Belt Buying Guide: How to Choose a Leather Belt

A leather belt is a multi-purpose accessory that can pull an outfit together and coordinate with everything from cowboy boots to Western-themed jewelry for a polished look. A snug-fitting belt also keeps your pants firmly in place while you work, ride, or simply bend over. But choosing the right leather belt requires more than picking one randomly off the rack. Before looking for a new belt, learn about leather types, how to measure your belt size, and how to choose the right belt buckle to find a durable, high-quality Western accessory that looks great and fits perfectly.

Belt Leather Types and Benefits

If you’ve ever shopped for a high-quality belt, jacket, or pair of cowboy boots, you know that there's a lot to learn about leather.

Women’s and men’s leather belts are made from different types of animal hides, including:

• Cowhide, the most common option, is smooth, thick leather that’s widely available and ideal for belts and other accessories.
• Goat belts are soft, lightweight, and offer natural water resistance from the lanolin in the skin.
• Ostrich, alligator, and caiman crocodile are less common exotic belt leathers with texture: ostrich belts are dotted with pockmarks where the feathers were to give them a bold look; caiman crocodile and alligator belts feature a subtle scaling pattern similar to the skin.

These popular animal hides produce attractive, tough, and long-lasting men’s and women’s leather belts, but leather type alone doesn’t equal value. The combination of animal hide material and leather grade—or grain—helps determine the quality of your belt and how well it will wear.

Best Leather Grains for Belts

Just because a belt is marked genuine leather, that doesn't mean it's the best in the bunch. Leather is separated into multiple grades, with full and top grain leading the pack for quality. Both full and top grain leathers come from the outer part of the animal hide—the toughest part—making them strong enough to handle daily wear, even in extreme work conditions.

Once the hairs are removed from the hide, full grain leather remains untouched, leaving the natural markings and variations of the skin visible in the belt. Top grain leather is sanded down to hide blemishes, and belts may be embossed and stamped for uniform texture. Choose a high-grade leather belt made in full or top grain: These leather options create sturdy straps meant to stand up to hard use.

Leather Belt Color

All animal skin must be tanned to keep the skin from rotting. The tanning process creates some of the colorings naturally, but many leather belts are also dyed after tanning. Leather belts often come in black or varying shades of brown, but some fashion belts for women are dyed blue, red, or other bold hues.

Choose your belt color based on the clothes and hues you typically wear. If you wear a lot of warm colors (i.e. brown, beige, or cream) or casual cowboy clothing like jeans and khakis, pick a brown leather belt. If your clothes are mostly black, gray, or white, opt for a black leather belt. Black also goes better with dress pants, trousers, and western wedding attire.

Belt Sizing Guide

There are three ways to determine your size for a leather belt: by your pant size, waist measurement, or measuring a belt that fits well. While all three methods can help you choose your belt size, measuring your waist will provide the most accurate number. Measuring against a current belt can be less accurate as belts may curve or stretch from wear.

How to Determine Belt Size by Pant Size

Your pant size is not the same as your belt size—but knowing your pant size can help you find your belt size.

For a men’s belt, take your pant size and add two. For example, if you wear size 32 pants, your belt size is 34; if pants are size 40, choose a 42 belt. Do not rely on your exact pant size to indicate the size belt you should buy.

Most women’s cowgirl belts come in letter sizes, such as S, M, and L. Measure the same way by adding two to the pant size, then convert using the belt size chart below:

How to Measure Your Waist for a Belt

If you don’t know your pant size, take a flexible measuring tape and thread it through your belt loops. Pull the tape measure snug, but not too tight. Round your measurement to the nearest inch and choose a belt in the size closest to this number. For a women’s fashion belt that rests low on the hips or high on the waist, measure the area where the belt is worn to determine the best size.

How to Measure Using a Current Belt

To determine your belt size using a well-fitting belt you already own, you don’t measure end-to-end. Instead, follow these steps:

1. Lay it on a flat surface.
2. Place a measuring tape at the hole you currently use and measure down to the end of the belt where the strap meets the buckle (do not include the buckle).
3. Round to the nearest inch and choose a belt size closest to that number.

Tip: If your leather belt is the wrong size, resist adding an extra hole yourself: It can seriously damage the strap. Either take it to a professional to add another hole, or buy a new leather belt.

Choosing a Belt Buckle: The Finishing Touch

Some belt buckles are permanently attached to the leather strap, others are removable so you can swap them out for a different look, or to coordinate with your outfit for a special event. Choose a belt buckle that matches the metal in the Western jewelry and accessories you often wear, such as your watch, bolo tie, or collar tips. The exception to this rule is your wedding ring, which can either match or contrast with your other metal accessories.

How to Change a Belt Buckle

Many Western-style men’s and women’s leather belts feature a removable buckle. To change to a new belt buckle easily, follow these steps:

1. Lay your leather belt on a flat surface and flip it over so the underside is up.
2. Undo the two snaps located near the buckle.
3. With the snaps undone, unfold the belt flap and slide off the old buckle.
4. Put the new buckle face down and slide the belt flap through the metal bar on the back.
5. Snap the flap and you’re ready to go.

After you have the perfect belt, learn how to choose a Western belt buckle that coordinates. Accessorize your Western wardrobe with a leather belt fit for a cowgirl or cowboy. Find more Western fashion tips on our blog.