I'm often being asked for an online reference for standard head sizes. There are a few websites that offer up what a S, M or L should be, but personally I don't find the measurements all that accurate. Then there's the lack of length given - most of the measurement charts concern themselves with circumference only, which is crucial to having a Hat fit properly, but the length is also key, too.

It's been bugging me for a while, and so many people have enquired, so I've decided to start gathering more info to be able to work out some accurate results.

To get the best results, I need as many people as possible to take the following measurements. I also need age, too, as many people aren't aware how the head changes with age, and that it really is much bigger than most think from a young age. Gender helps determine a 'typical' size, which is something many people enquire about.

I've tried to get some nice illustrations prepared to help demonstrate where you need to measure, so here we have some cleverly disguised images of Tom to help with our purpose. (doesn't he Photoshop nicely?)

The image above shows the first measurement needed - this is around the widest part of your head. From your forehead, over your hair, over that potruding part at the back and back round to your forehead again. The tape measure needs to be fairly snug. Sometimes it's best to take the measurement a few times to check you're got it in the right place. This is the standard head measurement given for head/Hat sizes, and will make up the first part of the data.

This 2nd image shows how to measure the depth needed for Hat measurements. This needs to be from the crown of your head right down to the base of your ear, where your earlobe meets the side of your face. It's a fairly straight line down, and follows the gentle curve of your head. This measurement is the one I get asked most about from people designing Hats!

So, here's how you can help. Please post a comment with the following information:-

Age - babies to 2yrs to the nearest 3mths, under 18's to the nearest year, over 18 please state 'adult'
Head circumference in centimetres
Head length in centimetres
Gender

Please, please give measurements in metric, to the nearest 0.25cm if possible. I will provide imperial measurements when I publish the results, but they aren't as accurate for calculating with I'm afraid!

Also, emails get lost so please leave a comment with the info - it will be much easier for me to sort everything out if it's all in one place!

As an example, here's my measurements:-

1) adult 2) 61.25cm 3) 24.25cm 4) female

And Tom's measurements:-

1) adult 2) 60cm 3) 21.5cm 4) male

You can do this totally anonymously, that's fine, you don't need to have a blog or provide your email addy - just leave a comment below. All results will be used to calculate a more accurate average and will not be used for any other purpose. I'd also appreciate your help in spreading the word - the more people that help out, the more accurate the results! Measure yourself, your family, your neighbours and friends! (but not your dog) You can copy and paste this link :-

http://woollywormhead.squarespace.com/blog/2008/10/18/the-head-measuring-game.html#comments

Once it's all done, I'll add the chart to the sizing page on my website and provide the data in PDF format, too.

I'll leave this open for a few weeks, as a few hundred different sets of numbers would be desirable - I'm not afraid of the maths ;)

Thanks in advance!