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What’s This About
This page is about judging a frame in your hand, including what the numbers on the temple mean, which frame families are usually suggested for each outline and why, and how to check a named model before you buy.
It covers the questions that come up once you are holding a frame rather than reading a category, such as
what the three numbers inside the temple describe, and what they leave out
why the same face gets seven names on one page and nine on another
what to look at on the shelf for each facial outline
how to check a named model against the maker’s current dimensions
and many more!
Each shape guide gives a fuller shortlist for its outline; this page is about judging the frame itself.
Key Points
01Face-shape names are navigation labels rather than anatomical categories, and this page uses seven while our shape guides use nine, so the mapping table below shows which name covers which.
02Frame-family names describe a tradition, not a fixed geometry, so two frames sold under the same family name can differ in outline, depth and width.
03Named models are useful as a vocabulary and as a starting point for a search; they are not tested recommendations, and current dimensions should be checked with the maker.
04Lens depth, frame width and bridge width are fitting decisions set by your head, your nose and your prescription, not style rules that hold for a whole face-shape category.
On this page
Seven names here, nine on the shape guides
Reading the numbers and the front of a frame
Choosing glasses involves two separate jobs, deciding which frames to shortlist and judging the actual frame in front of you, and most guides run them together.
Our guide to glasses styles for men’s face shapes handles the first job, shape by shape, with a full explanation of frame measurement, and this page handles the second, which is where the family names, the numbers on the temple and the named models come in.
Nothing below is a rule. A frame that fits properly and that you want to wear has already passed the only two tests that hold for everyone.
Step 1
Seven Names Here, Nine on the Shape Guides
This page works with seven descriptions, our individual guides use nine, and other publishers use anything from five to nine, which is a naming convention rather than a disagreement about anatomy.
No agreed standard fixes the number of facial categories or a numerical border between them, so treat every one of these names as a route to useful advice rather than as a diagnosis, and use the table to find the guide you want.
Scroll horizontally to see all columns →
| Name used on this page | Name on our shape guides | What the outline shows |
|---|---|---|
| Oval | Oval | Longer than wide, curves rather than corners, no single dominant width |
| Round | Round | Length and width close together, jaw corners curved |
| Square | Square | Relatively compact, widths close together, jaw corners angular |
| Heart | Heart, also called inverted triangle | Forehead broader than jaw, tapering to the chin |
| Diamond | Diamond | Cheekbones broader than both forehead and jaw |
| Oblong, here treated as including rectangular | Split into oblong and rectangle | Clearly longer than wide; our shape guides separate softer corners from angular ones |
| Triangle, here treated as including pear | Split into triangle and pear | Jaw broader than forehead; our face shape quiz treats triangle and pear as one result, and some guides separate them by how sharply the face tapers |
Two cautions come with that table. First, the split between oblong and rectangle, and between triangle and pear, is a convention rather than a validated anatomical distinction, which is why this page can treat each pair as one family without contradiction.
Second, the word triangle is used by other publishers for the opposite outline, a broad forehead narrowing to a small jaw, so a recommendation borrowed from elsewhere has to be translated by its description rather than by its label.
The one sentence to leave with
Match the description to your own face, never the label, because the same word means opposite outlines in different guides and the same face has a different name depending on which page you landed on.
Step 2
Reading the Numbers and the Front of a Frame
Open the left temple of any pair you own and you will usually find three numbers, printed as something like 52-18-145, for lens width, bridge width and temple length, all in millimetres.
Lens width measures one lens at its widest, so the whole front is both lenses plus the bridge plus the rims and hinges, which puts the total well above the first number and makes it the figure to compare with your own head.
The bridge number is the gap between the lenses. It is a frame dimension, not a measurement of your nose; how the frame actually sits depends on the shape and projection of that bridge, on the pads if it has them and on the tilt of the front, which makes the figure a way of narrowing a search rather than a prediction of fit. Temple length is the path from hinge to behind your ear, and neither number can be inferred from a face-shape label.
Sizes vary within a single model, which is easy to miss. Long-running models are commonly sold in more than one size, so the model name alone tells you nothing about whether that frame will fit you, and the size has to come from the maker’s own listing. Ray-Ban’s size and fit guide explains how its frame measurements are given.
One measurement usually missing from the stamp and from most product pages is lens depth, which decides how much of the face between brow and cheek the frame covers, and which your varifocal and your cheeks both care about. Judge depth on your own face or from the maker’s diagram.
The checks that matter on any frame
Warby Parker’s guide to how glasses should fit covers the consumer version, and optician Sue Deal’s frame fitting article for the ABDO covers the dispensing view, including prescription suitability, lens size and weight, bridge contact, head width and side length.
01Nose. The bridge or the pads carry the weight without pinching, and the frame stays put when you look down.
02Temples. The sides clear the widest point of your head without pressing, and the bend holds behind the ear rather than on top of it.
03Cheeks and lashes. Smile fully and the lower rim stays clear of your cheeks, blink and your lashes stay clear of the lenses.
04On prescription, your optician decides which frames suit your lenses, how thick the edges will run and where the lenses need to sit, and that conversation belongs before the styling one.
Step 3
Frame Families by Facial Outline
Each entry below gives the reasoning behind the usual shortlist, the frames people name when they mean that family, and a link to the fuller guide. The reasoning is aesthetic in every case, so a frame you prefer for other reasons is never wrong.
1. Oval
Oval faces are longer than they are wide with gentle curves throughout, and the usual suggestion is a frame with straight lines and defined corners, because it sets an angle against curves.
What to look at on the shelf is whether the front is straight-edged or curved along the top, how thick the rim runs, and whether the bridge is moulded or carries adjustable pads.
These frames sit comfortably with most haircuts, from a classic side part to a fuller pompadour.
2. Round
Men with round faces have soft curves and similar width and length, and the usual suggestion is an angular front, which places a straight edge against those curves. A round frame on a round face repeats the curve instead, which is a look plenty of men choose on purpose rather than a fault.
On the shelf, look at how square the outer corners are, how deep the lens runs against your cheeks, and whether the top rim is heavy enough to read as a line from a few feet away.
Shorter haircuts such as a textured crop or a buzz cut sit easily alongside a heavier angular frame.
3. Square
Men with square faces have angular jaw corners and widths that run close together, and the usual suggestion is a round or oval front, which sets a curve against those corners. A squared front repeats the angle, which is equally wearable.
What to look at on the shelf is whether the front is a full circle or an oval wider than it is deep, and whether the rim is fine metal or thicker acetate, which changes the effect more than the outline does.
Short and medium haircuts such as the Ivy League haircut or a layered mid-length cut work well with these frames.
4. Heart
Men with heart-shaped faces have a forehead broader than the jaw, and the usual suggestion is to keep weight off the brow and, if you want it, place some interest lower down.
On the shelf, look at where the lens carries its area above and below the mid-line, how heavy the lower rim is, and how high the temples join the front.
Claims about where a particular aviator is widest vary between makers and models, so look at the front of the model you are considering rather than taking a general statement about the family on trust.
5. Diamond
Diamond face shapes have cheekbones broader than both the forehead and the jaw. Prevalence claims are sometimes attached to this outline, and this guide leaves them out and describes the outline instead.
The usual suggestion is a frame that stays light around prominent cheekbones, which is why rimless, oval and browline frames appear on so many lists, and the practical constraint is cheek clearance rather than outline.
What to look at on the shelf is how much rim there is at all, how far the lower edge reaches towards your cheeks, and whether the bridge carries adjustable pads.
6. Oblong, including rectangular
Long faces have forehead, cheekbones and jaw running close in width with clearly greater length, and the usual suggestion is a wider front, because the width of the front and a defined top rim give the eye a horizontal line to follow.
Lens depth is a separate question, and it is a fitting and prescription decision rather than a style rule. A deep front covers more of the face between brow and cheek, a shallow one covers less, and which you can wear depends on your cheeks, your lashes and your lenses. Depth is therefore both a coverage choice you can make on looks and a constraint set by fit and by your lenses.
On the shelf, look at the overall width of the front against your own head, how long the top rim runs uninterrupted, and how deep the lens is.
7. Triangle, including pear
These jaw-wide outlines have a narrower forehead and a broader jaw, and the usual suggestion is to put more of the frame’s weight along the top, whether through rim depth, a change of material or a contrasting colour.
An upswept outer corner belongs in the same group, since it lifts weight to the top and outside of the frame, which is worth saying because some guides recommend upswept frames here and others warn against them.
What to look at on the shelf is whether the weight along the top comes from rim depth, from a change of material or from colour alone, and how far the upper corners extend.
Step 4
What to Do With a Named Model
Model names are useful for searching and for telling an optician what you are after, and this guide does not attach shape descriptions to particular models, because a description that has not been checked against the maker’s current product page can be wrong.
Long-running models are also revised, so a frame that built its reputation in one decade may have a different lens depth, rim thickness or bridge by the time you buy it, and marketing copy describes a look rather than a measurement.
Three steps turn a name into a decision.
Step one
Find the current dimensions on the maker’s page
Most makers list lens width, bridge width and temple length per size, and many models run in two or three sizes, so the name has to be followed by a size before it means anything about fit.
Step two
Look at a straight-on photograph of the front
Judge for yourself where the lens carries its area, how deep it runs and how thick the rim is, since those three observations settle more than any family name can.
Step three
Take the numbers to your optician
Prescription suitability, lens thickness and the height at which the lenses need to sit are dispensing questions, and answering them before you buy saves returning a frame you have already fallen for.
Five Considerations Beyond the Outline of Your Face
Proportion. A frame should suit the size of your head rather than a category, and the test is whether it sits securely with no uncomfortable pressure, which an optician can judge better than a mirror can.
Brow line. Many men prefer the top of the frame to follow their own brow, and where the frame actually sits is set by the bridge and the pads, so ask your optician to adjust rather than pushing the frame up or down yourself.
For bridge fit, the bridge should rest on your nose without pinching or sliding, and adjustable pads on a metal frame give far more scope for correction than a moulded acetate bridge.
How you live. A frame worn on a building site, on a bike or across a desk for ten hours asks different questions about weight, hinge construction and material than a frame worn for meetings.
What you actually like. Face shape narrows a shortlist and preference finishes the job, and a frame you enjoy wearing is doing more for you than a frame that satisfies a diagram.
Sunglasses add one more question that has nothing to do with outline. Check the ultraviolet protection standard, since lens darkness and protection are separate properties.
Questions People Ask
Q. Is the diamond face shape really the rarest?
This guide does not use prevalence figures, because the sources behind it do not support one and the categories are naming conventions rather than counted classes. What matters when you are choosing frames is the outline you can actually see.
Q. Why does this page use seven names when your other guides use nine?
Because this page groups oblong with rectangular and triangle with pear. Our shape guides separate oblong from rectangle by how angular the jaw corners are; our face shape quiz treats triangle and pear as one result, and some guides separate them by how sharply the face tapers. Both are conventions rather than anatomy, and the table in step one maps one onto the other.
Q. Should long faces wear deep lenses or avoid them?
Neither answer holds as a rule, because depth is a coverage choice and a fitting constraint at the same time. Lens depth decides how much of the face between brow and cheek the frame covers, and what you can wear is set by cheek clearance, lash clearance and the lens your prescription needs. Try a deep front and a shallow one that both fit, and judge them side by side.
Q. Can I trust a recommendation for a specific model?
Treat it as a search term. A named model tells you which family someone means, and it does not tell you the current dimensions, which size will fit you or whether the frame suits your prescription. The three steps in step four turn the name into something you can act on.
Q. Where do I start if I do not know my face shape?
Start with the frames rather than the label. Note the three numbers from a pair that already fits, run the four checks in step two on anything you try, and read the shape guide whose description matches what you see in a straight-on mirror. Our guide to glasses styles for men’s face shapes collects all nine descriptions in one place.
Everything on this page is a starting point rather than a rule, and trying several frames on and asking someone whose eye you trust will tell you more than any category will.