Most Sun Devils caps use the same headband sizing as other college teams, so your fit comes down to one tape measurement around the widest part of your head, matched to the size chart on the product page.
A hat that fights back — snug at the temples, riding high above the ears — is almost always a size miss, not a bad design. College caps like the Arizona State Sun Devils styles are sold by headband circumference rather than generic small/medium/large guesses, which makes getting this right fairly quick once you know your number.
This guide walks through measuring your head, reading a sizing chart correctly, and knowing when an adjustable strap beats a fitted cap. The payoff is a hat that sits level and stays put through a full game day.
How Do You Measure Your Head For A Hat?
Wrap a soft tape measure around your head about half an inch above your eyebrows and just above your ears, then read the number where the tape meets itself. That circumference in inches is the figure every fitted cap chart is built around.
- Keep the tape level all the way around — a tilted tape adds or removes half an inch.
- Pull snug but not tight; you want it flat against the skin, not compressing it.
- Measure twice and use the larger number if the two readings differ.
- No tape measure? Use a string, mark it, and lay it against a ruler.
Do this in the evening if you can. Heads swell slightly during the day, and a morning measurement can leave you with a cap that feels tight by kickoff.
Reading A Sun Devils Hat Size Chart
Fitted caps are sold by headband size, and most charts run from about 6 7/8 to 7 5/8 in cap sizing, which maps to roughly 21.6 to 24 inches of circumference. Match your measured number to the chart, rounding up rather than down when you land between sizes.
Adjustable Sun Devils hats skip the number entirely. Snapbacks, strapbacks, and hook-and-loop closures typically cover a wide range — commonly advertised as fitting heads from around 21 to 24 inches — so a single size covers most adults. The trade-off is a small strap tail hanging at the back, which some wearers dislike on a fitted silhouette.
Youth sizing runs smaller and is usually listed separately with its own chart. If you’re buying for a teen, measure rather than guessing from age.
| Head Circumference | Typical Fitted Size | Best Hat Type |
|---|---|---|
| 21.6 in | 6 7/8 | Youth or small fitted |
| 22 in | 7 | Small fitted |
| 22.4 in | 7 1/8 | Medium fitted |
| 22.8 in | 7 1/4 | Medium fitted |
| 23.1 in | 7 3/8 | Large fitted |
| 23.5 in | 7 1/2 | Large fitted |
| 24 in | 7 5/8 | XL fitted or adjustable |
Charts vary slightly by brand and by the cap’s construction. Treat any table as a starting point and confirm against the specific product’s own published chart before you commit.
Fitted Or Adjustable: Which Fit Works Better?
Fitted caps give the cleanest look and hold their shape, but they leave no room for error — a wrong size can’t be fixed. Adjustable caps forgive a half-inch miss and suit anyone whose head size lands between chart numbers.
Two more details matter in practice. Structured caps with a stiff front panel hold a bigger logo shape and suit rounder heads; unstructured caps mold to the skull and flatter longer faces. And if you plan to wear a cap over a beanie in cold weather, size up.
If you’d rather skip the chart arithmetic entirely, browsing a tested roundup of options with fit notes attached can narrow the field fast — see these top Arizona State hat picks for styles that already account for common sizing quirks.
Common Sizing Mistakes To Avoid
The most frequent error is measuring too high on the forehead, which produces a number an inch too large and a hat that slides down over the eyes. Measure at the eyebrow line, not the hairline.
Second mistake: trusting a “one size fits most” label without checking the stated range. Most covers a wide span, but not every head falls inside it — particularly above 24 inches, where adjustable caps start running out of strap.
Third: ignoring shrinkage. Cotton caps can tighten slightly after washing. Cold water and air drying keep the fit closer to what you bought. There’s no way to confirm a specific fabric’s shrink rate without the manufacturer’s care instructions, so treat any cap that fits perfectly out of the box as the one to wash carefully.
FAQs
What if my head measures between two sizes?
Round up to the larger size. A slightly loose fitted cap can be tightened with a hat insert or worn with a thin liner, while a cap that’s too small will press at the temples and leave a mark after an hour. If you’re right at the boundary, an adjustable style removes the guesswork entirely.
Do Sun Devils caps fit the same as other college teams?
Generally yes, because most licensed college caps come from the same handful of manufacturers using a shared headband chart. The construction of the individual hat — structured versus unstructured, cotton versus performance fabric — affects feel more than the team logo does, so check the specific product’s chart.
Can I stretch a fitted cap that’s too tight?
Sometimes, mildly. Placing the cap over a slightly larger object, like a stack of books or a stretched-out bowl, can relax the fabric over a day or two. It works best on cotton and wool blends and barely at all on structured performance caps, so it’s a small fix rather than a reliable one.
References & Sources
- GadgetsFeed. “Best Arizona State Hat” Roundup of tested Sun Devils caps with fit notes.
