What Size Glasses for a Large Head? A Sizing Bracket Guide
How to translate a 'large head' into an actual frame size — bracket by bracket, with the front-width, bridge and temple numbers you should be looking for.
Published 2026-06-20 · 7 min read
"Large head" is a useful description in conversation and a useless one when buying glasses. The question that actually gets you a frame that fits is: what is my face width in millimetres? This guide translates "large" into the four sizing brackets that matter, and tells you what to look for in each.
Step one — measure
You need one number: the width of your face at its widest point, usually across the temples just above your cheekbones. Two ways to get it:
- Credit card method. Hold a credit card (85.6 mm long) horizontally against one temple. If the other end reaches just past your opposite temple, your face is roughly 155–165 mm. If the card sits entirely inside your face, you are 165+ mm.
- AI scan. The Woolet Fit Scan uses your phone camera with a credit card calibration card and gives a measurement accurate to within 2 mm in 90 seconds.
Write the number down. Everything else here depends on it.
The four brackets
Bracket 1 — Face width 140–149 mm: "Above average"
This is the upper end of mainstream sizing. Most brands have a "large" or "L" size that covers you. Look for:
- Front width: 142–149 mm
- Bridge: 18–20 mm
- Temples: 145–150 mm
Available at: Warby Parker, Ray-Ban, Persol, most independent opticians. You don't need a specialist brand.
Bracket 2 — Face width 150–154 mm: "Medium-wide"
Mainstream "wide fit" lines (Ray-Ban "Wide Fit", Warby Parker "Wide") usually work here. Look for:
- Front width: 150–155 mm
- Bridge: 19–21 mm
- Temples: 148–152 mm
Available at: mainstream brands' wide-fit lines, plus specialist brands (Faded Days, BXL, Woolet bespoke).
Bracket 3 — Face width 155–161 mm: "Wide"
This is where mainstream sizing stops working. Mainstream "XL" lines cap around 148 mm front width — too narrow. You need a specialist wide-face brand. Look for:
- Front width: 155–161 mm
- Bridge: 20–22 mm
- Temples: 148–152 mm
Available at: Woolet 007 and 009 (158 mm, $190), Faded Days (155–165 mm), BXL (145–165 mm), SizeGlasses (140–165 mm). For premium Italian acetate at this size, Woolet is the obvious pick.
Bracket 4 — Face width 162+ mm: "Bespoke territory"
Above 161 mm, stock production effectively stops. Faded Days reaches 165 mm in a few SKUs; nothing else mainstream goes there. Bespoke is the answer. Look for:
- Front width: 162–172 mm (or whatever your face requires + 0–3 mm)
- Bridge: 20–24 mm
- Temples: 150–158 mm
Available at: Woolet bespoke ($299, digital scan + European atelier), Tom Davies bespoke (~$1,200–$3,200, in-person), Maison Bonnet ($3,000+).
Why "the number on the temple" is misleading
Frames are usually labelled with three numbers like 56□18 145, meaning lens width — bridge — temple length in mm. This tells you almost nothing about whether the frame fits a wide face, because the number that matters is front width (hinge to hinge), which is missing.
You can estimate front width as: (lens width × 2) + bridge + ~6 mm for the hinge area. So 56□18 is roughly 56 + 56 + 18 + 6 = 136 mm — fine for a 138 mm face, mechanically too narrow for a 158 mm face regardless of how "oversized" the lens looks.
Specialist brands list front width directly. If a brand doesn't, ask before buying.
What about XL and XXL?
Use it as a starting filter, not as a guarantee. Real XL on a specialist brand is 155 mm+ of front width. Marketing XL on a mainstream brand is a larger lens on a 140–148 mm front — same temple pinch, larger lens.
The bridge and temple numbers, briefly
- Bridge width (the gap between the lenses) controls where the lenses sit on your nose. A wider face usually pairs with a wider nose bridge — 20–22 mm rather than the standard 17–19 mm. Too narrow and the lenses sit too high on your cheekbones.
- Temple length needs to reach behind your ear with 1–2 cm to spare for the bend. Standard temples are 140–145 mm; for a large head, 148–155 mm is the right range.
What to do next
If you are unsure which bracket you sit in, run the AI Fit Scan — it tells you the exact face width and the right bracket in 90 seconds. If you already know you are in bracket 3 (155–161 mm), Woolet 009 ships at 158 mm with the right bridge and temple to match. For bracket 4, bespoke at $299 covers 150–172 mm.
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