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Most common hat size

new2hats

A-List Customer
Messages
302
Location
SC
If I wanted to open a store or sell hats to the general public, would there be a size or sizes that I would carry most?

Is there a bell curve with the average head sizes?
 

gear-guy

Practically Family
Messages
962
Location
southern indiana
That and it would have been a large size in the 50's - I think in that time the average head size has gone up a couple of sizes.

Quite right, my wife buys mens vintage fedoras that fit her fine,that fit men of that era. As for my 7 1/2 size finding vintage hats is hard. But to the original question Richard is correct. I agree that 7 3/8 or 7 1/4 is probably the norm today.
 

fedoracentric

Banned
Messages
1,362
Location
Streamwood, IL
In the 80s and 90s the US army had more size 7-1/4 than anything. So, I'd say the most common size is 7-1/4 or 7-3/8. This is why no one can easily sell a 6-7/8 hat these days!
 

suitedcboy

One Too Many
Messages
1,348
Location
Fort Worth Texas or thereabouts
7 1/8, 7 1/4, 7 3/8 are the highest concentration of head sizes per the hat manager at a large western wear seller near me.
He said the 7 3/8 size leads the 7 1/8 now but 35 years ago 7 1/8 out sold 7 3/8. 7 1/4 is his best and always was.
This is the results for north Texas. Ethnicity drives head size to a degree so some areas of the world would shove the top of the bell curve of sizes left or right.
 

T Jones

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,800
Location
Central Ohio
If I wanted to open a store or sell hats to the general public, would there be a size or sizes that I would carry most?

Is there a bell curve with the average head sizes?

I sure hope your store will carry the hard to fit "in between sizes". I'm tired of putting stuff behind the sweat to make a hat fit me...and I don't like stretching the smaller ones either. I want a hat that I can just put on and it fits.
 

barrowjh

One Too Many
Messages
1,398
Location
Maryville Tennessee
I think head size changes, slightly at least; my son was fit with a 6 7/8th size 'cover' when he was a student for one year at VMI, but that was more than 10 years ago. He fit a 7 1/4 just a couple years ago, he might be on the larger side of that by now. I have rather consistently been on the low side of 7 1/8, or in-between a 7 & 7 1/8, but I think my own head size fluctuates slightly with my weight. It would be interesting to know, for a person that is overweight, just how much would they have to lose to drop a whole head size? Maybe not a practical goal.
 

ManofKent

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,039
Location
United Kingdom
John - my head has certainly grown over the years - I was between a 58 and 59 when I was 20 - add 20 odd years and I'm between a 60 & 61. I have put on a little ;) weight since then but not enough that I thought it would impact on my hat size.
 

Brad Bowers

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,187
I was a 7 ¼ at age 18. Age 47, I'm firmly a 7 ⅜, and have probably put on 60 pounds. I shouldn't admit that in public, right?
 

Mr.Astor

Banned
Messages
246
Location
New Jersey
I was a 7 ¼ at age 18. Age 47, I'm firmly a 7 ⅜, and have probably put on 60 pounds. I shouldn't admit that in public, right?

Who cares! we're talking about hat's fitting,I think as you get older you like thing's a little more comfortable. Not like when you were young and you pulled it on your head, and all you cared about was I'm not gonna chase this down the street! I thought I was alway's a 7 1/8 but I'm between 7 1/8 to 7 1/4. How many heads have grown on here without them putting on any weight!!! That is the question!! HA!
 

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