How to find your belt size ?
Purchasing a belt can be exciting, the hundreds of colors, finishes and materials ensures that there is something out there for everyone. Once you’ve done your browsing, you decide on a belt, but there’s one last thing you have to decide on: SIZE! You might be asking yourself, is my belt size the same as my pants size? Do I size up? Do I size down? Do I need to measure my waist? Here at Artifex Leatherworks we want to answer the big question “How do I find my belt size?”
How do we size our belts?
Belts that we make, and most belts sold anywhere are sized in even inch increments. The belt is measured from the buckle end where the leather starts (excluding the actual buckle) to the 3rd hole of the belt on the opposite end. For example a size 38 belt measures 38” inches long to the 3rd hole of the belt. A common misconception is that the belt size is the overall length of the leather strap, however this is not the case as most belts do feature additional slack after the last hole of the belt.
Another measurement worth taking note of is the distance between the holes on the belt. Most belts feature 5 holes that allow for tightening and loosening the belt, the distance between the holes is usually 1 inch apart. This is important if you expect to add or remove inches off your waist in the near future.
Now we know how belts are measured and sized, but now you might be asking “But how do I find the perfect belt size for me?”
How do I find my belt size using my pants size?
In order to calculate your belt size, simply add 2 inches to your off-the-rack pant waist size. It is important to note that clothing can be stretched or shrunk, and must be taken into account when using this handy formula.
You might be asking yourself, why add 2 inches to the pants waist size? Sizing in the fashion industry at times does not reflect true measurements, this vanity sizing can result in other sizing related issues. It is not uncommon to have pants to be 2 to 4 inches larger around the waist than advertised, causing some issues when picking a belt size.
How to use an existing belt to get your belt size.
You can also calculate your belt size using an existing belt as well! Using the same technique we use to size our belts, measure the existing belt from where the leather starts on the buckle end to the 3rd hole OR to the hole you currently where the belt on.
Using this technique of getting your belt size does come with some caveats. The first and biggest one is curving and stretching of existing belts. When measuring an existing belt, it is important that it is still straight and not curved, a curve in the belt could give you a smaller measurement than the true adequate measurement. Another thing to note is where you currently buckle your belt. If your existing belt is a size 38 but you buckle it to the last hole, if you order the same size, you will once again be buckling to the last hole.
If you measure instead to the hole you buckle the current belt to, and you order your new belt to that measurement, your new belt will buckle to the middle hole, resulting in the ideal fit.