Standard spacing
How belt holes are laid out
Most belts use five holes spaced about one inch (2.5cm) apart, centred on the size printed on the belt. That gives roughly two inches of adjustment in either direction — enough to absorb small daily fluctuation without needing an exact size match.
Adding your own hole
Punching an extra notch
Try the belt on
Mark exactly where it should fasten comfortably with a piece of chalk or a light pencil mark on the underside.
Measure from the nearest hole
Keep the new hole spaced consistently with the existing ones for a clean, even look.
Punch on a firm surface
Use a leather hole punch or a sharp awl with a hammer, working over a cutting mat or scrap wood to protect your work surface.
This works well on standard prong-and-frame buckles. Ratchet or click-style buckles use a different mechanism entirely and generally aren't suited to adding holes yourself.
Buckle types
What each style means for sizing
Simple prong and frame
The most common style, easy to resize yourself by punching additional holes.
Fully enclosed buckle
Similar sizing logic to a frame buckle, though the enclosed design can make punching new holes trickier.
Toothed strap, no holes
Adjusts in small fixed increments via a ratchet mechanism rather than pre-punched holes — sizing is set differently, often by trimming the strap.
Double-sided strap
Uses a rotating buckle mechanism with holes on both sides of a two-tone strap, following the same spacing principles as a standard belt.
Questions
Buckle & notch FAQs
About one inch (2.5cm) apart is the standard spacing used on most belts, giving roughly two inches of total adjustment across five holes.
A leather hole punch (rotary or single-hole) or a sharp awl both work, along with a hammer and a cutting mat or scrap wood underneath.
Try the belt on, mark where it should fasten comfortably, and measure the same distance from the nearest existing hole for consistent spacing.
Frame buckles with a simple prong are the easiest to work with; box-frame and click/ratchet buckles typically aren't designed for adding your own holes.
Also useful