Classic taper (short back & sides)

Read this out: “Scissor-over-comb taper, not a skin fade; top 2–3 in side-swept; natural tapered neckline.” That's 2–3 in (5–7.5 cm) on top with a tapered neckline, recut every 4–6 weeks. Your own barber card adjusts it for your part side and texture.

The classic taper (short back & sides) and the crew cut share short length and any density, which is why they get mixed up. The classic taper (short back & sides) is cut as “Scissor-over-comb”; the crew cut as “Clipper-over-comb; graduate the top shorter from front to crown”. On texture, the classic taper (short back & sides) takes 1A–3A hair; the crew cut takes 1A–3B hair, plus 4A–4C with adjustments. Our engine scores both against your own texture, density and hairline, so the free check tells you which of the two ranks higher for you. Full spec: crew cut.

Yes: our catalog lists the classic taper (short back & sides) as a men's cut, so it comes up when your check is set to men's cuts, and not in the women's list. That is where gender stops counting: the shape is decided by your hair and your proportions. The spec wants 1A–3A hair at any density, and it still works with a clearly receding hairline. The free check measures your texture, density and hairline, then ranks the classic taper (short back & sides) against every other men's cut.

It's best on 1A–3A hair. On 3C–4C hair the shape doesn't hold, so our analysis rules it out.

Yes: the catalog allows any density, so low-density hair isn't ruled out. Nothing else in its spec marks it down for fine strands or low density. Density is measured in the free check, and our thinning hair guide lists the cuts our engine favours for thin hair.

A trim every 4–6 weeks: 9–13 cuts a year, about $270–$390 at $30 a cut, plus 3–5 minutes of styling a day.

3C–4C hair (curly and coily): the shape depends on a texture it can't hold, so we rule it out. A hairline past Norwood 3: at stage 4 it's shown with a caveat; beyond that we hide it. Barbers also flag: Few — it is the default for a reason.

On proportions alone, our engine places it in the top 3 for oval faces. Proportions are the smallest part of a real score; texture, density and hairline count for more, which is why the free check looks at your hair first.

“Mid taper” is one of the names people use for it; strictly it names the side option (tapers from about temple height down to the neckline). Ask for it by the spec above rather than the name, since names vary between barbers.