Necklace Chain Length Calculator
Where each standard length sits.
Find the necklace length that sits where you want it, from collar to rope, adjusted for neck size and pendant drop.
Chain length
22.0"
closest standard: 20" Matinee
Standard length names describe where a chain lands on an average neck, so a larger neck moves everything up: an 18 inch princess that sits on the collarbone for one person sits above it for another. A pendant hangs below the chain, so add its drop when layering.
How the Necklace Chain Length Calculator works
Necklace lengths are named rather than numbered — collar, choker, princess, matinee, opera, rope — and each name describes where it lands rather than how long it is. Those landing points assume an average neck, so a larger neck moves everything up: an 18 inch princess that sits on the collarbone for one person sits above it for another.
Also known as: necklace length chart · chain size guide
Names describe where it lands
Necklace lengths are named rather than measured in ordinary use: collar at 14 inches, choker at 16, princess at 18, matinee at 20 to 24, opera at 28 to 36, rope beyond. Each name describes where the chain sits on an average neck.
Because they are anchored to an average, they move with the wearer. A 13 inch neck and a 16 inch neck experience an 18 inch chain quite differently — on the first it sits well below the collarbone, on the second at the base of the throat.
The arithmetic is simply the neck measurement plus twice the drop you want below it, since the chain hangs down both sides.
A worked example
A 14 inch neck wanting the chain to sit two inches below: 14 plus four is 18 inches, the standard princess length. Wanting it four inches below gives 22, which is a short matinee.
Add a two inch pendant to the 18 inch chain and the bottom of the pendant sits where a 22 inch chain would end. That is the calculation people skip when layering, and it is why a carefully chosen set of chain lengths ends up with pendants colliding.
Where the answer misleads
Where a necklace sits depends on the body as much as the neck. A chain sits differently over a bust than over a flat chest at the same length, and the standard names assume a body shape they never state.
Chain weight matters too. A heavy chain hangs straighter and lower than a fine one of the same length, which pulls the effective drop down by a useful fraction of an inch.
The most reliable method is not arithmetic at all: measure a necklace you already own and like, and buy to that. It captures everything the calculation cannot.
Frequently asked questions
Where does an 18 inch necklace sit?
On the collarbone for an average adult neck, which is why 18 inches is the most common pendant length. On a larger neck it sits higher, closer to the base of the throat.
What are the standard necklace lengths?
Collar at 14 inches, choker at 16, princess at 18, matinee at 20 to 24, opera at 28 to 36, and rope beyond that. Opera and rope are often doubled to make a shorter layered look.
How does a pendant change the length?
It hangs below the chain, so add the pendant's drop to work out where the bottom sits. A 2 inch pendant on an 18 inch chain finishes where a 20 inch chain would, which matters when layering.
How do I measure for a necklace?
Run a tape or a piece of string around the neck where you want the chain to sit, then add for the drop you want below that. Measuring an existing necklace you like is more reliable than measuring yourself.
Related calculators
Necklace Bead Count Calculator
Beads to fill a length, with spacers and clasp.
OpenBracelet Size Calculator
Bracelet length from your wrist, with fit allowance.
OpenRing Size Calculator
Finger measurement to US, UK, EU and Japanese sizes.
Open