What Size Sunglasses?
Three numbers are printed inside the arm. Once you can read them, buying sunglasses stops being a guess.
Match the total frame width to the width of the face, measured across the cheekbones. The frame should finish at the outer edge of the face or very slightly beyond it — not inside it, which looks tight, and not noticeably past it, which looks borrowed. In the printed numbers that usually means a lens width of 48mm to 52mm for a narrow face, 52mm to 55mm for an average one, and 56mm and up for a wide face. If you cannot measure at all, buy a medium frame from a brand sold in more than one size, so an exchange is simple.
Sunglasses are sized with three numbers printed on the inside of one arm, usually in the form 52-18-145, and almost nobody knows what they mean — which is why most people buy by eye and are then surprised when a famous frame does not suit them. It is not always the shape. Very often it is the size, and the two problems look identical in a mirror. Below: what each number is, how to measure a face in a minute, the fit faults that give the size away, and three picks that make this easier to get right as a gift.
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Quick picks
The whole list at a glance. Tap any row to jump to the full write-up further down the page, or go straight to the listing.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ray-Ban WayfarerSold in two widths; the New Wayfarer runs smallerUnder $250 | The safest shape, in more than one size | |
| 2 | Sunski ShorelineFlexible temples bend to fit instead of pinchingUnder $100 | A wider face, or one you cannot measure | |
| 3 | Tifosi SwankAn XL version exists, which budget brands rarely offerUnder $50 | When an XL size is needed |
We have not handled these products. Nobody here has worn, tested or owned them, and we will not pretend otherwise. What we do is check that each pick is still sold, still holds up and still makes sense as a gift at this budget. How we choose.
What to buy, if you have decided
Ray-Ban Wayfarer
Ray-Ban
The classic thick-rimmed acetate frame, in original and new slightly slimmer shapes.
The pick when you want the lowest-risk frame and you want a size option. The Wayfarer is the most universally flattering of the well-known shapes, and more importantly for this page it is sold in more than one width: the New Wayfarer runs smaller and narrower than the original, which is exactly what a narrower face needs. That means a wrong guess is usually a swap to the other size rather than a dead end. Acetate frames take knocks better than thin metal, too. Two honest caveats: acetate is heavier on the nose than metal, and the frame is common enough that the recipient may already own a pair.
What is good
- The most universally flattering of the well-known frames
- Acetate frames take knocks better than thin metal
- The New Wayfarer runs smaller, which helps a narrower face
What to know
- Heavier on the nose than a metal frame
- Common enough that the recipient may already own a pair
Sunski Shoreline
Sunski
Polarized sunglasses built from recycled resin, with flexible temples and a lifetime warranty.
The pick when you are guessing and the face might be on the wider side. Flexible temples are the specification that matters here: a rigid frame that is slightly too narrow pinches at the temples and leaves marks, and a flexible one simply bends out and fits. That forgiveness is worth more than a precise measurement when the sunglasses are a surprise. The lifetime warranty is unusual at this price, and the recycled resin frame may matter to the recipient. The range of shapes is narrower than the big brands offer, and the light build feels less substantial in the hand than acetate.
What is good
- Flexible temples make them comfortable on a larger face, where rigid frames pinch
- A lifetime warranty, which is unusual at this price
- Recycled frame material, if that matters to the recipient
What to know
- A limited range of shapes compared with the big brands
- Lightweight build feels less substantial than acetate
Tifosi Swank
Tifosi
Lightweight polarized sunglasses in a classic square frame, from a brand built around sport and driving eyewear.
The pick for a genuinely large face, which is the hardest size to buy for because most inexpensive brands make one width and stop. Tifosi sells the Swank in a standard and an XL, and that second option is the entire reason it is here: a frame that is too narrow is the single most common sizing failure, and on a wide face it is also the most visible one. Polarized lenses come as standard, the frames are very light, and grippy nose and temple pads keep them in place when moving. The styling leans sporty, which will not suit every wardrobe, so check the recipient's taste as well as their measurements.
What is good
- Polarized lenses at a price where losing a pair is annoying rather than painful
- Very light, with grippy nose and temple pads that stay put when moving
- An XL version exists for larger faces, which most budget brands do not offer
What to know
- Sport-leaning styling that will not suit every wardrobe
- Frames are plastic and feel light rather than luxurious
The three numbers, explained
| Number | What it is | Typical range | What it affects |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | Lens width, one lens, in mm | 44 to 62 | Overall frame width — the number that matters most |
| Second | Bridge width, between the lenses | 14 to 24 | Where the frame sits on the nose |
| Third | Temple length, the arm | 135 to 150 | Whether the arms reach the ears comfortably |
The first number does most of the work. Total frame width is roughly twice the lens width plus the bridge, plus a little for the rims, so a 52-18 frame measures around 128mm across and a 56-18 around 136mm. Eight millimeters sounds like nothing and is the difference between a frame that fits and one that does not.
How to measure a face in one minute
- Stand in front of a mirror with a ruler held horizontally at eye level.
- Measure across the face at its widest point, usually the cheekbones, in millimeters.
- Narrow is under about 130mm, average is 130mm to 140mm, wide is over 140mm.
- Pick a frame whose total width matches that figure or exceeds it by no more than a few millimeters.
- If you only have the lens width to go on: under 50mm for narrow, 50mm to 55mm average, 56mm and up for wide.
There is a faster shortcut if the sunglasses are a surprise and you cannot get near the face with a ruler. Find a pair the person already owns and read the numbers off the inside of the arm. It is the single most reliable piece of information available, it takes ten seconds, and it removes the guesswork entirely.
The four fit faults, and what each one tells you
- They pinch at the temples, or leave marks: the frame is too narrow. Go up in lens width, or pick a flexible-temple frame.
- They slide down the nose: the bridge is too wide for the nose, not necessarily the frame too big.
- The arms press behind the ears or stick out: the temple length is wrong, which is the third number.
- The lenses sit too high or too low on the face: the frame shape is wrong rather than the size.
Separating those four is the whole skill, because they are all experienced as the glasses do not suit me. Three of the four are sizing problems with specific fixes, and only the fourth is actually about shape. Most people conclude it is shape and buy a different style in the same wrong size.
Frame width against face width, the only hard rule
The frame should finish at the outer edge of the face or just a hair beyond. Inside the edge and the face looks squeezed, with the cheeks visible past the lenses — the most common error, and the one that makes an expensive frame look cheap. Well past the edge and the frame looks borrowed, which is the second most common error and the dominant one in oversized fashion frames.
Everything else — shape, lens colour, metal or acetate, polarized or not — is preference. This one is proportion, and it is why a frame that looks superb on somebody else can look wrong on you despite being the same style.
Polarized, and whether it matters
Polarized lenses cut glare reflected off flat surfaces — water, roads, car hoods, snow — rather than simply making everything darker. For anyone who drives, fishes, sails, skis or spends time near water, the difference is immediate and obvious, and it is now standard rather than an upgrade on most of the direct-sell brands.
Two honest caveats. Polarized lenses make some LCD screens hard to read at certain angles, which irritates pilots and a few drivers. And polarization is unrelated to UV protection: UV400 or 100 percent UV protection is the specification that protects eyes, and it is cheap and near-universal. Check for it anyway, because it is the only one that matters medically.
Buying sunglasses as a gift, in order of safety
- Read the numbers off a pair they already own. Nothing beats this.
- Failing that, pick a brand sold in more than one width, so an exchange fixes a near miss.
- Failing that, pick flexible temples, which bend to fit rather than pinching.
- Choose a mainstream shape over a distinctive one. A wrong shape is more obvious than a wrong size.
- Keep the receipt and say so. Sunglasses are the accessory most likely to need exchanging, and nobody minds.
That last point is not a cop-out. Sunglasses sit on the face, which makes fit more visible than on any other accessory, and a recipient who knows they can swap them will try them honestly rather than politely. An exchanged pair that gets worn for five years is a far better gift than a flattered pair in a drawer.
Questions buyers ask
What size sunglasses should I buy?
Match the total frame width to the width of the face across the cheekbones, so the frame finishes at the outer edge or very slightly beyond. In lens width terms, that is roughly 48mm to 52mm for a narrow face, 52mm to 55mm for average, and 56mm and up for a wide face.
What do the numbers on sunglasses mean?
The three numbers inside the arm are lens width, bridge width and temple length, all in millimeters. A frame marked 52-18-145 has 52mm lenses, an 18mm bridge and 145mm arms. The first number drives overall frame width and matters most.
How do I know if sunglasses are too small?
They pinch at the temples, leave marks after an hour, or the cheeks are visible past the outer edge of the lenses. All three mean the frame is too narrow for the face, and the fix is a wider lens width or a flexible-temple frame rather than a different shape.
How do I buy sunglasses for someone else?
Read the three numbers off the inside of the arm on a pair they already own — it is the most reliable information available and takes ten seconds. Failing that, pick a brand sold in more than one width, or a flexible-temple frame, and keep the receipt.
Do sunglasses need to be polarized?
Polarized lenses cut glare off water, roads and snow, which is a real benefit for drivers and anyone near water. It is unrelated to eye protection: UV400 or 100 percent UV protection is the specification that matters medically, and it is cheap and near-universal.
Read next
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The shortlist, once the size question is settled.
- Are sunglasses a good gift?
The question before this one, answered by relationship.
- Men's accessories starter set
Where sunglasses sit among the five things worth owning.
- Best everyday carry gifts
The other accessories that get used every single day.