What Is a Beanie? The Cut, the Cuff and the Names

Young woman in a concrete underpass, dark grey rib-knit beanie, its cuff above the eyebrows and over the ear, black hoodie, olive jacket

A beanie is a brimless cap knitted from elastic yarn that lies close to your head. No visor, no stiff brim: the shape comes from the knit and from the head underneath it. Chillouts describes the classic way to wear one, with the rim just above the eyebrows and the ears covered.

From there it gets interesting, because beanie is not one single shape. Cuff or no cuff, long or short, pom-pom or plain: every cut carries its own name. Here's what those names mean and which cut is your fit.

What a beanie is: knit, no brim, close to the head

Two things define a beanie: elastic knit and the missing brim. Nothing stiff holds the shape, so the knit does the work and follows your head. Chillouts states that its beanies are knitted elastic and fit the usual head sizes.

Worn the classic way, the rim crosses your forehead just above the eyebrows and the knit covers the ears. Pushed further back on the head, the same cap reads more casual and more low-key.

Over the last three months, beanies were the number four product type at CapUniverse, our streetwear cap shop in Germany. If you want the cuts side by side, start in Beanies.

Beanie or knitted hat: one word sits inside the other

Knitted hat is the wide word. It covers soft hats without a brim in general, whatever the cut. Beanie names one cut inside that group. So every beanie is a knitted hat, while not every knitted hat is a beanie.

Chillouts sorts its own range along exactly that line. Beanies, long beanies and pom-pom beanies sit together in one group, and the docker caps are listed with the caps instead. That's one brand ordering its own shelves, not an official system — and it files the short docker cut with the caps even though it is knitted like the rest. In our shop the knitted cuts and the peaked ones stand side by side under Beanies & Peaked Hats.

Four cut names do most of the work:

  • cuffed beanie: the rim is folded back, so the knit lies double there;
  • long beanie, also called slouchy: cut longer, with surplus knit at the back;
  • docker cap, also called fisherman beanie: short, sitting on the crown;
  • pom-pom beanie: a beanie with a pom-pom on top.

The cuff: a doubled rim that you set yourself

Man on a steel bridge in a sand-beige Kangol beanie whose olive turn-up cuff forms a thick double band around his head

The two-tone Kangol Distressed Morse Beanie in the picture makes the cuff easy to read. Its olive rim is folded back against the sand-beige crown, so the knit runs double around the head and the fold line stays clean. That doubled band is the cuff.

Folding it decides how deep the cap sits. Fold the cuff up and more forehead stays free, roll it down and the edge moves lower. Chillouts offers both cuffed beanies with that turn-up and ribbed beanies. Deep beanies, it says, can be pulled completely over the forehead or worn with a slight cuff.

Barts puts a number on its own turn-up. The Haveno beanie, a unisex model in 100% acrylic sold in one size, carries a cuff 11 cm high. How you set that band is half the styling game. We go through it step by step in How to Wear a Beanie: Fit, Cuff and the Cut That Suits You.

Long beanie: the cut with surplus knit at the back

Back view of a woman on a river staircase, the burgundy Chillouts long beanie hanging loose and empty behind her head

The burgundy Chillouts Erik Oversize in the picture shows what a long beanie does. The knit hangs loose and empty behind the crown instead of following the head. Chillouts cuts this model longer than the classic beanie, and the surplus knit left at the back falls loosely downwards.

That loose drop at the back is where the second name comes from: it's the slouchy beanie. Unlike the classic cut, which ends close behind the crown, the long version keeps knit in reserve and lets it fall. The slouch is the point of the cut, not a sign that the cap is too big for you.

Docker cap: the short knit that leaves your ears free

Man at a glass tram shelter in a short charcoal Stetson docker cap whose rim stops well above his uncovered ear

The charcoal Stetson Nashville Strick Dockercap in the picture sits high on the crown, and its folded rim stops well above the ear. Stetson says the same about the style as a whole: docker caps sit only on the crown of the head and do not cover the ears. This model is made of 100% wool, merino, and comes in one size of about 54 to 60 cm. That short look comes from the cuff: rolled up it keeps the cap on the crown, and pulled down the same knit reaches as far as the neck.

Chillouts lists the same short shape as a fisherman beanie, also called a docker cap. The brand describes it as reaching only the upper part of the ears. How far any knitted cap covers your ears follows from how deep it is cut. A deep beanie can be pulled down over them, while the short docker cut stops at the top.

Docker cap, docker hat, fisherman beanie: one shape, several names. The short cuts sit together in Docker Caps.

Materials and size: what the knit is made of, which size you take

Size has the shorter answer: it's one size. A beanie is sized by stretch instead of a size system. The knit gives way to your head, so you never pick a head measurement. Barts states that all its adult beanies are one size fits all. For its own beanies it gives 58 cm head circumference for women and unisex, and 60 cm for men and unisex. The Herschel Douglas Station Beanie, a rib-knit cap with a classic cuffed fit in 100% acrylic, also comes in one size.

With materials, keep the knit and the yarn apart. Rib knit means the structure with the visible vertical ribs, not the fibre, so a rib-knit beanie can be acrylic, cotton or wool. Chunky knit and fine knit say how thick the yarn and the stitches are, again not what the yarn is made of.

On the fibres themselves, Chillouts describes its own beanies like this:

  • acrylic is easy-care;
  • models with a cotton or wool content feel more natural;
  • some beanies are made from recycled material.

Then comes the build. Many Chillouts beanies carry a soft fleece or teddy lining on the inside, and others are knitted chunky or in two layers. The Letizia pom-pom beanie combines several of those: a cross-knit pattern, a faux-fur pom-pom and a fleece lining. It is made of 81% acrylic and 19% polyester, with a 100% polyester lining, and comes in one size.

The pom-pom is the statement of that cut, and more of them sit in Pompom Beanies. Chillouts is one of our top ten brands right now, at rank six, and the full range is under Chillouts.

FAQ: beanie cuts, cuffs and sizes

What is a beanie?

A beanie is a brimless cap knitted from elastic yarn that lies close to the head. It has no visor and no stiff brim, so its shape comes from the knit and from the head underneath it.

Is a beanie the same thing as a knitted hat?

Not quite. Knitted hat is the wider word for soft hats without a brim, and beanie names one cut inside it. Every beanie is a knitted hat, but not every knitted hat is a beanie.

What is a long beanie?

A long beanie is cut longer than the classic beanie, so the surplus knit left at the back falls loosely downwards. That's why it's also called a slouchy beanie.

What is a docker cap?

A docker cap is a short knitted cap that sits only on the crown of the head, with the ears uncovered. Chillouts lists the same short shape as a fisherman beanie.

Which size do I take in a beanie?

One size. A beanie is sized by the stretch of the knit, so you don't pick a head measurement. Barts states that all its adult beanies are one size fits all. The Stetson Nashville Strick Dockercap comes in one size of about 54 to 60 cm.