What Size Tire Is a 265/60R20? 265/60R20 Tire Size in Inches Explained

A 265/60R20 tire measures about 32.5 inches tall and 10.4 inches wide, and it fits a 20-inch wheel.

That 32.5-inch figure is not a 33 — and the half-inch gap matters, because it’s the number shoppers misquote most often when ordering. A 265/60R20 tire carries a 265 mm section width, a 60 aspect ratio, and a 20-inch rim diameter, which works out to roughly 826 mm of overall height, about 6.3 inches of sidewall, and a circumference near 102.2 inches.

What Do The Numbers On A 265/60R20 Tire Mean?

Each part of the size code describes one physical measurement, so decoding the code takes about four seconds. The 265 is the section width in millimeters. The 60 is the aspect ratio — the sidewall height equals 60% of that width. The R stands for radial construction, and the 20 is the wheel diameter in inches.

Run the math and the sidewall lands at about 159 mm, or 6.3 inches:

• Section width: 265 mm (about 10.4 inches)
• Aspect ratio: 60% of section width
• Sidewall height: about 6.3 inches (159 mm)
• Rim diameter: 20 inches

265/60R20 Tire Size In Inches: Full Conversion Table

The quickest way to shop a metric tire size is to convert it to inches once, then compare every candidate against that baseline. Here is the full breakdown for 265/60R20.

That last row is where dealerships and tire shops often get sloppy. A 265/60R20 is frequently written up as a “33-inch tire,” and it comes close — but the verified nominal diameter is 32.5 inches, not 33. Real-world diameter also drifts slightly between brands and models, since tread depth, casing design, and inflation all shift the mounted height a little.

What Else Should You Check Before Buying?

Size is only one line on the sidewall, and two tires with identical 265/60R20 markings can still be rated completely differently. Load index, speed rating, and ply rating all vary by model and by how that specific size is listed.

Load index is the one that catches people out. Other 265/60R20 products carry a 115H rating instead. Both fit the same wheel, but they handle weight differently, and the wrong pick fails your vehicle’s placard requirement.

Three checks worth making before checkout:

• Match the placard. Your driver’s-side door jamb lists the minimum load index and speed rating your vehicle requires. Meet or exceed it.
• Don’t confuse section width with tread width. The 265 mm figure measures the tire’s widest point across the sidewall, not the rubber actually touching the road.
• Confirm the speed rating. The letter after the load index (T, H, and so on) caps the tire’s safe sustained speed.

If you want a shortcut past the spec sheets, our roundup of tested 265/60R20 tires is organized by what each model is actually good at. For the underlying sizing data, TireSize.com’s 265/60R20 conversion page is the reference most shops pull up.