Guide to Baseball Hat Sizes

Shopping for a baseball hat can be tricky, especially considering the various types of caps out there. Luckily, as long as you know the dimensions of your head, finding the right baseball hat size shouldn’t prove to be too difficult.

Today, I’ll provide a simple baseball hat size chart that you can use as a reference for shopping for the right hat size.

Read also: Standard Baseball Bat Dimensions and Weights

Baseball Hat Size Charts

A baseball hat is like any regular cap. However, there are three distinct types of baseball caps—adjustable, stretch, and fitted.

An adjustable baseball hat, also known as a snapback, is a cap that has a closure on the back, which allows the wearer to adjust the width of the cap’s circumference to suit their head. When measuring the circumference

Stretch baseball caps do not have a closure on the back. However, the band of the cap is made of a stretchy material that makes a single cap size suitable for a wide range of head sizes.

Finally, there are fitted baseball caps that are designed to fit snugly around the head of the wearer. They do not have closures or elastic bands, so the wearer needs to find the precise circumference of their head to ensure the fitted cap fits perfectly. This is also the type of hat that is worn by baseball catchers during gameplay.

Below, I’ll provide baseball hat size charts for adjustable caps, stretch caps, and fitted caps.

Men’s Baseball Hat Size Chart

Adjustable Caps

Stretch Caps

Fitted Caps

Women’s Baseball Hat Size Chart

Adjustable Caps

Fitted Caps

Children’s Baseball Hat Size Chart

Adjustable Caps

Stretch Caps

Fitted Caps

How to Measure Baseball Hat Sizes

The right baseball hat is one that will not fall off your head when you run. It should fit snugly around the circumference of your head with very little give. This is especially important for fitted baseball caps since they are non-adjustable.

So, before you purchase a new baseball cap, you should first know the circumference of your head.

1. Using a measuring tape, measure the distance from the bottom of the occipital bone—the bulge on the back of your head—to roughly 1 to 1-1/2 inches above your eyebrow.
2. If you don’t have a measuring tape, you can use a piece of string, twine, or fabric to measure the distance. With a marker or pen, mark the circumference of your head, then take a ruler and measure the distance.
3. If you want to get a fitted cap, you can certainly measure the distance from the occipital bone to the top of your eyebrows. That way, the visor will sit directly above your eyes and block the sun.
4. Now, take that measurement and compare it to the correct size chart above.

Can You Shrink a Fitted Cap?

Yes, you can, though I wouldn’t recommend it. There are several ways you can shrink a fitted cap—e.g., submerging it in simmering water for 1-2 minutes, showering with the cap on in hot water, etc.—but you might end up causing irreparable damage to the plastic that gives the visor structure.

So, before you settle on a particular fitted cap size, make sure you have already measured the circumference of your head. If the circumference falls somewhere in between hat sizes, then choose the larger size.

Do All Baseball Hats Come in Identical Sizing Standards?

No, they do not. This is especially true for local hatmakers who source blank caps from overseas and print or add embroidery to the product. This is why using the circumference of your head as a reference is a much better idea than shopping for a Small, Medium, Large, Size 6, Size 7, etc., hat.

Best Baseball Cap Brands

There are countless baseball cap makers out there, many of which have been around for over a hundred years. I’m particularly fond of New Era baseball caps for their quality and the ability to verify whether the hat is an original or a knockoff.

However, you can’t go wrong with baseball hats from Everlane, Prada, 47 Brand New York, Oakley, Nautica, or DC Men. What makes them different from each other is the quality of materials and the stitching that goes into every cap. The stitching on a poor-quality baseball cap will begin fraying and ultimately undoing itself over time, especially after the first wash.

So, even though there are cheaper baseball cap brands from places like China and Hong Kong, they’re not always up to par with top-tier brands.