Almost every chain length guide online is written in inches for an American reader. If you are shopping in centimetres, here is the version you need.
In short: 50 cm sits on or just below the collarbone. 55 cm falls to the top of the chest. 60 cm sits lower, mid-chest. For most adults, 55 cm is the safest single choice, and it is the length to pick if you are buying a gift and cannot measure the person.
The same 6,4 mm curb at 50, 55 and 60 cm, on the same model and the same crew neck: on or just below the collarbone at 50 cm, the top of the chest at 55 cm and mid-chest at 60 cm.
Where each length falls
| Length | Where it sits | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 50 cm | On or just below the collarbone | A closer fit, open collars, layering as the top chain |
| 55 cm | Top of the chest, a few centimetres below the collarbone | Most people, and the safest choice for a gift |
| 60 cm | Mid-chest | Broader builds, wide chains, layering as the bottom chain |
All three lengths on one neck: a 3,8 mm Franco at 50 cm, a 4,6 mm rope at 55 cm and a 6,4 mm curb at 60 cm.
These are where each length falls on an average adult frame. Your own neck and chest will shift them — and that, not gender, is what decides the right length. Our chains are unisex: on the same neck, a chain sits in the same place whoever is wearing it. Which is why the measurement below is worth the two minutes.
How to measure, with a piece of string
You need a piece of string (a phone charging cable works too) and a tape measure.
- Drape the string around your neck and let it hang where you want the chain to sit.
- Pinch it at the back of your neck where the two ends meet.
- Lay it flat along the tape measure and read the length.
That number is your chain length. If it falls between two of the sizes we offer, go up to the longer one. A chain that sits slightly lower than intended looks considered; one that sits too high looks tight.
Let the string hang where you want the chain to sit, then lay it flat along a tape measure. This one reads 60 cm, one of the three lengths we offer.
If you would rather not use a string
Measure your neck circumference instead — around the base, where a shirt collar sits — and add:
- + 10 cm for a chain that sits at the collarbone
- + 15 cm for a chain that falls to the top of the chest
- + 20 cm for a chain that sits mid-chest
Take the 39 cm neck in our photographs: plus 10 cm gives 49 cm, so a 50 cm chain sits on or just below the collarbone; plus 15 cm gives 54 cm, so 55 cm falls to the top of the chest. A 45 cm neck needs 60 cm to reach the point that 55 cm reaches on the 39 cm neck: the same chain sits higher on a broader neck, and overlooking that is the single most common sizing mistake.
Width changes which length you want
Length and width are not independent decisions. A very wide chain needs room to fall, or it looks constricted around the neck.
- Up to about 10 mm: any of the three lengths works, so choose by where you want it to sit. 50 cm keeps the chain close to the neck, as in the open-collar photograph below; 55 or 60 cm lets a wider chain fall onto the chest, where the width shows best.
- Above 10 mm: 55 or 60 cm, and 60 cm for our widest. Our 12,2 mm Cuban is 214 g at 60 cm — that weight wants room to hang, and at 60 cm the proportions work.
Our chain thickness guide shows every width we offer to scale, if you have not settled that yet, and the chain weight chart gives every width and length in grams.
Necklines: keep clear of the collar band
With a crew neck, the one thing to avoid is a chain that lands exactly on the collar band. On most necks all three of our lengths fall below the collar and sit on the fabric, as in the photographs at the top of this page. On a broader neck a 50 cm chain sits higher and can land on the band itself; check in a mirror, and if it does, 55 cm moves it clear. Open collars are forgiving at any of the three lengths, and a roll neck usually works best at 60 cm, where the chain sits on the knit rather than disappearing into it.
The same 9,1 mm Cuban link. Left: at 55 cm with a crew neck, on the fabric below the collar. Right: at 50 cm inside an open collar, framed by the shirt.
Layering: why 50, 55 and 60 works as a set
Our three lengths are 5 cm apart, and 5 cm is roughly the minimum spacing at which two chains sit as separate pieces rather than tangling into one another.
A two-chain layer using 50 and 60 cm gives the clearest separation: a 3,8 mm Franco at 50 cm over a 6 mm Cuban at 60 cm is the pairing we would start with. A three-chain layer using all three lengths works if you vary the widths as well, finest at the top and widest at the bottom: a 3,8 mm Franco at 50 cm, a 4,6 mm rope at 55 cm and a 6,4 mm curb at 60 cm.
Mixing link styles, such as a Franco against a rope, adds contrast and can make the layer more interesting, but two chains of the same style at different lengths layer well too.
Our guide to layering silver chains shows both combinations photographed, with their weights.
A note on bracelets
Bracelets follow different rules: we offer them in 19 and 22 cm, measured at the wrist, obviously, with their own allowance for movement. Our bracelet sizing guide covers it.
Getting it right first time
Two minutes with a piece of string is worth doing before you order, so the chain fits the first time. If you are still unsure after reading this, choose 55 cm: it suits the widest range of people. For a first chain, a 6 mm Cuban link at 55 cm is the one we would suggest to a friend, and the 9,1 mm Cuban is the step up if you want it to register more.
Buying for someone else? Our gift guide covers choosing a length without their measurements.