To measure your hand for gloves, wrap a tape measure around the widest part of your palm — across the knuckles, excluding the thumb — and read the measurement in centimetres. That number is your glove size.

Glove sizes are not arbitrary. A size 8 means roughly 8 inches around the knuckles, which is why the sizes run 6.5, 7, 7.5 and so on. Once you know your measurement, the rest is a lookup.

How to measure, step by step

1. Take a soft tape measure. If you don't have one, use a strip of paper or a piece of string and then measure it against a ruler.
2. Open your hand flat, fingers together, thumb relaxed out of the way.
3. Wrap the tape around the widest part of your palm — across the knuckles at the base of the fingers. Do not include the thumb.
4. Keep the tape snug but not tight. It should sit against the skin without compressing it.
5. Note the measurement in centimetres and find it in the charts below.

Which hand should you measure?

Measure your dominant hand. For most people it is very slightly larger — a right-handed person usually has a marginally bigger right hand. If the two differ enough to fall into different sizes, go with the larger.

Women's glove size chart

Men's glove size chart

You can also use our sizing chart page, which shows the same measurement with a diagram.

How should a leather glove fit?

Close, with no loose leather across the palm and no empty space at the fingertips. A well-fitted leather glove looks like part of the hand rather than something worn over it.

Specifically:

• The leather should sit flat against the palm with no wrinkling or bagging.
• Your fingertips should reach the ends of the fingers without pressing hard into them.
• You should be able to close your hand into a fist. It will feel firm — that is correct — but it should not strain the seams.
• The cuff should sit comfortably at the wrist without gripping.

A driving glove in particular should be snug. Slack leather across the palm costs you feel at the wheel, which is the whole reason for wearing one.

Do leather gloves stretch?

They relax and mould, but they do not grow. Fine glove leather softens with wear and takes on the shape of your hand — across the width, across the knuckles, at the base of the thumb. What it will not do is get longer in the fingers.

The practical consequence: a glove that feels snug but wearable on day one is right. A glove whose fingers are visibly too short will still be too short in a year.

What if you're between sizes?

It depends on the glove.

• Unlined gloves and driving gloves — take the smaller size. They are meant to fit close, and the leather will relax into your hand.
• Winter gloves with cashmere, silk or fur lining — take the larger size. The lining takes up room, and a little air inside the glove is what keeps your hand warm.

What if your hands don't match a standard size?

Then don't force it. Long fingers with narrow palms, wide palms with short fingers, one hand noticeably larger than the other — none of these are unusual, and none of them are served well by off-the-shelf sizing.

We make gloves to measure, with no fixed limits on size, colour, leather, lining or stitching. For a custom pair we usually just need photographs of your hand and your middle finger, and we will guide you through the measuring. A bespoke pair takes up to five days to make, so 8–12 days in total within the EU. See our bespoke service for how it works.

Still unsure?

Send us your measurement and tell us what you want the gloves for. We have been fitting hands in our Târgu Mureș workshop since our family started making gloves in 1925, and we would rather advise you before you order than exchange afterwards.

Write to info@nmgloves.com or call +40 754 301 994. Returns are accepted within 30 days on ready-made gloves — though not on custom orders, which is exactly why it is worth getting the measurement right first.