Cigar Sizes Table
| Vitola | Length (in) | Ring gauge (64ths) | Metric length | Metric width |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cigarillo | — | ~21 | ~8 cm | ~8 mm |
| Rothschild | 4 1/2 | 48 | 11 cm | 19 mm |
| Robolo | 4 1/2 | 60 | 11 cm | 24 mm |
| Robusto | 4 7/8 | 50 | 12 cm | 20 mm |
| Small Panatella | 5 | 33 | 13 cm | 13 mm |
| Ascot | 4 1/2 | 24 | 11 cm | 13 mm |
| Petit Corona | 5 1/8 | 42 | 13 cm | 17 mm |
| Carlota | 5 5/8 | 35 | 14 cm | 14 mm |
| Corona | 5 1/2 | 42 | 14 cm | 17 mm |
| Corona Gorda | 5 5/8 | 46 | 14 cm | 18 mm |
| Panatella | 6 | 38 | 15 cm | 15 mm |
| Toro | 6 | 50 | 15 cm | 20 mm |
| Corona Grande | 6 1/8 | 42 | 16 cm | 17 mm |
| Lonsdale | 6 1/2 | 42 | 17 cm | 17 mm |
| Churchill | 7 | 47–50 | 18 cm | 19–20 mm |
| Double Corona | 7 5/8 | 49 | 19 cm | 19 mm |
| Presidente | 8 | 50 | 20 cm | 20 mm |
| Gran Corona | 9 1/4 | 47 | 23 cm | 19 mm |
| Double Toro / Gordo | 6 | 60 | 15 cm | 24 mm |
Cigar sizes have their own grammar called vitola - the factory name for a shape - and it runs on two measurements: length in inches and ring gauge, the diameter expressed in 64ths of an inch. The chart spans the family from the thin, quick Cigarillo (about 21/64 across) through the steakhouse standards - Robusto at 4 7/8 by 50, Corona at 5 1/2 by 42, Churchill at 7 inches - up to the ceremonial giants: Double Corona at 7 5/8 and the nine-and-a-quarter-inch Gran Corona.
The names are conventions, not laws. A Robusto from one house may be 4 7/8 inches; another's runs past 5 - and historically every factory kept its own vitola book, which is why the same cigar can be a Corona in one catalog and a Petit Corona in another. Two honest anchors survive the chaos: the ring gauge system (dividing an inch into 64ths, so a 50-ring is 50/64 inch across) and the wrapper color ladder from greenish Candela through Claro to the dark Oscuro, which travels independent of shape.
How to use
- Read a vitola as time, not size: roughly, a 42-ring Corona burns 30 to 45 minutes, a 50-ring Robusto about 45 to 60, and a Churchill past an hour - pick by the time you actually have, because relighting a cold cigar twice is worse than choosing the smaller format honestly.
- Convert the gauge by the 64th: ring gauge is diameter in 64ths of an inch, so a 50-ring is 50/64 inch - about 19.8 millimeters - and the chart's metric columns do the arithmetic for you; anything at 54 and above is the fat-ring modern style, anything at 42 and below is the classic slim tradition.
- Match the wrapper color ladder to strength expectations with care: Candela (green, quick-cured) and Claro (light tan) read mild, Colorado and Colorado Maduro sit mid-brown, Maduro and Oscuro run darkest - but color is cured leaf, not a promise; a dark Oscuro wrapper can ride a mild blend, so trust the blend reviews more than the shade.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a Corona and a Robusto?
Length and pacing. The Corona is the classic benchmark vitola at about 5 1/2 inches with a 42 ring gauge - the slim, hour-or-less format connoisseurs use to judge a blend, because a thinner ring forces the maker to show construction on every draw. The Robusto is shorter (about 4 7/8 inches) but fatter (50 ring), giving roughly 45 to 60 minutes with a cooler, denser smoke and a wider draw. Neither is better; the Robusto is the modern steakhouse favorite, the Corona the traditionalist's yardstick.
Why is cigar diameter measured in 64ths of an inch?
The ring gauge is a factory convention from the era when gauges were literal: a ring stamped in 64ths of an inch that slipped over the cigar to check its diameter. The unit survived because it is precise and portable - a 50-ring cigar is exactly 50/64 inch across (about 19.8 mm) - and because the whole trade already quoted lengths in inches, keeping diameter in the same imperial family avoided a second conversion. Metric-market boxes print both, which is why the chart carries millimeter columns alongside.
What does Churchill mean for a cigar size?
A large-format vitola of about 7 inches with a 47 to 50 ring gauge - roughly 18 cm long, named for Sir Winston Churchill, whose cigars were famously enormous. The name is an honorific rather than a factory standard: one house's Churchill is another's Double Corona junior, and Cuban catalogs may sell the same dimensions as a Julieta No. 2. What the chart shows is the working consensus - 7 by 47-50 - which buys over an hour of smoke and enough girth to keep the burn cool through a long evening.
Do cigar names mean the same thing everywhere?
No - and the chart's word approximately is doing real work. Vitola names were each factory's private catalogue: Rothschild, Corona, Panatella and their cousins shifted by half an inch or several ring gauges between brands and countries. The industry stabilizes the biggest sellers (Robusto, Toro, Churchill are now broadly consistent), but regional names persist - the English Market Selection and Spanish Market Selection labels sort wrapper color by historical market, and a Cigarillo in one market is a Small Panatella in another. Buy by dimensions, not by name alone.