- Men's cut
- Medium
- Edgy
High-top fade
A medium, edgy men's cut with 3–6 in (7.5–15 cm) on top, finished with a blocked neckline.
Also asked for as: high top, hi-top fade, box fade, flat top fade, high top haircut
- Top
- 3–6 in (7.5–15 cm)
- Best on
- 4A–4C
- Recut
- 2 wks
- Styling
- 5 min
Traditionally suggested for
Round or short faces.
Stylist convention
Who it fits
Hair comes first: these decide whether the shape can hold.
- Best on 4A–4C hair (coily).Hair physics
- Medium to high density.Hair physics
- Holds up through a Norwood 1 hairline.Barber consensus
Who should skip it
Any one of these moves it down your list, or off it.
- 1A–3C hair (straight, wavy and curly): the shape depends on a texture it can't hold, so we rule it out.Hair physics
- Low-density hair: the cut relies on bulk that thin hair doesn't have.Hair physics
- A hairline past Norwood 1: at stage 2 it's shown with a caveat; beyond that we hide it.Barber consensus
- Helmets, hats or daily swimming: they flatten the volume the shape needs.Hair physics
- Scores lower if you have a long face.Stylist convention
- Scores lower if you have prominent ears.Barber consensus
- Scores lower if you have a narrow forehead.Stylist convention
- Scores lower if you have a wide forehead.Stylist convention
Barbers also flag: Long faces; hidden from hairline stage 2; a retro look that depends on trends (Janif 2014).
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
“Skin fade sides; top 3–6 in shaped flat and squared.”
Clipper guards in this spec (Wahl sizes)
- Skin0 mm
Side options that suit this cut
- High fade
- Mid fade
- Sides
- Skin fade
- Top
- 3–6 in (7.5–15 cm)
- Neckline
- Blocked (squared-off line)
- Technique
- Shape the top flat and squared
- Product
- Moisturiser; pick and sponge
- Recut
- Every 2 weeks
Upkeep and yearly cost
Priced at $30 a cut. Your results use your own local price.
- Trim every
- 2 weeks
- Per year
- 26 cuts a year, about $780 at $30 a cut
- Daily styling
- 5 min a day
- Product
- Light product
- Heat tools
- Not needed
Proportions, by face shape
Where the high-top fade 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
- Twists / starter locsMedium · 4A–4C
- Disconnected undercutMedium · 1A–2C
- Modern mulletMedium · 2A–3C
- PompadourMedium · 1B–2B
See the high-top fade 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