Face Form Finder

Hair Texture Chart

Measured group by group, each reading varies across a band. Across 24 ethnic groups the mean strand diameter runs from 68 µm (South-African) to 89 µm (Chinese), and mean density runs from 153 hairs per cm² (South-African) to 233 (French). The two stay apart throughout this page: one is the width of a single strand, the other is how many strands grow in an area of scalp.

Measured strand diameter and density, group by group

Each row is one ethnic group, carrying the group’s sample size and its two readings in separate columns. Strand diameter is the width of one fibre; density is how many hairs grow in a square centimetre of scalp. The two columns do not move together: the group at the top of one is not the group at the top of the other.

Readings recorded 8 October 2026, from measurements of 2,249 healthy young adults (18 to 35 years old) across 24 ethnic groups.
Ethnic group	n	Strand diameter (µm)	Density (hairs per cm²)
African-American	64	71	176
Brazilian	184	77	221
Caribbean	97	73	178
Caucasian-American	55	not measured	206
Caucasian-Australian	58	not measured	225
Chinese	249	89	172
Danish	70	74	214
French	86	69	233
Indian	177	79	202
Japanese	56	86	167
Kanak	64	not measured	168
Korean	96	88	164
Latino-American	58	not measured	208
Lebanese	56	not measured	218
Mexican	92	not measured	215
North-African	85	78	203
Peruvian	90	not measured	202
Polish	60	72	210
Russian	59	not measured	202
Scottish	90	72	211
South-African	114	68	153
Spanish	50	79	215
Thai	87	87	183
Western-African	152	78	165

Strand diameter is given in micrometres (µm). One micrometre is one thousandth of a millimetre, so 68 µm is 0.068 mm, 79 µm is 0.079 mm and 89 µm is 0.089 mm. Density is given in hairs per square centimetre. The n column is the number of people measured in that group for density; strand diameter was measured on a smaller subset of the same people (823 of the 2,249), from 15 of the countries covered, so a group’s diameter figure rests on fewer people than its n, and eight of the 24 groups have no diameter figure at all. Each figure shown is the mean for its group; the diameter recorded for one person is itself a median taken across several pieces of that person’s own sample.

How to read the two columns

Both columns are group readings, not personal targets, and each is a band rather than a single figure. Strand diameter runs from 68 µm (South-African) to 89 µm (Chinese), a 21 µm gap; density runs from 153 hairs per cm² (South-African) to 233 (French), a gap of 80. South-African sits at the bottom of both columns, and no group leads both: the widest strands are Chinese at 89 µm, the densest scalp is French at 233 hairs per cm².

The 80 hairs-per-cm² gap between the two ends of the density column is only slightly wider than the standard deviation inside the top group alone. The French figure carries a standard deviation of 74 hairs per cm² and the South-African figure a standard deviation of 30, so the distance between the two most extreme group means (80) is barely more than the standard deviation within one of them (74). A reading below a group’s own figure is therefore still ordinary for that group.

Observation bands: thickness and density kept apart

The names below are common beauty-industry and consumer descriptions, not clinical categories or official standards. Use two separate observations: the feel and visibility of one strand, and the amount of hair you can see across an area of your scalp.

Descriptive observation bands, not measured figures. Page reviewed 9 October 2026.
Observation band	How to recognise it	One strand of hair	A whole area of hair	What it can mean for everyday handling
Fine strands	A clean, shed strand feels light between finger pads and can be hard to notice against a plain card without close attention.	The individual fibre feels delicate rather than wire-like. Fine describes thickness, not how much hair you have.	You may still have a full-looking head of hair if many fine strands grow in each area.	Use gentle handling when your own strands tangle or snap easily, and judge added weight by how your hair behaves rather than by the label alone. This is a general practice, not a product rule.
Medium strands	A strand is easy to locate and feel, but it does not feel unusually resistant or wire-like.	The fibre sits between the fine and coarse descriptions in your own comparison.	Density can still be low, medium, or high; medium strand thickness does not predict scalp coverage.	Change only one part of a routine at a time when testing results. The useful response is your hair’s response, not a promise attached to this band.
Coarse strands	A clean, shed strand is easy to feel between fingers and visibly reads as more substantial against a plain card.	The individual fibre can feel more robust or wire-like than other hairs from your own head.	A coarse strand can occur in a sparse-looking or a very full-looking area; strand thickness and density remain separate observations.	Work carefully if rough pulling causes friction or snagging in your own hair. That is general handling advice, not a claim that all coarse hair needs the same routine.
Lower density	When you part hair in several ordinary locations, more scalp is readily visible between growing hairs under the same light.	No single strand proves lower density. A strand may be fine, medium, or coarse.	The spacing between hairs can make the scalp more visible, especially at a part or crown.	Choose placement and parting with your own coverage in mind, and avoid treating a hair-type name as evidence about density. This is a general planning practice.
Medium density	With a normal part in ordinary light, scalp is visible at the part but surrounding areas do not immediately appear widely spaced.	No single strand defines this band.	The head can look balanced in coverage while still having fine, medium, or coarse individual strands.	Observe roots and ends separately before changing your routine; the density label does not prescribe a product or a haircut.
Higher density	Across several normal partings, many hairs occupy an area and the scalp is less readily visible away from the direct part.	No single strand defines this band.	A larger amount of hair in an area can create more visible bulk even when individual fibres are fine.	Section hair when it makes washing, drying, or detangling more manageable for you. This is a general technique, not a requirement for every dense head of hair.

How to identify thickness and density yourself

Use a few naturally shed, clean, dry hairs rather than pulling strands out for the test. Place one at a time on a plain white card and also roll it gently between clean finger pads.
Compare several strands from different areas of your own head. Record whether they repeatedly feel delicate, middle-ground, or more substantial; do not compare them to a universal thread or fixed instrument scale.
For density, make a normal-width part at the front, crown, and lower back in the same ordinary light. Observe how readily scalp shows between hairs in each location.
Keep the two notes apart. One line can say “fine strands, higher density,” while another person can have “coarse strands, lower density.” Neither combination is automatically better.
Repeat on another wash day if styling residue, wet hair, lighting, colour, or a different part makes the first check unclear.

Where this chart stops

Fine, medium, coarse, lower density, medium density, and higher density are industry and consumer descriptions. They are not clinical classifications, and this page does not present them as authority-issued standards.

The measured figures above are group averages, not cut-offs: they describe where a group sits, not where any one person must sit, and a person can fall outside their own group’s band. Strand thickness and density are different properties, and both can vary across one head. If you cannot repeat the same observation in several areas and ordinary conditions, record it as mixed or uncertain instead of forcing a label.

Use the separate pages for separate questions

This chart is only about strand thickness and scalp coverage. It does not classify natural pattern, measure haircut length, or prescribe a face-shape style.