Your fitted hat size is just your head circumference in inches, translated into eighths. That’s the whole secret. Measure once, find the number on a real fitted hat size chart, and you never guess again. Below is the New Era 59FIFTY chart that matters most, plus how ’47 and Flexfit map to it, because not every brand stamps an actual size inside the sweatband. Get this right and a 59FIFTY sits flush across your crown with no gap behind the button.
The New Era 59FIFTY Fitted Hat Size Chart
Start here. The 59FIFTY is the on-field cap MLB players actually wear, and it’s sized in fractions, not S/M/L. Measure your head, find your inches, read across to the size.
| Fitted Size | Inches | Centimeters |
|---|---|---|
| 6 7/8 | 21 5/8 | 54.9 |
| 7 | 22 | 55.8 |
| 7 1/8 | 22 3/8 | 56.8 |
| 7 1/4 | 22 3/4 | 57.7 |
| 7 3/8 | 23 1/8 | 58.7 |
| 7 1/2 | 23 1/2 | 59.6 |
| 7 5/8 | 23 7/8 | 60.6 |
| 7 3/4 | 24 1/4 | 61.5 |
| 7 7/8 | 24 5/8 | 62.5 |
| 8 | 25 | 63.5 |
New Era’s full run goes from 6 3/8 up to 8 3/4, but 7 to 7 5/8 covers most adult heads. If your measurement lands dead between two rows, size up. A drawstring or sizing tape can shrink a slightly loose cap; nothing makes a tight one bigger.
One thing New Era won’t put on the tag: their wool 59FIFTY caps tighten a touch over the first month as the sweatband settles. A fit that’s snug on day one gets uncomfortable by week three. Buy for “barely loose,” not “perfect in the store.”
How to Measure Your Head for a Fitted Hat
You need a soft tape measure or a strip of string and a ruler. Two minutes, and it’s the only step that actually decides your size.
- Wrap the tape around the widest part of your head, about a half-inch above your eyebrows and just above your ears. That’s exactly where the sweatband sits.
- Keep it level all the way around. A crooked tape adds phantom inches.
- Snug, not strangling. You want the number the cap will live at, not a tourniquet reading.
- Record inches and centimeters both, then match to the chart above.
- If you used string, mark where it overlaps and measure that length flat against a ruler.
Measure twice. A quarter-inch is a full size, and a full size is the difference between a clean fit and a headache. For the long version with photos, see our guide to measuring your head for a fitted hat.
Other Brands: ’47, Flexfit, and How They Convert
Not every “fitted” cap uses the 59FIFTY’s fraction system. Here’s how the big ones translate so one head measurement works across your whole rotation.
| Brand / System | Sizing Style | Roughly Equals (59FIFTY) |
|---|---|---|
| New Era 59FIFTY | Exact fractions (7 1/4, etc.) | Itself, the reference standard |
| ’47 Brand fitted | S / M / L / XL | S ≈ 7, M ≈ 7 1/4, L ≈ 7 1/2, XL ≈ 7 5/8+ |
| Flexfit S/M | Stretch band | ~6 3/4 to 7 1/8 (21 5/8–22 3/4 in) |
| Flexfit L/XL | Stretch band | ~7 1/4 to 7 5/8 (22 3/4–24 in) |
Flexfit is a fashion cap with elastic, not a true fitted. It stretches to cover a range, so it never sits as crisp as a structured 59FIFTY crown. ’47 fitteds are sized by letter, which is convenient and also why two “Larges” from different seasons can feel different. When in doubt, trust your inches over the letter on the tag.
If you’re building a closet of on-field caps, the 59FIFTY is the one to standardize on. Browse team styles starting with the Yankees and Dodgers, or the full MLB hub to see what’s out there in your size.
Mistakes That Wreck Your Fit
The chart is easy. People still get burned on these.
- Trusting the snapback you own. One-size-fits-all caps tell you nothing about your fitted number. Measure.
- Buying low-profile at your normal size. The 59FIFTY Low Profile runs a touch big because the crown is pre-curved and shallower. Go one size down from your standard 59FIFTY.
- Sizing down “to break it in.” A too-small cap leaves a red line on your forehead and never relaxes enough. Break-in loosens a fit slightly, it doesn’t add a size. See how to break in a fitted hat for the actual method.
- Ignoring shrinkage on wool. Wool and any hot-wash mistake will pull a cap tighter. Pair the right size with our washing guide so you don’t accidentally drop a size.
- Measuring over a bun, beanie, or wet hair. Measure bare-headed in your normal hair state. That’s how you’ll actually wear it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know my fitted hat size?
Wrap a soft tape around the widest part of your head, a half-inch above your brows and ears, and read the inches. Match that number to a fitted hat size chart. For a 22 3/4-inch head, that’s a 7 1/4. Between two sizes, pick the larger one.
Do New Era fitted hats run true to size?
Standard 59FIFTY caps run true to size. The exceptions are Low Profile fitteds, which run slightly big from the pre-curved crown, so size down one. Wool caps also tighten a little as the sweatband breaks in, so favor a hair loose over snug at purchase.
What if I’m between two fitted sizes?
Size up. It’s far easier to take in a loose fitted with sizing tape or an inner drawstring than to stretch a tight one, and a cap that’s slightly small only gets worse as the band settles. The larger size gives you room to dial it in.
How tight should a fitted hat be?
Snug enough to stay put when you look down, loose enough to leave no red mark on your forehead. You should fit a fingertip under the sweatband with light resistance. If it throbs after twenty minutes, it’s a size too small.
Can you adjust a fitted hat if it’s too big?
Yes. Add adhesive hat sizing tape or foam strips inside the sweatband to take up a half size, or have a tailor add an inner drawstring. This is exactly why sizing up beats sizing down: a slightly big fitted is fixable, a tight one is not.
Bottom line: Measure your head in inches, match it to the 59FIFTY chart, and size up if you’re on the fence. Everything else, brand letters, low-profile quirks, wool shrinkage, is just a footnote to that one number.
Now that you’ve got your size locked, the fun part is choosing what wears it. Start with the anatomy of a fitted hat so you know your crown from your squatchee, then dig into your team’s lineup over on the Mets page.
