- Men's cut
- Short
- Clean & classic
Crew cut
A short, classic men's cut with 1–1.5 in (2.5–4 cm) on top, finished with a tapered neckline.
Also asked for as: crew, short crew cut, butch cut, crew cut fade, short back and sides crew
- Top
- 1–1.5 in (2.5–4 cm)
- Best on
- 1A–3B
- Recut
- 3–4 wks
- Styling
- 2 min
Traditionally suggested for
Round faces (slight height), square faces, hairline stages 2–3.
Stylist convention
Who it fits
Hair comes first: these decide whether the shape can hold.
- Best on 1A–3B hair (straight, wavy and curly).Hair physics
- Possible on 4A–4C with adjustments; your results name the variant.Hair physics
- Any density.Hair physics
- Holds up through a Norwood 3 hairline.Barber consensus
- Scores higher if you have a receding hairline (Norwood 2+).Barber consensus
- Scores higher if you have fine hair.Hair physics
- Scores higher if you have glasses.Stylist convention
Who should skip it
Any one of these moves it down your list, or off it.
- 3C hair (curly): the shape depends on a texture it can't hold, so we rule it out.Hair physics
- A hairline past Norwood 3: at stage 4 it's shown with a caveat; beyond that we hide it.Barber consensus
- Scores lower if you have a long face.Stylist convention
Barbers also flag: A very long face (the extra height lengthens it further).
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
“#2–3 sides tapered; top 1–1.5 in at front graduating shorter to crown.”
Clipper guards in this spec (Wahl sizes)
- #26 mm
- #310 mm
Side options that suit this cut
- Low taper
- Mid fade
- High fade
- Scissor-cut sides
- Sides
- #2–3 (6–10 mm), tapered
- Top
- 1–1.5 in (2.5–4 cm)
- Neckline
- Tapered (fades out naturally)
- Technique
- Clipper-over-comb; graduate the top shorter from front to crown
- Product
- Optional: pea-size matte clay
- Recut
- Every 3–4 weeks
Upkeep and yearly cost
Priced at $30 a cut. Your results use your own local price.
- Trim every
- 3–4 weeks
- Per year
- 13–17 cuts a year, about $390–$510 at $30 a cut
- Daily styling
- 2 min a day
- Product
- No product
- Heat tools
- Not needed
Proportions, by face shape
Where the crew cut places in our engine’s geometry-only top 10 for a textbook face of each shape. Proportions are the smallest part of a real score; your hair counts for more.
Related cuts
- Classic taper (short back & sides)Short · 1A–3A
- French cropShort · 1A–2C
- Ivy LeagueShort · 1A–2C
- Caesar cutShort · 1A–4C
See the crew 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