Choosing the right condom size is a huge factor in having a safe, pleasurable, and confident sex experience. And it’s not as hard as you might think.
All you need to do is measure the length and width of your erect penis. Plug those measurements into a condom size chart to find the closest-fitting condom.
Length
In case you weren’t aware of it, not all condoms are the same size. They come in a range of lengths, shapes and girths that can have an impact on how well they fit, feel and protect against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. This can make figuring out which condom is the right one for you difficult — especially since there are a lot more things than just size to consider: the lube, the shape and the way it’s made can all be different.
While the length of a condom isn’t always listed on the package (although it usually can be found in the information section of the website), most condoms are at least 6.5 inches long. This is plenty of length to ensure that the latex portion covers both sides of a man’s penis when he’s erect.
Length isn’t as important when it comes to determining what size condom you need for your dick, however, as the girth is. To figure out what size external condom you need, start by measuring your dick with a flexible tape measure or piece of string. Wrap it gently around the tip of your erect penis, then measure the circumference using the tape or string. If you’re unsure of what size to measure, try a standard condom first. If it’s too tight, move up to a snug or slim fit.
Once you know what size of external condom to get, it’s time to decide which brand to buy. There are many options to choose from, including flavored, textured, warming and glow-in-the-dark condoms. Once you’ve narrowed down your selection, try a few different brands to see which ones fit the best and feel the most comfortable. Once you’ve settled on a specific brand, it may be worth trying out other versions of that particular condom to compare how they work and to ensure you’re getting the best possible experience from your purchase.
Width
While most people focus on the length of a condom when picking out the right one, the width is just as important. The condom’s width or girth, as it’s called, is how snug it feels on your penis without feeling constricting or too loose.
The best way to determine what size condom to use is by measuring your dick with string or a soft tape measure. Gently wrap the tape around your erect penis at its thickest point. Then, add up the measurement to get your girth.
You can also find a general condom size chart online (although it might differ slightly by brand). These charts organize the different condom sizes based on their flat width or girth. The flat width, sometimes referred to as the nominal width, is how wide the condom is at its base or elastic ring when rolled down to the tip.
To figure out what size condom you need, look for a condom with a flat width of 2.12 inches or higher. Condoms with a width of under 2.12 are considered slim or snug fit and are for guys with slimmer penises. Condoms with a width of 2.13 or higher are considered standard or regular size and are for guys with normal to large penises.
You can also compare the width of a particular brand’s condoms to other brands on their packaging or on their websites. Some brands have more pronounced differences in width, while others have less noticeable differences. This could be due to differences in the production process of each brand’s condoms. In any case, always try a few different types of condoms to find the perfect one for you. Just like with clothes, finding the right pair will increase your comfort level and help to reduce the risk of STIs and pregnancy.
Circumference
If you’ve ever used a condom that feels like a pencil, slides off or tear during sexual activity, you probably know how frustrating it can be. Finding a condom with a comfortable, not constricting fit is the best way to maximize pleasure and protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and pregnancy. But since most condoms don’t come with size charts and the sizing on some brands is cryptic, finding the right one for you can be tricky.
Condom sizing is usually reported as a flat width in millimeters and refers to the condom when it’s laying flat. But your penis is round, not flat, so this number has little to do with the size of the actual condom. Instead, a better measurement is the circumference, or the diameter of the base of the condom when it’s rolled up. If a regular condom fits around the end of a toilet paper tube with room to spare, it’s the same size as a large condom (or a “magnum” condom).
A certified sexuality educator and formerly a contestant on Cycle 9 of America’s Next Top Model named Sarah Hartshorne recently shared this bit of lore with a crowd of students at a National Sex Ed conference. Several people had never heard of this before, though it’s a handy tool for quickly determining what kind of condom you need.
To check the circumference of your penis, simply wrap a flexible tape measure around the base of your penis at the pubic bone to the tip of your erect penis and take note of where the measurement overlaps. Plug that measurement into this handy tool to find suggested condoms for your girth and filter them by tightness, shape and more.
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