| Average | Middle 50% | Middle 80% | People | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 6.93" (17.6 cm) | 6.69–7.17" | 6.50–7.36" | 4,082 |
| Women | 6.09" (15.5 cm) | 5.91–6.30" | 5.71–6.50" | 1,986 |
The full distribution
Share of each group at each wrist size, rounded to the nearest quarter inch (sizes under 0.5% left out).
- 6"0.8%
- 6.25"4%
- 6.5"15.8%
- 6.75"23.6%
- 7"26.8%
- 7.25"19.4%
- 7.5"6.5%
- 7.75"2.4%
- 5.25"0.5%
- 5.5"4.5%
- 5.75"19%
- 6"33.1%
- 6.25"22.8%
- 6.5"15.4%
- 6.75"3.8%
- 7"0.8%
What it means for watch size
An average man's 6.93-inch wrist is about 54.5 mm across its flat top, so watches up to roughly 50.5 mm lug-to-lug fit it well. An average woman's wrist is about 48 mm across, which suits watches up to about 44 mm lug-to-lug. See every wrist size in the watch size chart, or measure your own.
About the data
ANSUR II was carried out by the US Army in 2010–2012 and published in 2014 (Gordon et al., US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center). Wrist circumference was measured with a tape at the wrist. The participants were serving soldiers aged roughly 17 to 58, a fitter group than the general population, so treat these as a good reference rather than a census. We computed the figures from the public male and female working databases.
Source data: ANSUR II public databases (Penn State OPEN Lab), mirrored at calmcode.io.