Determine Your Glove Size | My Alfred University (2024)

Your Glove Size

To find out your glove size, measure (in inches) around your hand with a tape measure across your palm. You should use your dominant hand, the right if you are right-handed, and the left if you are left-handed.

Glove Size Equivalents

Some manufacturers indicate glove sizes by number and others by letters standing for Small, Medium, Large, etc. We always indicate the size of a pair of gloves the same way the manufacturer does. Use the table at the right to translate between "letter sizes" and "number sizes".

1. Measure around the hand at the fullest part (exclude thumb)
   
2. Measure from the tip of the middle finger to the base of the hand
   
3. Use the largest of these two measurements for the correct size glove
4. If you are right handed, take measurements from your right hand
5. If you are left handed, take measurements from your left hand
6. The number of inches measured equals the size of the glove (example: A 7" measurement equals a size 7 glove)

GLOVE TERMS

Glovemaking is an old art and has some terms that may be unfamiliar to even the most ardent glove enthusiast.

• Cabretta: A thin, fine leather made from the skin of Brazilian hair sheep
• Cape or Capeskin: A superior thin leather made from the skin of South African hair sheep
• Clute Cut: A glove style with a one piece palm with no seam at the base of the finger. There are seams along the fingers on the inside.
• Cuff: The cuff is the part of the glove extending beyond the palm that covers the wrist and part of the forearm
• Fourchette: The piece of leather sewn between the fingers on some kinds of gloves. Also known as the sidewall or gusset.
• Gauntlet: A very long cuff to protect the forearm
• Grain: The side of the leather that had the hair, i.e. the outside. Full Grain has the original surface, whereas corrected grain has been abraded to make the leather smoother and more uniform.
• Gunn Cut: A glove style with seams at the base of the fingers. The seams between the fingers are on the back of the glove.
• Gusset: The piece of leather sewn between the fingers on some kinds of gloves. Also known as the sidewall or fourchette.
• Split: When a thick piece of leather is split into two thinner pieces, the top piece will have grain (Top Grain) and the bottom piece will be suede on both sides. The bottom piece is the split.
• Welt: A thin piece of leather sewn into the seam to strengthen it. Often a welt is used in the seam at the crotch of the thumb and the base of the finger.