Men's Necklace Length Chart — Where Each Length Sits

By Dmitry Strugovshchikov, founder of STRUGA

The number on a tag is a length, not a position. The same 20 in (50 cm) chain closes like a choker on a 43 cm neck and rests on the collarbone on a 38 cm neck. Chains for men sell from 16 to 30 in (40 to 76 cm), and the right one is your own neck circumference plus the drop you want, not a popular size like “22 inches.”

Updated August 28, 2026

Last updated 28 August 2026.

This guide gives the full length chart in inches and centimetres, the arithmetic for your own neck, and where each length sits on different body types.

From the STRUGA workshop bench: we cast our chains and chokers in solid 925 sterling silver, in 40, 45, 50, 75 and 120 cm. The 55 cm the trade calls standard we do not make, and none of the five is blackened at the bench — they arrive bright and darken with air and skin. We see the same patterns repeat in fittings: men order one length, return for a second in a different length once they've worn the first for a month.

Men's chains run 16 to 30 in (40 to 76 cm), and most men start at 20 in (50 cm), on the collarbone.

Take your neck circumference and add the drop: +10 cm lands on the collarbone, +15 cm at the top of the chest, +20 cm mid-chest.

Add 2–3 cm above a 41 cm neck, and subtract the pendant's own length.

STRUGA makes 40, 45, 50, 75 and 120 cm; 55 cm is not one of them.

Men's necklace length chart — Where does each length sit?

The trade sells men's chains in seven lengths, from 16 to 47 inches. The chart below gives each one in inches and centimetres, where it lands on an average build, and whether STRUGA makes it.

Length	Where it sits	Best for	At STRUGA
16 in · 40 cm	Base of the neck, above the collarbone	Chokers, slim necks under 36 cm	Yes — all four chokers and the Thorn chain
18 in · 45 cm	At the collar, on the collarbone	Minimalist wear, under shirts	Yes — four pieces
20 in · 50 cm	Across the collarbones	The default first chain	Yes — four pieces
22 in · 55 cm	Top of the chest, 5–8 cm below the collarbone	Medium pendants of 3–5 cm	No — we do not make this length
24 in · 60 cm	Mid-chest	Statement pendants of 5 cm and up	No
30 in · 75 cm	Below the sternum, or doubled at the collarbone	Long wear, layering as the bottom piece	Yes — Thorn Links Chain, size L
47 in · 120 cm	Waist level, worn wrapped or doubled	One long chain worn as the whole look	Yes — Long Chain with Signature Asymmetric Links

Every position in this chart assumes a men's neck of 38–43 cm. That assumption is the whole reason two of our own pages read the same numbers differently: our general chain and necklace size guide works from a 33–38 cm neck, so 45 cm lands below the collarbone there and at the collar here. A thicker neck consumes more of the chain, and the same length sits higher on the body.

What length fits your neck size?

Neck circumference decides everything else, so measure it first, at the base of the neck where a shirt collar sits. Add 5 cm for a collar fit, 10 cm for the collarbone, 15 cm for the top of the chest. The table does that arithmetic for the five neck sizes that cover most men.

Neck	Collar fit	Collarbone	Top of chest
36 cm	41 cm	46 cm	51 cm
38 cm	43 cm	48 cm	53 cm
40 cm	45 cm	50 cm	55 cm
42 cm	47 cm	52 cm	57 cm
44 cm	49 cm	54 cm	59 cm

Read the middle row and the trade standard explains itself: 45, 50 and 55 cm are the three positions of a 40 cm neck. That is the size the industry designed around, and every centimetre your own neck differs from it moves the chain up or down your chest. On a 44 cm neck the collarbone length is 54 cm, not 50 — which is why a stock 50 cm chain reads as a choker on a heavy build.

Where does each length sit on the body?

18 in (45 cm) — The collar length

Nobody wears a 45 cm chain by accident. It reads as a deliberate choice, and it fails in two places: above a 41 cm neck it tightens into a choker, and under a large pendant it presses the pendant against the throat.

20 in (50 cm) — The collarbone length

The most versatile men's length, and the default first chain. It shows above any open collar, half-shows above a buttoned shirt, and carries pendants up to 3 cm without crowding the throat.

22 in (55 cm) — Top of chest

This is the pendant length. A pendant of 3–5 cm lands on the upper chest, visible without sitting dead centre, and the chain shows below the collar opening of most polos. We do not cast 55 cm: on a 45 cm neck our 50 cm chain lands in the same place.

24 in (60 cm) and longer — Mid-chest, pendant territory

A bare 60 cm chain reads odd on most men — too long to carry itself, so this length almost always takes a pendant of 5 cm and up. It suits broad chests and works against thin builds and buttoned shirts, where it shows through the placket.

How to measure for the right length

Method 1: existing chain

If you own a chain that fits well, lay it flat and measure from clasp to clasp (open). That's your number, and order new chains within 2 cm of that.

Method 2: string test

1. Take a length of string about 70 cm long.
2. Tie the ends together to make a loop.
3. Put the loop over your head with both ends hanging in front.
4. Adjust until the loop sits where you want a future chain to land — collarbone, top of chest, or mid-chest.
5. Pinch the back of the loop, take it off, lay it flat, and measure the total length.

That number is your chain length, and order within 1 cm of it.

Method 3: neck circumference plus drop

Measure the neck and read the length off the table in the section above — it does the same arithmetic for five neck sizes.

Length adjustments by body type

Thicker necks (over 41 cm)

Standard chain lengths run 2–3 cm short on a thick neck. A 50 cm chain on a 43 cm neck sits like a 47 cm chain on a 40 cm neck. Order one size longer than the table suggests; a heavy upper body absorbs length the same way.

Thinner necks (under 36 cm)

On a neck under 36 cm every chain runs long. A 55 cm chain on a 34 cm neck looks oversized — too much drop, the chain swings. Order one size shorter.

Tall men (over 190 cm)

Above 190 cm of height, proportion beats the table. A 50 cm chain on a 6'4" man looks short against his torso. Add 5 cm to the standard recommendation.

Pendants and chain length

A pendant is added drop, not a separate length. A 4 cm pendant on a 55 cm chain lands where a 59 cm chain would land alone. Choose chain length with pendant length subtracted.

On a 40 cm neck the arithmetic comes out like this:

• a 2 cm pendant on a 50 cm chain — lands at the collarbone;
• a 3 cm pendant on a 52 cm chain — lands at the sternum notch;
• a 4 cm pendant on a 55 cm chain — lands on the upper chest;
• a 5 cm pendant and up on a 60 cm chain — lands mid-chest.

The pendant should land:

• At the sternum notch (the dip between the collarbones) — Most balanced, and chain length = neck circumference + ~12 cm + pendant length.
• Mid-chest — for statement pendants, and chain length = neck circumference + ~18 cm + pendant length.
• Below the chest — only for very large statement pendants on tall men, or for layered looks where this is the longest piece.

Chain length and shirt collars

How the chain meets your shirt collar matters more than the total length.

Under a buttoned dress shirt

Use 45–50 cm. The chain sits above the buttoned collar; only a glimpse shows when the top button is open.

Open-collar dress shirt or polo

50–55 cm, and the chain shows in the V of the open collar. Goes well with a small pendant or no pendant.

T-shirt

50–60 cm. T-shirt necklines vary; a 50 cm chain shows just below a crew neck, a 55 cm chain disappears under most crew necks and shows over v-necks.

Henley or button-down with several buttons open

55–60 cm, and the chain plus pendant shows in the open chest area. A common look for men who want jewelry visible without being formal.

Layering chain lengths

Two chains must differ by at least 5 cm, or they tangle and read as one chain badly drawn — otherwise they tangle and read as one chain badly drawn. Common pairings:

• 45 cm + 55 cm: short above collarbone, long at top of chest, and classic two-layer.
• 50 cm + 60 cm: everyday plus pendant statement, and works for men with broader chests.

Three chains is rarely worth it on a man — the layered look starts to read like a costume after two. See our layering guide for stacking principles.

Chain weight and gauge — Does length affect choice?

Yes — a longer chain needs a heavier gauge to look intentional. Thin metal on a long drop reads as floppy wire.

• 45 cm: 2–3 mm gauge.
• 50 cm: 2–3 mm gauge.
• 55 cm: 3–4 mm gauge.
• 60+ cm: 3–5 mm gauge minimum, frequently heavier with a pendant.
• 75 cm and longer: 3–5 mm at least — our own 75 cm chain weighs 18 g and the 120 cm one 35 g, and thinner metal at that drop reads as a hanging thread.

Length alone tells you almost nothing about weight. These are the measured weights of every STRUGA chain and choker, taken from the workshop scale rather than from a size table.

Piece	Lengths	Weight by length	Metal
Thorn Links Chain	40 · 45 · 50 · 75 cm	11 · 12 · 13 · 18 g	925 silver
Signature Asymmetric Links Choker	40 · 45 · 50 cm	27 · 30 · 33 g	925 silver
Small Beads with Heart Choker	40 · 45 · 50 cm	27 · 30 · 33 g	925 silver
Blade Mini Links V.1 Choker	40 · 45 · 50 cm	80 · 90 · 110 g	925 silver
Long Chain with Signature Links	120 cm	35 g	925 silver

Read the middle column across and the point is plain: at the same 50 cm, our lightest chain weighs 13 g and our heaviest 110 g — eight times more metal on an identical length. Going up one step, from 45 to 50 cm, adds 1 g on the thin Thorn chain and 20 g on the Blade Mini Links. The two 27 g chokers — Signature Asymmetric Links and Small Beads with Heart — weigh the same at every length; what differs is the link, not the metal.

Length usually adds weight, but not when the body isn't metal: the Big Line Classic Aged from the RITUAL world — the longest pendant STRUGA makes — comes to 27 grams with its 925 silver chain, because the body is layered matte carbon with an aged copper inlay. The chain is Living Silver and darkens with air and skin; the carbon stays as it is.

Where do you go from here?

• Chain and necklace size guide — the general chart, measured from a 33–38 cm neck
• Silver chains collection — the five lengths we cast
• Men's silver chain styles compared — link shapes at the same length
• How to layer men's jewelry — the stacking rules behind the 5 cm gap
• Men's bracelet sizing guide — the same arithmetic for the wrist
• Men's jewelry style guide — minimalist, brutalist, signature
• Oxidized silver care and styling — what darkening does to a chain
• 925 sterling silver complete guide — the metal all five lengths are cast in
• Men's jewelry — the whole men's line

Length is one axis. What the piece itself is — chains, pendants, chokers, collars.