fWHR calculator: measure your facial width-to-height ratio

fWHR is one of the few facial measurements that started in research before it reached the forums. It compresses the proportions of the middle of the face into a single number, which is why it gets quoted so often, and also why it is easy to over-read. This page explains what it measures, how to take it properly, and what it cannot tell you.

What fWHR measures

The ratio has two parts:

• Width — bizygomatic width, the distance between the outermost points of the cheekbones (the zygomatic arches).
• Height — upper-face height, from the upper lip up to the brow line. Studies have anchored the top at either the brow or the highest point of the upper eyelids; the two versions give different numbers, so values are only comparable when they use the same landmarks.

Width divided by height gives a ratio with no units. A higher number means a face that reads broader relative to its upper-face height; a lower number reads longer and narrower. The full term is in the fWHR glossary entry.

What the research says, in general terms

Most of the literature studies how fWHR relates to perception: whether broader faces are read by strangers as more dominant or assertive. That link shows up reasonably often. Links to actual behaviour, and even the question of how much men and women differ on the ratio, are still argued over, with studies pointing in different directions. Most adult faces sit within a few tenths of each other, and the gap between two people is often no bigger than the gap between two photographs of the same person.

Is there an ideal fWHR?

No. Forums rank a higher number as better, but the research is about how a face is perceived on first impression, not a target anyone should be hitting. A face is read as a whole — skin, expression, grooming, hair and body composition all land before a ratio does. That is the same problem with every single-number rating, covered in the PSL scale entry.

Why measuring fWHR from a photo goes wrong

• Lens distance. A phone held at arm’s length exaggerates whatever is closest to it and narrows the edges of the face. The same face shot from further back reads wider.
• Head tilt. Tipping the chin up or down changes the projected height of the upper face; turning to one side shortens the width. A few degrees is enough to move the second decimal.
• Expression. A smile lifts the upper lip and the cheeks, which shortens the height and inflates the ratio. Raised eyebrows do the opposite if the measurement uses the brow.
• One frame. A single photo catches whatever the face was doing at that instant, blink included.

How the free scan measures it

The scan runs MediaPipe Face Landmarker in your browser and maps 478 points on your face. For fWHR it takes the width between the cheekbone landmarks and the height from the upper lip to the top of the upper eyelids. It levels your eye line first, so a tilted head does not skew it, and only accepts frames where you are facing the camera. It then takes the median across about three seconds of those frames, so one blink or twitch does not decide the result. Your iris acts as a ruler, which lets it show the width and height in millimetres as well as the ratio.

Your face never leaves your device. No video or photo is uploaded or stored, and you do not need an account to scan. The same pass also measures symmetry, eye tilt and skin. A photo upload works as practice, but only the live scan counts.

What fWHR cannot tell you

It cannot tell you how attractive you are, how you come across in person, or what anyone will think of you. It is a 2D ratio of soft tissue over bone, taken from the front, and it leaves out nearly everything people notice in a room. It is also not something a product changes: TheLooksMaxxing does not sell anything for facial structure, and the scan never recommends a product because of a frame ratio.

What does change

The parts of a face that respond over weeks and months are skin, body composition and sleep. That is where the scan points its recommendations, at skin zones only, and it is what the The Glow Board rewards. Adults 18 and over can join the board, which pays $5,000 across two prizes: Most Improved, for the biggest rise in Skin score over the season, and the Invite Race. fWHR is not part of either. For the full picture, start with the complete looksmaxxing guide or body recomp basics.