Why Is Neck Size Important?

Neck size generally refers to the thickness of your neck and is measured by the circumference (length around). Moreover, knowing your neck size can be beneficial for a couple of reasons.

First, knowing your neck size is helpful when buying collared shirts. The proper neck measurements ensure your collar isn’t too tight or loose, so your outfit looks sharp.

In addition, neck circumference is strongly correlated with body weight, BMI, waist size, and waist-to-hip ratio¹. Therefore, it’s a good predictor of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and sleep apnea.

To illustrate, the chart below shows the relative fasting glucose, triglycerides, and blood pressure by neck size. For these metrics, a larger neck size puts you at risk for cardiometabolic diseases².

Neck Size Factors

Generally, people with larger frames tend to have thicker necks. So it makes sense that men usually have bigger necks than women.

However, your body weight and composition also affect your neck size. Overweight and obese people tend to have larger necks than thin people due to an accumulation of body fat in the face and neck.

Finally, resistance training and other high-intensity activities build up the traps and neck muscles, giving you a thicker neck.

• Body Size
• Gender
• Body Fat
• Muscle Mass

How to Measure Neck Size

Usually, you should measure your neck’s circumference using a flexible tape or tailor’s tape. The tape should be perpendicular to the long axis of the neck or parallel to the floor. During the measurement, stand upright with your head straight and your shoulders and arms relaxed.

Wrap the flexible tape around your neck and pull it snugly but not so tight that it indents your skin. Then use a mirror or a friend to read the number where the end of the tape overlaps.

If you don’t have a flexible measuring tape, you can also use a piece of string. Then mark where the string overlaps with your finger and pull it straight so you can measure the length with a standard ruler or tape measure.

Finally, you can measure neck circumference in two locations; just below your Adam’s apple or at the base of your neck. The data in this article is from neck measurements taken below the Adam’s apple, as this prevents overestimating neck size and is more representative of your actual collar size.

How Big Is An 18 Inch Neck?

According to a 2020 study, the average neck size for men is 15.2 inches (38.7 cm). So an 18-inch neck is almost 3 inches (7.6 cm) larger than normal.

To put it another way, an 18-inch neck is about 18% larger in circumference than an average man’s neck. That might not sound like much, but it equates to a much larger neck in terms of thickness.

As an example, if you take a cross-section of your neck, you get a circle. And the image below illustrates that an 18-inch neck is actually 40% larger in area than a 15.2-inch neck.

18 Inch Neck Chart

Sometimes tables make it hard to visualize the data because our brains can’t compare all those numbers at the same time. So I put the neck circumference data in a color-coded chart to help you see small, medium, and large neck sizes.

In the chart below, you can see different shades of green, yellow, and red. Green numbers are the smallest, red numbers are the largest, and yellow numbers are somewhere between.

As you can see, an 18-inch neck is in the dark orange to red areas and generally only occurs in BMIs over 35, which are generally overweight or obese.

18 Inch Neck for Fit Guys

Most neck circumference data comes from people in the general population. And unfortunately, most people are not in very good shape.

Therefore, it’s essential to include neck circumference data from a healthy population if your goal is to see your ideal neck size. And in general, people in the military tend to have lower BMIs and be in better overall shape.

I’ve compiled neck circumference measurements from the 1988 Anthropometric Survey of US Army Personnel in the table below. So you can see neck sizes for fit men.

18 Inch Neck Size FAQ

Now you know what the likelihood of having an 18-inch neck is. But you might still have some other specific questions about neck size. So here are some quick answers to other common queries.

What is considered a large neck?

Based on average male neck size statistics, a large neck would generally be considered anything over 16 inches in circumference. Perhaps not coincidentally, this neck size also corresponds to a size Large in dress shirts with neck measurements.

What size is an 18 inch neck?

At the same time, an 18″ neck is generally an XXL dress shirt size. And the other corresponding measurements are a 36.5″ sleeve, a 47-49″ chest, and a 41-43″ inch waist.

So typically, an 18-inch neck belongs to very large men.