Haircut Numbers: What Each Clipper Guard Leaves
Haircut numbers are clipper guard sizes. The number is the length of hair the guard leaves, and the higher the number, the longer the hair: a number 2 leaves about a quarter of an inch, roughly 6 mm.
The guard sizes
Inches are as the manufacturer lists them; millimetres are rounded conversions.
| Guard | Inches | About |
|---|---|---|
| #½ | 1/16 in | 1.5 mm |
| #1 | 1/8 in | 3 mm |
| #2 | 1/4 in | 6 mm |
| #3 | 3/8 in | 10 mm |
| #4 | 1/2 in | 13 mm |
| #5 | 5/8 in | 16 mm |
| #6 | 3/4 in | 19 mm |
| #7 | 7/8 in | 22 mm |
| #8 | 1 in | 25 mm |
Zero, skin and the sizes in between
With no guard at all the clipper cuts closer than any guard, which many barbers call a zero. A skin fade goes closer still, finished with a foil shaver or a razor.
To blend a fade, barbers also use half sizes and the clipper's lever, which shortens the cut slightly without changing the guard.
Why the top is given in centimetres
Guards stop at about an inch. Anything longer, like the top of a textured crop or a two block, is cut with scissors, so our briefs give the top as a length in centimetres and inches, and the sides as a guard number.
Sizes vary a little between brands
The chart above is Wahl's. Other brands' guards can differ slightly, and the length is usually printed on the guard itself, so if a number matters, ask what length it leaves on that clipper.
