How to Measure Your Face Shape Manually
A tape measure, a mirror and three minutes. No apps, no camera, no sign-up.
Every face shape on this site is defined by four numbers: how long your face is, and how wide it is at the forehead, the cheekbones and the jaw. Measure those four and the shape follows from the ratios — which is exactly what the calculator does with them.
The four measurements, in order
- 1
Get the right tool
A soft sewing tape measure is ideal. A piece of string plus a ruler works just as well: hold the string, mark it, then measure the string flat.
- 2
Face length
From the centre of your hairline straight down the middle of your face to the tip of your chin. Keep the tape flat against the skin, not floating over the nose.
- 3
Forehead width
Across the widest part of your forehead, usually halfway between your eyebrows and your hairline, edge to edge.
- 4
Cheekbone width
Across the tops of your cheekbones, starting just outside the corner of one eye and ending at the same point on the other side.
- 5
Jaw width
From the widest point of one jaw corner — about an inch below the ear — across to the same point on the other side. Not around the chin: straight across.
- 6
Write the four numbers down
Only the ratios between them matter, so the unit is irrelevant. Enter them in the calculator and it does the division for you.
The four mistakes that skew the numbers
Measuring the jaw around the chin
The jaw measurement is a straight line between the two corners under your ears. Following the chin line instead makes every face read wider-jawed than it is.
Pulling the tape tight
Skin compresses. Rest the tape against the face without tension, or every width shrinks by a few millimetres and the ratios drift.
Tilting the head
Looking down shortens the face length and widens the jaw in one move. Measure facing a mirror with your head level.
Measuring over a fringe
Hair adds width to the forehead and hides the hairline, which is where face length starts. Push hair back for the measurement.