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meta_title: “How to Measure Your Penis: Length and Girth Right”
meta_description: “Measure your penis correctly: how to get length and girth, find the right condom size and put the 13 cm average in perspective.”
focus_keyword: “measure penis”
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Measuring your penis pays off for more than one reason. On a Grindr profile the number gets attention, but it matters more when you buy condoms and cock rings, which only sit right in the correct size. On average an erect penis is 13.12 cm long and 11.66 cm around, shown by the largest study on it with up to 15,521 men. For a comparison the length counts, for condom and cock ring the girth.
Most men measure standing and estimate, instead of pressing to the pubic bone. That is exactly what skews the result.
Length or girth: which number counts when measuring your penis?
For buying condoms the girth counts, for a simple comparison the length. 20 centimetres sounds impressive but says little about fit. You never unroll a condom all the way to the end, a few millimetres of space stay and the latex stretches. The measurement for buying a condom is therefore the girth, and the length plays no role.
If you have a long, thin penis, an XL condom is the wrong choice. It reaches in length but sits too loose because of the smaller width. So here are two short guides, one for length and one for girth, each for its purpose.
Determine the penis length, is that really 20 cm?
On average an erect penis is 13.12 cm long, shown by the Veale nomogram study from 2015 with up to 15,521 men. 20 cm therefore sits roughly 4 standard deviations above the mean, far out at the top end. Self-measured numbers online run higher, because hardly anyone rounds down. One self-measurement study came out at 14.15 cm. The stretched length, the soft penis gently pulled out, sits at 13.24 cm, close to the erect value, and serves in studies as an approximation. Your own length stays interesting anyway, and most men measure it wrong.
Here is how to get your length right, without guessing:
- Get it hard. You measure in the erect state, otherwise the result is worthless. Whether you gain a lot or little from soft to hard no longer matters then.
- Press the ruler to the pubic bone. Push a firm ruler along the top down to the bone, through the fat pad. This bone-pressed method counts as the reliable one in research, because it measures independently of belly fat.
- Read up to the tip. The value from the top of the pubic bone to the tip of the glans is your length. That means no more guessing on Grindr.
Always measure hard, not soft. Some men gain a lot from soft to erect, others barely any. One study of 274 men counted around 26 percent of such growers. What grower and shower means, and why the erect state is the only sensible point to measure, is covered in each piece.
Safer sex for gays, measuring the girth for the right condom choice
For condom size you measure the girth, not the length. Use a tape measure or a piece of non-stretch string and a ruler, again in the erect state. You measure at the thickest point or at the mid-shaft, as research does too. The girth divided by 2 gives the nominal width in millimetres, the width printed on the condom pack.
- With the string. Lay it around the shaft at the thickest point and mark where it crosses. Then lay the string taut along the ruler and read off the girth.
- With the tape. The string is usually more accurate, since a tape is harder to read cleanly. With no tape at hand, the string at the thickest point does the job.
- Work out the nominal width. Divide the girth by 2. A girth of 110 mm gives a nominal width of 55 mm, a standard size. Standard condoms sit at 52 to 56 mm, snug ones from about 47 mm, XL from around 56 mm. Because latex stretches, the nominal width is a starting point, not a millimetre rule.
Why the right size is more than comfort when it comes to protection is shown in the HIV prevention piece. A condom that is too wide slips, one that is too tight tears more easily.
Why so bent? Measuring a penis that is not completely straight
You measure a bent penis with the same techniques. A new or painful curve, though, is a case for the doctor, and behind it can be Peyronie’s disease, most common between 45 and 70. A slight bend is normal for most men, every penis is different. Laid close to the ruler, the curve evens out and you still get an exact value.
Watch for the difference. If the curve is new, grows or hurts, get it checked. In Peyronie’s disease, also called induratio penis plastica, scar tissue forms in the penis and bends it, often with pain. A slight congenital bend without pain, by contrast, is harmless.
Measuring the girth for the cock ring
A cock ring only sits right in the correct size, and that depends on the type of ring. For the base of the penis alone, you measure the girth as for a condom. To wear it around the shaft and the balls, you get hard and lay the tape around both testicles up to the shaft. The diameter gives you the standard sizes:
- A cock ring with a 3 cm diameter fits a penis girth of 9.4 cm.
- A cock ring with a 4 cm diameter fits a penis girth of 12.5 cm.
- A cock ring with a 5 cm diameter fits a penis girth of 15.7 cm.
When in doubt, buy two sizes. If you did not measure exactly at the thickest point, the smaller ring quickly gets uncomfortable. With no ring at hand, the penis ring alternative shows how to build one yourself.
How much does size really matter?
In bed, what counts for pleasure is mostly what you do with your penis. The average sits at around 13 cm erect, and the range around it is wide. The number matters mostly in practice: the right condom sits safely, the right cock ring does not pinch. Whether size counts for pleasure at all is put in perspective by does penis length really matter.
Anyone unhappy with their own size finds plenty of promises online. What jelqing and the penis pump actually deliver is covered soberly in each piece. And how to take an XXL cock without it hurting is explained elsewhere.
FAQ
What is the average penis size?
Erect, the average is 13.12 cm long and 11.66 cm around, measured across up to 15,521 men in the Veale study from 2015. Self-measured numbers usually come out higher, because hardly anyone underestimates.
Do you measure the penis erect or soft?
Always erect. Soft, the length varies a lot, because some men gain a lot and others barely any. Only the erect measurement is comparable and useful for condoms or cock rings.
Length or girth, which number do I need for a condom?
The girth. The length plays no role in the fit. Divide the girth by 2 for the nominal width in millimetres, the value printed on the pack.
How do I work out my condom size?
Measure the girth at the thickest point and divide it by 2. A girth of 110 mm gives a nominal width of 55 mm. Standard condoms sit at 52 to 56 mm, XL from about 56 mm.
My penis is bent, is that a problem?
A slight bend is normal and no cause for worry. If the curve is new, grows or hurts, get it checked, because Peyronie’s disease can be behind it.