Tool
Barrel size picker
The barrel sets the size of the curl, and your hair length sets how big a barrel it can wrap. Pick both and see the range that fits.
Short answer
Smaller barrels make tighter curls: 3/8 to 3/4 in for ringlets, 1 in for classic curls, 1 1/4 in for loose curls, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 in for beach waves and 1 1/2 to 2 in for body. Hair should wrap the barrel about two times, so short hair needs 1 in or less.
Pick your length and look
Barrel size
1 in
25 mm
Classic curls on medium hair (chin to shoulders): a 1 in barrel. Hair should wrap the barrel about two times.
Best T3 curling irons and wands by barrel size →
Circles drawn at 96 px per inch, the CSS inch; how big that looks depends on your screen.
Barrel sizes and the curls they make
- 3/8 in10 mmRinglets
- 1/2 in13 mmTight
- 3/4 in19 mmTight
- 1 in25 mmClassic
- 1 1/4 in32 mmLoose
- 1 1/2 in38 mmWaves
- 2 in51 mmVolume
3/8 in
- mm
- 10
- Typical look
- Ringlets
1/2 in
- mm
- 13
- Typical look
- Tight curls
3/4 in
- mm
- 19
- Typical look
- Tight curls
1 in
- mm
- 25
- Typical look
- Classic curls
1 1/4 in
- mm
- 32
- Typical look
- Loose curls, beach waves
1 1/2 in
- mm
- 38
- Typical look
- Beach waves, body
2 in
- mm
- 51
- Typical look
- Body and volume
| Barrel | mm | Typical look |
|---|---|---|
| 3/8 in | 10 | Ringlets |
| 1/2 in | 13 | Tight curls |
| 3/4 in | 19 | Tight curls |
| 1 in | 25 | Classic curls |
| 1 1/4 in | 32 | Loose curls, beach waves |
| 1 1/2 in | 38 | Beach waves, body |
| 2 in | 51 | Body and volume |
Why hair length caps the size
A curl forms when hair wraps around the barrel. It needs to go around about two times or more to hold. Short hair, at chin length or above, runs out after one turn on a big barrel, so the range stops at 1 inch. Medium hair stops at 1 1/4 inches. Long hair can use the full range up to 2 inches.
A clamp iron and a clipless wand of the same size make a similar curl; a wand tends to leave the ends a little looser. Compare the two in curling irons and wands.