Face Shape Calculator

How to measure your face

Pull your hair back, stand square to a mirror in good light and use a soft tailor's tape. Keep the tape flat against the skin and take each measurement twice.

1. Forehead: measure straight across the widest part, roughly halfway between eyebrows and hairline.
2. Cheekbones: find the bony point just below the outer corner of each eye and measure across.
3. Jawline: measure from just below one ear, at the jaw angle, to the chin, then double it – or measure straight across between the two jaw angles; use the same method every time.
4. Face length: measure from the centre of the hairline straight down to the tip of the chin. If your hairline is receding, start where it used to be or at the top of the forehead.

No tape measure? The photo method

Take a straight-on photo at arm's length with hair pulled back, then measure the four distances on screen with a ruler. Because the calculator uses ratios, the units do not matter as long as they are the same for every measurement. Keep the camera level with your eyes: tilting it up or down distorts length.

The 7 face shapes

There is no scientific standard for face shapes – they are styling categories. Different sites use slightly different cut-offs, which is why this page shows the exact rules the calculator uses, so you can check the result yourself.

Worked example

Forehead 13 cm, cheekbones 14 cm, jaw 11 cm and face length 19 cm. Length ÷ cheekbones = 1.36, so the face is longer than it is wide but not long enough for oblong. The jaw (11 cm) is narrower than the forehead and cheeks, the cheekbones are less than 10% wider than the forehead, and the forehead is not wide enough relative to the cheeks for heart. Result: Oval.

Best hairstyles, glasses and beards for each face shape

These are starting points, not rules. Hair texture, lifestyle and personal taste matter as much as face shape.

What if you fall between two shapes?

It is common for two measurements to be almost identical, and many faces mix two shapes. The calculator shows the runner-up when a rule is within a few percent. Use the jaw outline as the tie-breaker – a soft jaw usually points to oval or round, a sharp one to square or diamond – and borrow styling ideas from both shapes.

Common measuring mistakes

• Measuring the forehead too low, at the brow bone, which makes it look narrower than it is.
• Pulling the tape tight across the cheeks – it should rest on the skin, not press in.
• Measuring jaw width at the chin instead of at the jaw angles below the ears.
• Including hair volume or a beard in the measurements – measure the bone structure underneath.
• Using a curved tape for some measurements and a straight ruler for others; stick to one method.

Using your result: glasses frames in more detail

The usual rule for eyewear is contrast: angular frames add structure to softer faces, and rounded frames soften angular ones. Frame width should roughly match the widest part of your face, and the top of the frame should follow your brow line rather than sit far above or below it. For faces with a narrow chin, such as heart and diamond, frames that are wider at the bottom or have light, rimless lower edges help balance the shape. These suggestions are a starting point – try a few styles on, because colour, frame thickness and your features matter too.

Face shape and hairstyles: practical tips

Bring your result and two or three photos of styles you like to your hairdresser or barber. Ask how a style will work with your hair texture and parting – curly, wavy and straight hair behave very differently at the same length. For round and square faces, length past the jaw and asymmetry tend to lengthen the face; for oblong faces, width at the sides and a fringe tend to shorten it.