Clipper guard sizes
Haircut numbers: every clipper guard size in mm and inches
A haircut number is the guide comb clipped onto the blade: the higher the number, the more length it leaves. Use the chart to translate “a #2 on the sides” into an actual length, or to work out what to ask for.
Clipper guard chart
Standard guide-comb lengths, shortest to longest. The bar shows each length against the longest standard comb (25 mm).
| Guard | Lengthmm | Inches | Where it’s used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skin | 0 mm0 in | 0 | Shortest point Not a guard: finished with a foil shaver or razor. The shortest point of skin and bald fades. |
| #0 | ≈0.5–0.8 mm≈1/32″ | ≈1/32″ | Base of the fade The bare clipper blade, no guard attached. A dark stubble shadow; the base of many shadow fades. |
| #½ | 1.5 mm1/16″ | 1/16″ | Base of the fade A slightly softer shadow at the base, or the first step up from skin or a #0. |
| #1 | 3 mm1/8″ | 1/8″ | Blend Short stubble length. The lower blend of most fades, or a very short buzz cut all over. |
| #1½ | 4.5 mm3/16″ | 3/16″ | Blend An in-between step that smooths the jump from a #1 to a #2 in a fade. |
| #2 | 6 mm1/4″ | 1/4″ | Blend A common middle step in a fade, and a short, even all-over length for a buzz cut. |
| #3 | 10 mm3/8″ | 3/8″ | Top of the fade Often where a fade meets the longer hair; also a longer, softer buzz cut. |
| #4 | 13 mm1/2″ | 1/2″ | Top of the fade The longest guard in a typical fade, and the usual side and back length for a crew cut. |
| #5 | 16 mm5/8″ | 5/8″ | Above the fade Longer clipper sides with full coverage; a short clipper cut on top. |
| #6 | 19 mm3/4″ | 3/4″ | Above the fade A clipper-cut top for short, even styles, or soft, full sides. |
| #7 | 22 mm7/8″ | 7/8″ | Above the fade A longer clipper-cut top that can still be pushed around with product. |
| #8 | 25 mm1″ | 1″ | Above the fade The longest guide comb in most standard sets, about an inch. Longer usually means scissors or a specialist longer comb. |
Lengths are the ones Wahl publishes for its standard guide combs. Other brands can label the same length with a different number, and taper levers and blades change the result slightly, so the length printed on the comb is what counts.
Length to guard number
Know the length you want left on the sides or the top? Type it to find the closest guard.
Decimals and fractions both work: 4.5, 3/8 or 1 1/4.
Your guard number shows here.
Lengths follow standard guide-comb sizes. Always check the length printed on your barber's comb.
Numbers in a fade
How the numbers build a fade
A fade is a ladder of guards. The shortest one goes at the bottom, each step up the side uses the next guard, and the longest meets the hair on top. Wahl’s own guidance is that fades typically use a combination of #0 to #4 guards, with in-between sizes such as the #½ and #1½ smoothing the jumps.
The height of the fade decides where the ladder ends, and the shortest point decides where it starts. That is why a full request names both: the height, and the number (or skin) at the bottom.
- Low Fade
“Low fade, skin at the bottom, through a #½, #1 and #2, to a #3 at the top of the ear.”
- Mid Fade
“Mid fade, #0 at the bottom, blended through a #1 and #2 to a #4 at the temple.”
- High Fade
“High fade, skin up to a #2 just below the crest, then scissors on top.”
- Shadow Fade
“Shadow fade, a #½ at the bottom so it never reaches skin, up to a #3.”
Example requests only. Your barber will adjust the steps to your hair, density and growth pattern.
Grow-out
How fast a number grows out
Scalp hair grows about 1 to 1.25 cm (roughly half an inch) a month on average. That is close to one small guard step a week, which is why the shortest part of a fade looks soft so quickly.
- Skin to #0 lengthabout 2 days
- #0 to #1 lengthabout 6–7 days
- #1 to #2 lengthabout 7–9 days
- #2 to #3 lengthabout 10–12 days
- #3 to #4 lengthabout 7–9 days
Calculated from the average growth rate above. Individual rates vary widely: one review of scalp hair reports anywhere from 0.6 to 3.4 cm a month (Harkey, Forensic Science International, 1993).
Put the numbers in your brief
Pick a reference, choose the height and shortest point, and add your guard numbers in the note. The brief prints on one page for your barber.
Sources
- Wahl USA — ten-piece guide comb set (#1 to #8 lengths)
- Wahl USA — #½ guide comb, 1/16 in (1.5 mm)
- Wahl Canada — #1½ guide comb, 3/16 in (4.5 mm)
- Wahl UK — clipper cutting lengths (bare blade length, guards used in fades, crew cut)
- Harkey MR. Anatomy and physiology of hair. Forensic Science International, 1993 (scalp growth range).
Checked October 2026.