8"20.3 cm17.819.0 cm
8.5"21.6 cm19.120.3 cm
9"22.9 cm20.421.6 cm

Two things that change the number

A wide or chunky bracelet needs more. Anything over about 15 mm across, or a cuff with real thickness, sits higher off the wrist and eats length — add a few more millimetres. And a watch changes nothing: measure the bare wrist, then decide separately whether the bracelet is sharing the arm.

A bracelet and a bangle are sized differently

A bracelet opens, so it is sized from the wrist plus an allowance for how loosely it should sit. A bangle does not open, so the wrist is irrelevant — the only question is whether it will pass over the knuckles of a folded hand. Sizing a bangle from the wrist guarantees it will not go on, and it is far and away the commonest bangle-buying mistake.

For a bracelet, measure around the bare wrist just below the wrist bone, snug but not tight. Add about 1.3 cm for a snug fit that stays put, 2 cm for a normal fit that moves a little without sliding over the hand, or 2.5 cm for a deliberately loose drape. For a bangle, tuck your thumb into your palm as if putting one on, measure around the widest part of the folded hand, and divide by pi to get the minimum inner diameter.

What changes the number

Width matters. A bracelet over about 15 mm across, or a cuff with real thickness, sits higher off the wrist and consumes length — add a few millimetres beyond the standard allowance. A heavy pendant or charm cluster does the same by pulling the chain down.

If you fall between the lengths shops stock, size up rather than down. Links can be taken out of a bracelet that is slightly long; a short one cannot be extended without adding a section that will show.

Common questions

What size bracelet should I buy for a 16 cm wrist?

An 18 cm bracelet gives a normal fit on a 16 cm wrist — the wrist measurement plus about 2 cm. For a snug fit that barely moves, 17.3 cm; for a loose drape, 18.5 cm.

How do I measure my wrist for a bracelet?

Wrap a tape measure or a strip of paper around the bare wrist just below the wrist bone, snug but not tight, and read the circumference. Then add an allowance for the fit you want: roughly 1.3 cm snug, 2 cm normal, 2.5 cm loose.

How do I know what bangle size I need?

Measure your hand, not your wrist. Tuck your thumb into your palm as though putting the bangle on, measure around the widest part of the folded hand, and divide that circumference by 3.14 to get the inner diameter the bangle must have. Round up to the next size sold — a bangle that is slightly large goes on, and one that is slightly small never will.

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