Skip to content
  • Men's cut
  • Buzz length
  • Edgy
  • Clean & classic

Buzz cut

A buzz-length, edgy and classic men's cut with 0.3–0.4 in (0.5–1 cm) on top, finished with a tapered neckline.

Also asked for as: buzzcut, buzz, number 2 all over, induction cut, burr cut

Top
0.3–0.4 in (0.5–1 cm)
Best on
1A–4C
Recut
2–3 wks
Styling
None

Traditionally suggested for

Even head shape, a strong brow or jaw, hairline stages 3–5, and 4A–4C hair.

Stylist convention

Who it fits

Hair comes first: these decide whether the shape can hold.

  • Works on every texture, from straight 1A to coily 4C.Hair physics
  • Any density.Hair physics
  • Works at any hairline stage, including advanced hair loss.Barber consensus
  • Scores higher if you have a receding hairline (Norwood 2+).Barber consensus
  • Scores higher if you have low-density hair.Hair physics
  • Scores higher if you have a crown whorl.Barber consensus

Who should skip it

Any one of these moves it down your list, or off it.

  • You want to keep your length: from typical medium hair this is a big chop.Your preference
  • Scores lower if you have prominent ears.Barber consensus

Barbers also flag: Puts bumps, a flat back of the head and prominent ears on show.

What to tell your barber

The catalog spec, in barber terms. Your own card adjusts it: part side from your crown whorl, curl notes for your texture, and a QR code your barber can open.

Read this to your barber

“#2 (6 mm) all over, or #3 top / #1 sides blended; tapered neckline; edge up.”

Clipper guards in this spec (Wahl sizes)

  1. #13 mm
  2. #26 mm
  3. #310 mm

Side options that suit this cut

  • Low fade
  • Mid fade
  • High fade
Sides
#2 (6 mm) all over, or #1 (3 mm) on the sides blended into #3 (10 mm) on top
Top
0.3–0.4 in (0.5–1 cm)
Neckline
Tapered (fades out naturally)
Technique
Clipper all over; edge up the hairline
Product
None; SPF on the scalp outdoors
Recut
Every 2–3 weeks

Upkeep and yearly cost

Priced at $30 a cut. Your results use your own local price.

Trim every
2–3 weeks
Per year
17–26 cuts a year, about $510–$780 at $30 a cut
Daily styling
No daily styling
Product
No product
Heat tools
Not needed

Proportions, by face shape

Where the buzz cut places in our engine’s geometry-only top 10 for a textbook face of each shape: a top-3 pick for oblong and diamond. Proportions are the smallest part of a real score; your hair counts for more.

Where the buzz cut places in the geometry-only top 10 for each face shape
Face shapeOn proportions
Oval#4 of the top 10
RoundNot in the top 10
SquareNot in the top 10
Oblong#3 of the top 10
HeartNot in the top 10
Diamond#2 of the top 10
Triangle#10 of the top 10
All haircuts

See the buzz cut on your own face before you sit down.

Free analysis first. Previews only change your hair, and if one doesn’t look like you, the redo is free.

Check it on my face