16 Inch Hair: Where It Lands and When to Pick It Over 18

16 inch hair clears the shoulders and stops short of the mid-back on most frames. It's the lightest length that still reads as long, and it's the length people weigh against 18 inches more than any other.

This guide covers where 16 inch hair lands by height, how it compares with 14 and 18 inches, how many grams you need, who it suits, and what we keep in stock at this length.

16 inch hair is 40.6 centimetres, measured from the top of the weft to the tip with the hair pulled straight. Most charts round it to 41 cm.

That number is the hair, laid flat. On a head it sits lower than 16 inches of your own growth would, because the weft or the tape starts below the crown. So 16 inch extensions fitted at ear level end further down the back than 16 inches of natural hair measured from the top of the head.

Take a tape measure. Hold the zero where the lowest row will sit, run it down your back, and find 40.6 cm. That's where the longest ends will be. Two minutes, and you'll know more than any chart can tell you.

These are estimates for straight hair. Torso length and where the rows sit both shift the result, so check with the tape measure before you order.

Body wave pulls the ends up by about 1 to 2 inches once it dries, so 16 inch body wave reads closer to 14 or 15. If you want a wave to finish where straight 16 inch hair does, order 18.

For every length side by side, see our length chart from 8 to 32 inches.

This is the question most buyers arrive with. Two inches moves the ends from the shoulder blades to the mid-back, and it changes the weight you carry.

Pick 16 if your own hair sits at the shoulders or the collarbone, if it's fine, or if you want hair you can wash and dry fast. Pick 18 if you're above 5'8", or if you want people to see the length from behind.

If you're still split, measure both. Mark 40.6 cm and 45.7 cm on your back and look in a mirror. Our guide on where 18 inch hair falls has the same height table for the next length up.

A full head of 16 inch hair usually takes 150 to 250 grams. Our bundles are weighed at 100 grams when they're packed, so two bundles cover most installs. Thick natural hair, or a blunt cut with weight at the ends, takes a third.

16 inches is forgiving on weight. The same 100 grams has less distance to cover than it does at 20 or 22 inches, so the ends stay fuller. Buyers who move down from 20 inches and keep ordering three bundles often end up with more hair than they need.

For blending only, where your own hair still shows and you just want more of it, one bundle is often enough. Your stylist sets the final amount after seeing the hair.

Three groups get the most out of 16 inch hair.

• Fine hair. Less length means less weight hanging on each section of natural hair. If the hair is thin, our guide to extensions for fine hair covers how much it can carry.
• Shoulder-length natural hair. Extensions blend best when they aren't far longer than the hair they sit in. With hair at the shoulders, 16 inches adds a few inches and the join is easy to hide.
• A first install. It washes, dries and brushes out faster than longer lengths. A first-time wearer learns the routine without fighting 22 inches of hair.

It's a weaker choice if you're tall and want obvious length, or if your own hair already reaches the shoulder blades. In both cases 16 inches adds thickness and very little length. Go to 18 or 20.

One note for buyers testing a new vendor. At 16 inches a thin tail has less room to show than it does at 20, so a 16 inch sample tells you less about drawn type. If the point of the order is to judge the grade, add one longer bundle.

Our standard range runs from 8 to 32 inches, with 34 and 36 inches made on request.

16 inches is the shortest length in the one line we ship without a production wait: ready-to-ship natural black machine weft, #1B, 100 grams, in double drawn and super double drawn, 16 to 26 inches. It leaves in 1 to 2 days. Every other colour, texture and method at 16 inches is made at the factory and runs 10 to 12 working days.

The testing minimum is one bundle at 100 grams, sold at the normal price. The sample and the minimum order are the same thing. We don't list prices on the blog because they change. Current numbers are on each product page.

Frequently asked questions