Glove size chart: hand circumference and length

How to use the chart

1. Wrap a tape measure around your dominant hand just below the knuckles, without the thumb.
2. Measure the hand length from the bottom edge of the palm to the tip of the middle finger.
3. Choose hand circumference in the finder and enter the value. The finder highlights the size whose range contains it.
4. Compare the hand length of that row with yours. If your hand is longer, consider the next size.

Each size covers hands from its own circumference up to that of the next size: size 7 is for 178 mm up to 203 mm. Without JavaScript the finder is unavailable, but both charts are complete.

Where the sizes come from

The first chart shows the hand sizes of the standard for protective gloves, EN ISO 21420, which replaced EN 420. The Health and Safety Executive of the United Kingdom publishes the same hand lengths and the matching ranges of circumference.

The standard also has sizes 4 and 5 for smaller hands, with 101 mm and 127 mm circumference, and sizes 12 and 13 for larger hands, with 304 mm and 329 mm. For those the quoted hand lengths are open ranges, so they are not in the chart.

We did not read the annex of the standard itself; the values are those quoted by a glove manufacturer and by the Health and Safety Executive.

Dress gloves

Dress and fashion gloves traditionally use the same idea with half sizes. According to one English glove maker, the hand circumference in inches, rounded down to the half inch, is the glove size.

The second chart gives the circumference at which each size starts. A hand of 7.8 inches takes size 7.5. Other makers may size differently; use their chart.

Worked example

Your dominant hand measures 215 mm around and 188 mm in length.

1. 215 mm lies between 203 mm and 229 mm: size 8.
2. Size 8 belongs to a hand length of 182 mm and size 9 to 192 mm. Your hand is longer than 182 mm.
3. Try size 8 first and size 9 if the fingers are too short.

For a dress glove: 215 mm are 8.46 inches, rounded down to 8.

Common mistakes

• Including the thumb in the circumference.
• Measuring the hand you use less. Measure the dominant hand.
• Ignoring hand length. Two hands with the same circumference can need different sizes.
• Assuming letter sizes are fixed. S, M and L are assigned by each maker; look for the number.

Sources and checks

The values in the chart are the nominal values of the standards and official documents listed below. Last checked against the sources on September 28, 2026.

Hand sizes 6 to 11 are those of the standard for protective gloves, EN ISO 21420, as quoted by a manufacturer; the Health and Safety Executive prints the same lengths and the matching circumference ranges. The annex of the standard itself was not read.

A size covers hands from its own circumference up to that of the next size. The standard also has sizes 4, 5, 12 and 13, for which the quoted hand lengths are open ranges.

Inch values are conversions at 25.4 mm per inch, rounded to one decimal.

Dress glove sizes follow the rule of one glove maker. Other makers may size differently; use their chart.

• Health and Safety Executive (United Kingdom), Choosing the right gloves

Used for: Hand lengths and hand circumference ranges for sizes 6 to 11 and how to measure the hand. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

• ISO 21420:2020, Protective gloves: general requirements and test methods (official preview at iTeh Standards)

Used for: The standard has an informative annex on sizes and measurement of hands. The annex itself is not part of the preview.

• Granberg, EN ISO 21420:2020 protective gloves

Used for: A glove manufacturer quoting the hand sizes of the standard: circumference and length for sizes 4 to 13.

• Dents, gloves size guide

Used for: Dress glove size is the hand circumference in inches, measured below the knuckles without the thumb and rounded down to the half inch.