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Tattoo size chart: cm and inches by body part

Last verified 2026-11-02 · Sources: 1 in = 2.54 cm (exact) and the /tattoo-size-by-placement table · Report an error

By Shangyi Duan · Reviewed against the photo requirements on /methodology

A conversion chart, not a recommendation engine. Every inch figure below comes from one constant — 1 inch = 2.54 cm exactly — and the body-part ranges are the same ranges used on /tattoo-size-by-placement, restated in both units.

Short answer: 1 in = 2.54 cm. A 4 in design is 10.16 cm wide; a 10 cm design is 3.94 in. Finger 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in), inner wrist 4–6 cm (1.57–2.36 in), forearm 8–12 cm (3.15–4.72 in), upper arm and calf 12–18 cm (4.72–7.09 in), shoulder blade 15–25 cm (5.91–9.84 in), back 20–35 cm (7.87–13.78 in).

The only constant you need

1 inch = 2.54 cm exactly. To go from inches to centimetres, multiply by 2.54. To go from centimetres to inches, divide by 2.54 (or multiply by 0.3937). Nothing on this page depends on anything else: no averages, no “typical” body measurements and no healing claims.

Width in cm	In inches (2 d.p.)
1 cm	0.39 in
2 cm	0.79 in
3 cm	1.18 in
4 cm	1.57 in
5 cm	1.97 in
6 cm	2.36 in
7 cm	2.76 in
8 cm	3.15 in
10 cm	3.94 in
12 cm	4.72 in
15 cm	5.91 in
18 cm	7.09 in
20 cm	7.87 in
25 cm	9.84 in
30 cm	11.81 in
35 cm	13.78 in

If you measured in inches

Many artists, especially in the US, ask for a width in inches, while stencil files on this site are set in centimetres. The table converts the sizes people actually ask for, at 2 d.p.

Width in inches	In centimetres (exact)
1 in	2.54 cm
1.5 in	3.81 cm
2 in	5.08 cm
2.5 in	6.35 cm
3 in	7.62 cm
3.5 in	8.89 cm
4 in	10.16 cm
5 in	12.70 cm
6 in	15.24 cm
7 in	17.78 cm
8 in	20.32 cm
10 in	25.40 cm

A 2.5 in inner-wrist piece is 6.35 cm. A 4 in forearm piece is 10.16 cm. Two decimals is enough: a stencil printed to 0.01 cm is already finer than any tattoo needle.

Body part × width, in both units

These are the practical ranges used on the size page, converted. They are a starting point for a conversation with your artist, not a rule.

Body part	Width in cm	Width in inches	Detail that survives
Finger	1–2 cm	0.39–0.79 in	Outline only
Inner wrist	4–6 cm	1.57–2.36 in	Contour, minimal interior
Forearm	8–12 cm	3.15–4.72 in	Contour plus some interior
Upper arm	12–18 cm	4.72–7.09 in	Full contour, some texture
Calf	12–18 cm	4.72–7.09 in	Full contour
Shoulder blade	15–25 cm	5.91–9.84 in	Everything the photo has
Back	20–35 cm	7.87–13.78 in	Full detail with background

How to use the chart

Measure the width of the placement with a tape, in cm or inches. Write it down.
Look up that width in the matching column above and read the other unit.
Take the body-part row nearest your placement and compare your width with its range. Below the range, plan to simplify the design; above it, the size is not the constraint.
Print the design at that width and hold it on the placement before you book. Paper at the right size settles arguments that millimetres on a screen cannot.

What this chart does not cover

It is geometry, not medical advice. Nothing here is a statement about your skin, healing, aftercare or whether a tattoo is safe for you. That is a conversation with your artist and, where relevant, a clinician.
It says nothing about how a tattoo ages. Line spread, fading and blowout depend on placement, ink, needle and skin — no size table predicts them. The artist education sources behind those claims are listed on /tattooer-handoff.
The ranges are practical, not measured. They come from the ranges artists use, restated in both units. The site has not published a measured size atlas yet; /methodology says exactly that, including what is still missing.

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