A baseball glove is sized by its length in inches, not by the hand that goes in it. Position decides most of the answer and age decides the rest, which is why a grown infielder uses a smaller glove than a twelve year old outfielder. Enter an age and a position and we will give you the size, the working range, and the one measurement that is not a length at all.
Glove size is a measurement of the glove, not of your hand
This is the part that catches everyone out, and it is worth getting straight before anything else. When a glove says 11.5, that is the length of the glove itself, measured from the tip of the index finger, down the back through the pocket, to the bottom edge of the heel. It says nothing about the hand going into it. A player with big hands and a player with small hands both play second base in about an 11.25 inch glove, because the number describes the tool, not the person.
That makes baseball gloves the odd one out. Our winter and work glove sizes come from your hand circumference. Our boxing glove sizes come from padding weight in ounces. Three things all called a glove, three completely different measurements, and none of the numbers mean anything to each other.
Position decides more than age does
Once a player has a position, that is the bigger factor. Infielders use shorter gloves with shallow pockets because the whole job is getting the ball out of the glove and into the throwing hand quickly, and a deep pocket fights you. Outfielders use longer gloves with deep pockets because reach is what matters on a fly ball, and there is plenty of time to dig the ball out afterwards.
The two scales cross over, which surprises people. An adult middle infielder plays in about 11.5 inches. A twelve year old outfielder plays in about 12.25 inches. The child's glove is longer than the grown man's, and both are correct, because glove length tracks the job rather than the size of the player.
The formula
glove size = age band, then position within it
recommended = middle of the published range
catcher's mitt = CIRCUMFERENCE, not length
Age bands run 5 to 6, 7 to 8, 9 to 10, 11 to 12, 13 to 14, and 15 and up. Within each band, infielders take the shorter end and outfielders the longer end, with pitchers near the infield figure and first base needing a longer mitt. Fielding gloves are sold in quarter inch steps and catcher's mitts in half inch steps, so the recommendation is rounded to what actually exists on a shelf.
Worked example
Say you are buying for a 10 year old. That is the 9 to 10 band. If they play the outfield, the range is 11 to 12 inches and the pick is 11.5 inches. If they play second base instead, the range drops to 10.5 to 11.5 and the pick is 11 inches, because an infielder needs the ball out fast. If they catch, the answer is a mitt at about 31.5 inches, and that number is a circumference measured around the outside, not a length. The mitt is not three times the size of the infield glove. It is measured a completely different way.
The catcher's mitt is measured differently, and nobody tells you
Every fielding glove is measured along its length. A catcher's mitt is measured around its circumference. That is the whole explanation for why mitts are listed at 32 or 33 or 34 inches while the rest of the field is wearing 11 and 12 inch gloves, and it is the single most confusing thing in glove sizing. If you have been staring at those two numbers wondering what you were missing, the answer is that they are not the same kind of number at all.
First base takes a mitt too, but that one is measured by length like a normal glove. So a first base mitt at 12.5 inches and a catcher's mitt at 33 inches are, in real terms, not far apart in size. Both have no separate fingers, both are built to receive rather than to field, and both do a specific job that a regular fielding glove does badly.
Never buy big to grow into
With shoes and coats, buying a size up buys you a season. With gloves it costs you the season. A glove works by closing around the ball, and closing it takes grip strength through the whole hand. A glove too large for the hand simply will not shut, so the ball hits the pocket and falls straight back out. What the player learns instead is to trap the ball against their chest, and that is a much harder habit to unlearn than it was to pick up.
The related mistake is buying the right size and leaving it stiff. New gloves arrive rigid, and a child does not have the hand strength to break one in by catching alone. A little conditioner, some work with a mallet, and a ball wrapped inside it overnight will do in an evening what a whole season of dropped balls does badly. Size and softness are two separate problems, and softness is the one people forget.
Frequently asked questions
What size baseball glove for a 10 year old?
About 11 to 11.5 inches for most 10 year olds. An infielder wants the shorter end, around 11 inches, so the ball comes out fast. An outfielder wants the longer end, around 11.5 to 12 inches, because the extra reach helps on fly balls. If they play everywhere, which most 10 year olds do, an 11.25 inch glove covers the whole field.
What size baseball glove for a 7 year old?
Around 10.5 to 11.25 inches, and at this age do not buy by position. Players this young move around the field every inning, and a single glove in the middle of that range does every job well enough. The bigger decision is whether they can close it: a stiff glove they cannot squeeze shut will cost more dropped balls than any half inch of size.
How do you measure a baseball glove?
From the tip of the index finger, down the back of the glove through the pocket, to the bottom edge of the heel. That is the number stamped on the thumb or the pinky of most gloves. It is a measurement of the glove, not of your hand, which is the part that surprises people.
Why is a catcher's mitt 32 inches?
Because a catcher's mitt is measured around its circumference, not along its length like every other glove. A 32 inch mitt is not three times the size of an 11 inch infield glove. It is the same object measured a completely different way. This is the single most confusing thing in glove sizing, and no chart explains it, so if you were comparing those two numbers and thinking something was wrong, nothing was.
Should I buy a bigger glove for my child to grow into?
No, and this is the opposite of how you buy them shoes. A glove too big for a hand cannot be closed, and a glove that will not close does not catch the ball. The child then learns to trap balls against their body instead of catching them, which is a habit worth avoiding. Buy the size that fits now and replace it when it stops fitting.
Do infielders and outfielders use different size gloves?
Yes, and it is the biggest single factor once a player has a position. Infielders use shorter gloves with shallower pockets, roughly 11.25 to 11.75 inches for an adult, because the ball has to come out of the glove and into the throwing hand in about a third of a second. Outfielders use longer gloves with deeper pockets, roughly 12.25 to 12.75 inches, because reach matters and there is time to dig the ball out.
Is there a rule limiting glove size?
Yes, though it rarely binds at youth sizes. Under the professional rules a fielder's glove may not measure more than 13 inches from the tip of a finger through the pocket to the heel, and youth leagues including Little League set their own, tighter, caps for fielders other than the first baseman and the catcher. Published youth figures are commonly around 12 inches, and rulebooks do not all measure the same way. If your recommendation is near 12 inches and the season is sanctioned, confirm the cap with your league before you buy.
What size glove does a first baseman need?
A first base mitt rather than a fielder's glove, and a long one: about 12 to 13 inches for an adult. It has no individual fingers, a longer pattern and a curved shape, all so it can scoop throws out of the dirt. A regular fielder's glove works at first base in youth ball, but by high school the mitt is doing a specific job that a fielding glove does badly.