What Size Sunglasses Do I Need? Our Fit Guide to Frame, Bridge and Temple Measurements
What size sunglasses do I need? Start with frame width, the measurement straight across the front, and match it to a pair that already fits your face. Then check bridge width for how the frame sits on your nose, and arm length for where the temples meet your ears. Lens width and height decide coverage.
Sizing is the part of buying sunglasses that most people skip, and it's the reason a pair that looked great on a model ends up sliding down your nose or pressing into your temples by lunch. Frame size decides where sunglasses sit, how much they protect your eyes, and whether you'll still be wearing them at five o'clock. The good news is that you don't need to guess. Every measurement that matters is a number in millimeters, and we list the key ones on our product pages under Fit & Measurements. Think of this as our sunglasses size guide: what each number means, how to measure sunglasses size using a pair you already own, and how to read our fit collections so you can shop by the right size for you rather than the size a style happens to come in.
The Five Frame Measurements That Make Up Your Sunglasses Size
Sunglasses size is a set of five numbers, each measured in millimeters, and each one controls a different part of how a frame fits.
• Frame width is the full width across the front, hinge to hinge. It's the single best guide to whether a pair suits the width of your face.
• Lens width, which opticians also call eye size, is the horizontal width of one lens and shapes how much of your field of view the lens covers.
• Bridge width, sometimes listed as bridge size, is the gap between the lenses where the frame rests on your nose.
• Arm length, sometimes called temple length, runs from the hinge to the tip that curves behind your ear.
• Lens height is the vertical depth of the lens, which decides how much coverage you get above and below your eyes.
Here's how that looks on a real frame. Our HIGH KEY EXTRA LARGE aviator lists a 153mm frame width, a 20mm bridge, 146mm arms and a 56mm lens height. That profile belongs to a large, full-coverage frame. Many sunglass and eyeglass frames also print a size code on the inside of the temple, usually lens width, bridge width and arm length in that order, so an old pair can tell you a lot before you ever pick up a ruler.
How to Measure Sunglasses Size Using a Pair You Own
The most reliable way to find your size is to measure a pair that already fits the way you like. Lay the sunglasses flat, lenses facing you, and use a ruler or tape measure marked in millimeters.
Measure frame width first, across the widest part of the front from one outer edge to the other. Then measure the distance between the lenses at the narrowest point of the bridge, one lens from edge to edge for lens width, and one arm from the hinge to the tip. Write the numbers down.
Now compare them with the Fit & Measurements section on any style you're considering. A difference of two or three millimeters in frame width is hard to notice on your face. A difference of eight or ten is the gap between a frame that sits flush with your temples and one that hangs past them. If you don't own a pair you love, measure your face across the temples with a tape measure, which gives you a rough frame width to aim for.
What Size Sunglasses Do I Need for My Face Width?
Frame width is where to start, because it decides the proportions everyone else sees. A frame that's too narrow squeezes at the temples and makes the face look wider. One that's too wide overshoots the sides of the face and tends to slip.
Our range covers a wide spread. LOOP ME IN, a thin metal round, measures 130mm across the front, while HIGH KEY EXTRA LARGE measures 153mm. Several of our bestsellers come in two sizes for exactly this reason: HIGH KEY LARGE measures 146mm against the 153mm Extra Large, and our NIGHTFALL shield comes as a 140mm Medium and a 151mm Extra Large. If you're reading older reviews of HIGH KEY, its Extra Large size was formerly called Original and its Large size was formerly called Mini.
Comfort matters as much as coverage, and University of Rochester Medicine's optician advice is a useful check for the right fit: you should be looking straight through the frame, not over or under it, with lenses that aren't too small or too short. Our fit collections group styles by frame size so you can skip the frames that won't work. For slimmer profiles, start with our narrow sunglasses for smaller faces. Those frames keep the width in check without shrinking the lenses to the point where coverage suffers. At the other end, frames of around 148mm and wider sit together in our extra large sunglasses collection.
Bridge Width and Nose Fit
If your sunglasses fit well across the face but slide down your nose, sit on your cheeks or leave marks, the problem is almost always the bridge rather than the frame width. The bridge sets how the frame rests on your nose, and the type of nose pad decides how much that can be adjusted.
We build two kinds of nose fit. Frames with built-in universal nose pads have molded pads as part of the frame, which suit an average to higher nose bridge and feel solid and planted. Frames with adjustable silicone nose pads sit on small metal arms that can be bent closer together or further apart, which lifts the frame off the cheeks and holds it in place on a lower or flatter bridge. Our low bridge fit collection is built around adjustable nose pads, so it's the fastest route if standard frames never sit right.
Bridges on our frames run from narrow to generous. BAD HABIT measures 11mm and WEEKENDER measures 24mm, so the number on the product page is worth checking against your own pair before you look at anything else.
Temple Length and Lens Height
Arm length, the temple length on a pair of glasses, is the number people forget until a pair pinches behind your ear or lifts off your face every time you look down. Most of the styles we list have arms between 140mm and 150mm, which suits most adults. A few statement styles run shorter, like SIDE QUEST at 125mm, so if you have a larger head or wear your hair up, check this number before you commit.
Lens height is the coverage number. A taller lens blocks more light from above and below and suits anyone who wants the most protection or a bolder look. Our AURA POINTS, a narrow oval, has a 35mm lens height, while HIGH KEY EXTRA LARGE sits at 56mm. Neither is better. They're built for different jobs, and all of our lenses carry 100% UVA/UVB protection whatever their size, so the choice is about coverage and style rather than safety.
Sunglasses for Face Shape and Size Together
Face shape and face size answer different questions. Size tells you which widths will fit. Shape tells you which silhouettes will look balanced once they do. A round face often suits the angles of a square frame, and a square jaw often suits a softer round or oval, but that only works once the frame width gives you a proper fit.
For the style side, our guide to sunglasses for every face shape goes shape by shape. Once you've found both your size and your silhouette, you can narrow the field from dozens of frames to a handful in a few minutes, and find your perfect fit without a return in sight.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know the size of my sunglasses?
Check the inside of the temple arm first, where many frames print lens width, bridge width and arm length in millimeters. If there's no code, measure the pair with a ruler: frame width across the front, bridge between the lenses and arm length from hinge to tip. Quay lists these sunglass measurements, frame width, bridge width, arm length and lens height, on its product pages, so you can compare directly.
What size is 52 in sunglasses?
A 52 on a pair of sunglasses almost always refers to lens size, specifically lens width: 52 millimeters across one lens. On its own it doesn't tell you whether the frame is small or large, because bridge width and frame shape change the total width. Compare the full frame width with a pair that fits you before deciding a 52 is right.
Should I get 58 or 62 mm sunglasses?
Choose 62mm lenses if you want more coverage and your current sunglasses feel narrow, and 58mm if your current pair already sits flush with your temples. Four millimeters per lens adds roughly eight millimeters across the front, a difference you'll notice. The frame width on the product page gives you the clearest comparison.
Should I get 52 or 54 glasses?
Get the 54 if frames in your current size feel slightly tight at the temples, and stay with 52 if they already fit well. Two extra millimeters per lens adds about four millimeters across the whole front, which is enough to change how a frame sits without changing the look. Check bridge width too, since it affects fit.
Finding your size once saves you from guessing every time you shop, so keep your numbers somewhere handy as a personal size chart and use them as a filter. If you'd rather see how sunglasses sit on your face before you buy, our virtual try-on collection lets you compare frames online. Full-priced sunglasses can be returned within 30 days if they're unworn, with the original case and tags, so a frame that measures right on paper but feels wrong in person isn't a risk. And if you'd rather hold a few pairs up to a mirror, you can try them at a Quay store near you.
