South Africa sizes rings with letters, not numbers, which is why a US "size 7" can leave you guessing. This ring size chart for South Africa gives every letter size we use at Wanderlust Jewelry, with the inside measurement in millimetres and the US and EU equivalents, plus simple ways to find your size at home with a printable sizer.
How ring sizes in letters work
South Africa uses the same alphabetical system as the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. The current British Standard, BS 6820, defines each size by the inner circumference of the ring: size C is 40.0 mm, and every full letter adds 1.25 mm, so every half size adds 0.625 mm. After Z the scale carries on as Z+1, Z+2 and so on.
In other countries the size is a number. A US size is worked out from the inner diameter, and in Europe the size number is simply the inner circumference in millimetres (EU 54 is about 54 mm round the inside).
Ring size chart South Africa: letters to mm
This is the house table Wanderlust Jewelry South Africa uses for its size guide and printable ring sizer. Published charts can differ from each other by up to half a letter, because each standard rounds differently, so always use the same chart from start to finish. You'll find the Japanese sizes too on our size guide.
| SA / UK letter | US | EU | Inner diameter | Inner circumference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | 2.75 | 44 | 13.9 mm | 43.8 mm |
| F½ | 3 | 44 | 14.1 mm | 44.4 mm |
| G | 3.25 | 45 | 14.3 mm | 45.0 mm |
| G½ | 3.5 | 46 | 14.5 mm | 45.6 mm |
| H | 3.75 | 46 | 14.7 mm | 46.2 mm |
| H½ | 4 | 47 | 14.9 mm | 46.9 mm |
| I | 4.25 | 48 | 15.1 mm | 47.5 mm |
| I½ | 4.5 | 48 | 15.3 mm | 48.1 mm |
| J | 4.75 | 49 | 15.5 mm | 48.8 mm |
| J½ | 5 | 49 | 15.7 mm | 49.4 mm |
| K | 5.25 | 50 | 15.9 mm | 50.0 mm |
| K½ | 5.5 | 51 | 16.1 mm | 50.6 mm |
| L | 5.75 | 51 | 16.3 mm | 51.2 mm |
| L½ | 6 | 52 | 16.5 mm | 51.9 mm |
| M | 6.25 | 53 | 16.7 mm | 52.5 mm |
| M½ | 6.5 | 53 | 16.9 mm | 53.1 mm |
| N | 6.75 | 54 | 17.1 mm | 53.8 mm |
| N½ | 7 | 54 | 17.3 mm | 54.4 mm |
| O | 7.25 | 55 | 17.5 mm | 55.0 mm |
| O½ | 7.5 | 56 | 17.7 mm | 55.6 mm |
| P | 7.75 | 56 | 17.9 mm | 56.2 mm |
| P½ | 8 | 57 | 18.1 mm | 56.9 mm |
| Q | 8.25 | 58 | 18.3 mm | 57.5 mm |
| Q½ | 8.5 | 58 | 18.5 mm | 58.1 mm |
| R | 8.75 | 59 | 18.7 mm | 58.8 mm |
| R½ | 9 | 59 | 18.9 mm | 59.4 mm |
| S | 9.25 | 60 | 19.1 mm | 60.0 mm |
| S½ | 9.5 | 61 | 19.3 mm | 60.6 mm |
| T | 9.75 | 61 | 19.5 mm | 61.2 mm |
| T½ | 10 | 62 | 19.7 mm | 61.9 mm |
| U | 10.25 | 63 | 19.9 mm | 62.5 mm |
| U½ | 10.5 | 63 | 20.1 mm | 63.1 mm |
| V | 10.75 | 64 | 20.3 mm | 63.8 mm |
| V½ | 11 | 64 | 20.5 mm | 64.4 mm |
| W | 11.25 | 65 | 20.7 mm | 65.0 mm |
| W½ | 11.5 | 66 | 20.9 mm | 65.6 mm |
| X | 11.75 | 66 | 21.1 mm | 66.2 mm |
| X½ | 12 | 67 | 21.3 mm | 66.9 mm |
| Y | 12.25 | 68 | 21.5 mm | 67.5 mm |
| Y½ | 12.5 | 68 | 21.7 mm | 68.1 mm |
| Z | 12.75 | 69 | 21.9 mm | 68.8 mm |
| Z½ | 13 | 69 | 22.1 mm | 69.4 mm |
| Z+1 | 13.25 | 70 | 22.3 mm | 70.0 mm |
How to measure your ring size at home
1. Use our printable ring sizer (most reliable at home)
Our size guide has a free printable ring sizer with a finger strip and a set of ring circles. Printing is where most home measurements go wrong, so:
- Print it at 100% / Actual size, with "Fit to page" switched off.
- Before you use it, measure the 80 mm check line with a ruler. It must be exactly 80 mm. If it isn't, don't use that print: being 1 mm out over 80 mm is roughly half a size.
- Wrap the strip round your finger, or lay a ring you already wear on the circles, and read off the letter.
2. Measure a ring you already own
Choose a ring that fits the finger you're buying for. Lay it flat on a ruler and measure straight across the inside, from inner edge to inner edge, in millimetres. Find that inner diameter in the chart above. If the band is unusually wide, take the measurement from the centre of the band. The ring needs to be perfectly round for this to work.
3. The string or paper method (a rough guide only)
Wrap a thin strip of paper or a piece of string snugly round the base of your finger, mark where it overlaps, then lay it flat and measure the length in millimetres. That is your inner circumference: find it in the last column of the chart. Do check the loop will still slide over your knuckle.
Treat this as a starting point. GIA notes that string can stretch and paper can shrink, curl or tear, so both methods can be inaccurate. If you can, confirm it with the printable sizer.
Tips for an accurate fit
- Measure when your hands are warm, later in the day. Fingers shrink in the cold and swell in the heat, and a measurement taken on a cool morning can differ from one taken in the afternoon.
- Mind your knuckles. For most people the joint is larger than the rest of the finger. The ring has to slide over the knuckle, so measure there too and choose the size that passes over it comfortably.
- Wide bands fit more snugly. Rings with wide bands usually need to be a little larger than a slim band on the same finger.
- Measure the hand you'll wear it on. GIA notes the left ring finger is typically about half a size smaller than the right.
- Between two sizes? Choose the larger. It's easier to make a ring smaller than to make it bigger.
- Buying a surprise? Borrow a ring they wear often on the same finger and measure it as in method 2.
If it doesn't fit: your free first resize
On rings priced over R2,000, your first resize is free within 30 days. Just get in touch at sales@wanderlust.jewelry or on WhatsApp 068 613 6350. Not every design can be resized easily (rings with pavé or channel-set stones are the hardest), so it's worth taking a moment to measure carefully first.
Find your ring
Once you know your letter, browse our rings, from sterling silver rings to gemstone rings, hand-picked by our founders from artisans in India, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia and Hong Kong, plus pieces made here in South Africa.