Winter is a harsh season. Bitter mornings, chapped lips, and icy sidewalks, Mother Nature really tries to put us through the wringer. But thankfully, we’ve got a whole arsenal ready to combat winter’s daily tests, including the almighty glove! These hand-shaped sheaths protect our mitts from the biting cold, and they can look pretty darn cool, too!

There’s a catch, ‘cool‘ gloves often come in multiple sizes. But fear not! Finding your glove size is easy, and we’re going to explain how.

Types of Glove Sizing

First off, there are two systems for glove-sizing. The most common system runs like t-shirts – Small, Medium, Large and so forth. The less common system is the English measuring method where sizes run in numbers, i.e. 5, 6, 7 and so forth. We’ll get to determining your size shortly.

Why is finding your glove size important? Well, if you’re spending out on some premium gloves made of, say, leather or suede, you’re going to want them to fit perfectly so that the material doesn’t stretch too much or have too much slack to begin with. Likewise, with other fabrics like tight knits or synthetic materials, you want your gloves to be comfortable from the get-go without any restriction to your hand movement.

How to Determine Your Glove Size

Method 1 – Finding your US Glove Size:

Image via Glove

1. To find your US Glove size, i.e. small, medium etc – simply measure the circumference of the largest part of your hand with a tape measure (excluding your thumb) like the image above.
2. Round the measurement to the nearest half inch and then use the below guide to convert your measurement to your US glove size. So, if your measurement was 9.75 inches, you would be a size large.

Method 2 – English System

Image via Reebok

1. This method requires you to measure both the length of your hand and width of your hand with a tape measure.
2. Just like the image above, measure the length of your hand from the top of your middle finger to the base of your palm.
3. Then, measure the width of your palm, just like the image below
4. Write the two numbers down, and round the larger measurement up to the nearest round number (this will almost always be the length measurement) and you have your glove size! So, if your hand length measured 6 1/2 inches – you’d round this up to 7, and your glove size would be size 7.

Image via BuyFullBodyArmours.

Examples of Sized Gloves

Red Wing Buckskin Unlined Gloves

A quintessential pair of leather gloves from Red Wing, here. Crafted from chrome-tanned 3.25 oz. full-grain deerskin, these gloves use the standard US measuring system.

Available from Stag Provisions for $67

Gary LLC. Work Glove Set Gold

A seriously rugged pair of gloves, these Work Gloves by Gary LLC. are made from 100% steerhide. Each pair comes with a pair of wool glove -liners and a pot of Sno-Seal – a natural wax treatment for leather gloves to stop them drying out after contact with snow and ice. These gloves also use the standard US system outlined in Method 1 above.

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Available from Lost & Found for $150 CAD ($113 USD)

Norse Projects Hidra Touch Screen Glove

The Hidra Glove from Nore Projects is a highly functional glove that is water repellant and touch-screen sensitive. Minimalist and understated, these gloves are made from a four-way stretch fabric that will provide warmth and comfort. These gloves use the measuring system outlined in Method 2 above, therefore come in sizes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Available from Lost & Found for $65 CAD ($49 USD)

Lead image Brown’s Beach Jacket Gloves available at Clutch Cafe.