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How cigar size is measured
Length runs from the head, the closed end you draw on, to the foot, the open end you light. In the United States it is given in inches; most of the world uses millimetres.
Ring gauge is the cigar’s diameter in 64ths of an inch. A 64-ring cigar would be exactly one inch across and a 32-ring cigar half an inch. To turn a ring gauge into millimetres, divide by 64 and multiply by 25.4: a 50 ring is about 19.8 mm across, a 60 ring about 23.8 mm.
Sizes are usually written length first, so “6 × 52” means 6 inches long with a 52 ring. Some catalogues reverse the order; the ring gauge is the number in the 30s to 60s.
Cigar size chart
The chart draws one typical example of each classic size on the same scale, for both length and thickness. Real cigars vary around these points; the table below gives the usual ranges.
Petit Corona 4½ in × 42 ring114 mm × 16.7 mm
Robusto 5 in × 50 ring127 mm × 19.8 mm
Corona 5½ in × 42 ring140 mm × 16.7 mm
Corona Gorda 5⅝ in × 46 ring143 mm × 18.3 mm
Toro 6 in × 52 ring152 mm × 20.6 mm
Gordo 6 in × 60 ring152 mm × 23.8 mm
Lonsdale 6½ in × 42 ring165 mm × 16.7 mm
Churchill 7 in × 48 ring178 mm × 19 mm
Lancero 7½ in × 38 ring190 mm × 15.1 mm
Double Corona 7½ in × 50 ring190 mm × 19.8 mm
| Size | Typical length | Typical ring gauge |
|---|---|---|
| Petit Corona | 4½–5 in114–127 mm | 40–4215.9–16.7 mm |
| Corona | 5½–6 in140–152 mm | 42–4416.7–17.5 mm |
| Corona Gorda | 5⅝–6 in143–152 mm | 4618.3 mm |
| Lonsdale | 6½ in165 mm | 42–4416.7–17.5 mm |
| Lancero | 7–7½ in178–190 mm | 38–4015.1–15.9 mm |
| Robusto | 4¾–5½ in121–140 mm | 48–5219–20.6 mm |
| Toro | 5¾–6½ in146–165 mm | 50–5419.8–21.4 mm |
| Churchill | 7 in178 mm | 47–5018.7–19.8 mm |
| Double Corona | 7½–8 in190–203 mm | 49–5219.4–20.6 mm |
| Gordo | 6–6½ in152–165 mm | 6023.8 mm |
The classic sizes
Corona
Typically 5½–6 in × 42–44 ring140–152 mm × 16.7–17.5 mm
The traditional benchmark. Many other names describe a cigar against it: a petit corona is a shorter corona, a corona gorda (“fat corona”) a thicker one, and a double corona a much longer and thicker one.
Petit Corona
Typically 4½–5 in × 40–42 ring114–127 mm × 15.9–16.7 mm
A short, slim cigar for when time is limited. In Cuban factories this size is known as the Mareva.
Corona Gorda
Typically 5⅝–6 in × 46 ring143–152 mm × 18.3 mm
A corona with a little more girth, which gives it a slower burn and more room for the filler blend.
Lonsdale
Typically 6½ in × 42–44 ring165 mm × 16.7–17.5 mm
A long, slim corona. The name is traditionally credited to Hugh Lowther, the 5th Earl of Lonsdale, an English aristocrat who had cigars made to this size.
Lancero
Typically 7–7½ in × 38–40 ring178–190 mm × 15.1–15.9 mm
Long and slender, sometimes sold as a panetela, the wider family of thin cigars. So little filler fits inside that the wrapper leaf carries much of the flavor, which is why some smokers seek lanceros out to taste a wrapper on its own terms.
Robusto
Typically 4¾–5½ in × 48–52 ring121–140 mm × 19–20.6 mm
Spanish for “robust”: a full ring gauge in a short length. It is one of the most popular sizes made today, because it gives a full-bodied ring in a cigar that can be finished in about an hour.
Toro
Typically 5¾–6½ in × 50–54 ring146–165 mm × 19.8–21.4 mm
Spanish for “bull”. Roughly a robusto with an extra inch, and a staple of nearly every modern premium line.
Churchill
Typically 7 in × 47–50 ring178 mm × 18.7–19.8 mm
Named for Winston Churchill, rarely photographed without a cigar. The Cuban original measures 7 × 47; most makers outside Cuba roll it at 48 to 50.
Double Corona
Typically 7½–8 in × 49–52 ring190–203 mm × 19.4–20.6 mm
A long, generous cigar for an unhurried evening. Expect two hours or more.
Gordo
Typically 6–6½ in × 60 ring152–165 mm × 23.8 mm
Spanish for “fat”. Cigars with a 60 ring or larger have grown much more common over the past two decades.
Shapes: parejos and figurados
Most cigars are parejos: straight-sided and round, with a rounded cap at the head and an open foot. Any cigar with a shaped head or body is a figurado.
Parejo straight sides, rounded cap
Pyramid / Torpedo long taper to a pointed head
Belicoso shorter, rounded taper
Perfecto tapered at both ends
- Pyramid and torpedo. A pyramid tapers over its last inch or so to a pointed head. A torpedo was traditionally a pointed cigar that swelled in the middle and closed at the foot; today most makers use the two names for the same shape.
- Belicoso. A shorter, more rounded taper than a pyramid, often on a cigar of robusto or corona length.
- Perfecto. Tapered at both ends, usually with a swell in the middle and a small foot.
- Culebra. Three thin cigars braided together and tied with string, separated before smoking.
- Box-pressed. Not a length or a gauge but a profile: a cigar pressed into a squarer cross-section, which many smokers find comfortable to hold.
With a pointed head you choose the opening by where you cut: a small cut near the tip gives a tighter draw, a cut further back an easier one.
Why size names don’t always match
There is no industry standard for size names. Cuban factories work to a fixed list of internal sizes, the vitolas de galera: the Mareva is a petit corona and the Julieta No. 2 is the Churchill. The name printed on the box is the brand’s own choice. Outside Cuba, each maker sets its own dimensions and often gives its sizes names of its own.
So treat a size name as a family resemblance and the numbers as the facts. A “toro” from one maker might be 6 × 50, from another 6 × 54.
Does size change the flavor?
A blend can taste noticeably different from one size to the next, for three reasons.
- Wrapper to filler. As a cigar gets thicker, the filler inside grows faster than the wrapper around it. Thin cigars lean on the character of the wrapper leaf; thick ones lean on the filler blend.
- Burn. A thicker cigar burns more slowly, and many smokers find it stays cooler at the same pace. A thin cigar heats up faster and rewards slow puffing.
- Length. A longer cigar gives the smoke more distance before it reaches you, and more time for the flavor to develop as the burn moves through the blend.
Some makers adjust the blend for each size to keep the balance they intend. Strength, though, comes from the tobacco, not the size: a bigger cigar lasts longer but is not by nature a stronger one.
How to choose a size
Start with the time you have. At a relaxed pace, and your pace matters more than the size, smokers often allow:
| Size | Typical smoking time |
|---|---|
| Petit corona | About 30–45 minutes |
| Corona | About 45 minutes |
| Robusto | About 45–60 minutes |
| Toro | About 1–1½ hours |
| Churchill | About 1¼–2 hours |
| Double corona | 2 hours or more |
Then think about comfort and taste. A 60 ring is a lot to hold in the hand and mouth; a 42 ring is easy. If you want to taste the wrapper, go slimmer; if you want the full blend, go thicker. For a first cigar, a robusto or a corona is a sensible start: short enough to finish, and common enough to compare against later.
Luis Cuao sizes
The Luis Cuao line runs from short, thick cigars to classic toros. Here is where each sits among the classic sizes, judged by its measurements.
The Moment 4 in × 60 ring102 mm × 23.8 mmShorter than a robusto, with a gordo’s 60 ring
20th Aniversario 5 in × 60 ring127 mm × 23.8 mmA robusto’s length with a gordo’s 60 ring
My Way 6 in × 52 ring152 mm × 20.6 mmThe classic toro size
LC Regular 6 in × 52 ring152 mm × 20.6 mmThe classic toro size
LC Nicaragua 6.2 in × 56 ring157 mm × 22.2 mmA long, thick toro
Questions
What does ring gauge mean?
The cigar’s diameter in 64ths of an inch. A 50 ring cigar is 50/64 of an inch, about 19.8 mm, across.
How long is a Churchill cigar?
About 7 inches (178 mm), with a ring gauge of 47 to 50.
What is the difference between a robusto and a toro?
Length, mostly. A toro is about an inch longer than a robusto and often a ring or two thicker, so it takes longer to smoke.
What is the most popular cigar size?
The robusto and the toro are among the most widely made sizes today, and almost every premium line includes at least one of them.
Is a bigger cigar stronger?
No. Strength comes from the tobacco and the blend. Size changes how long a cigar lasts and how the wrapper and filler balance.