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Crochet headband and ear warmer size chart

How long do I make a headband or an ear warmer?

woman · Head circumference on hat charts

21 to 23 in (53 to 58 cm)

Band length before it stretches: 19 to 22 in (48 to 56 cm)

“Our suggestion” marks advice that is this site’s own, not a figure from a published chart.

Head circumference and band length for headbands and ear warmers

Headband forHead circumference on hat chartsBand length before it stretches
newborn13 to 14.5 in (33 to 37 cm)11 to 13.5 in (28 to 34 cm)
3 to 6 months14 to 17 in (36 to 43 cm)12 to 16 in (30 to 41 cm)
6 to 12 months16 to 19 in (41 to 48 cm)14 to 18 in (36 to 46 cm)
1 to 2 years17 to 20 in (43 to 51 cm)15 to 19 in (38 to 48 cm)
toddler18 to 20 in (46 to 51 cm)16 to 19 in (41 to 48 cm)
child17.5 to 20.5 in (44 to 52 cm)15.5 to 19.5 in (39 to 50 cm)
teen20 to 22 in (51 to 56 cm)18 to 21 in (46 to 53 cm)
woman21 to 23 in (53 to 58 cm)19 to 22 in (48 to 56 cm)
man22 to 24 in (56 to 61 cm)20 to 23 in (51 to 58 cm)
  • Measure the head if you can. Heads of one age differ by inches, and a band made to a measured head fits better than one made to an age.
  • The head sizes are the rows of our hat size chart: what hat size charts say, from the smallest to the largest figure they give.
  • The band length is worked out from the head size: 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) less than the head. It is the distance around the finished band, measured before the band is stretched.
  • Centimeters are worked out from the inches and rounded to a whole centimeter.

How it works

  • Make the band shorter than the head is round. Crochet fabric stretches, so a headband or ear warmer is made 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) less around than the head and stretches to fit.
  • An ear warmer for a child or an adult is about 4 inches (10 cm) wide.
  • Work from the head you are making for when you can: measure around it, then take the band length from that number and not from an age.

Worked examples

How long should a headband be for an adult?
For a woman, hat charts give a head of 21 to 23 inches (53 to 58 cm), so the band is 19 to 22 inches (48 to 56 cm) long. For a man, the head is 22 to 24 inches (56 to 61 cm) and the band 20 to 23 inches (51 to 58 cm).
How long do I make a headband for a 22 inch head?
20 to 21 inches (51 to 53 cm): 1 to 2 inches less than the head, because the band stretches.
How wide should an ear warmer be?
About 4 inches (10 cm) for a child or an adult.

Questions

Why is the band shorter than the head?
Because crochet fabric stretches. A band made 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) shorter than the head stretches to fit it.
How do I make a headband longer or shorter?
It depends on which way the band is worked. In a band worked along its length, add or take away starting chains. In a band worked back and forth across its width, work more rows or fewer, until it is long enough.
Where do these head sizes come from?
They are the rows of our hat size chart, which also has a size for a preemie and heads as measured for babies and toddlers. Our suggestion