Hand Template
Print a hand template for free. Choose a right hand, a left hand or a pair, with the fingers spread apart or together. The size is the hand length, from the wrist crease to the tip of the middle finger: pick the adult women’s or men’s median from the ANSUR II body measurement data (18 cm and 19.3 cm), a smaller hand at 75% or 60% of the women’s median, a 150% display hand, or measure a hand and type the length in. Make a set of hands for a handprint wreath, in greens or bright colours, or a handprint turkey with the head, beak and wattle drawn on the thumb and feathers on the fingers. Fill the sheet with small hands for a class, and type names to print one on each palm. The hand is our own drawing. A check square shows the print is true size. Download a PDF on US Letter or A4, an SVG cut file or a PNG. No sign-up, no watermark.
100% private — everything runs in your browser. Names stay in your browser; the PDF, SVG and PNG are made on your device.
Hand
Names or words on the hands (optional)
Pattern
Lettering
Runs in your browser with our own code; names never leave your device, and nothing is saved. The hand is our own drawing. The adult sizes are the median hand lengths in the ANSUR II public data (US Army, 2010-2012); the smaller sizes are percentage scales, not ages. Measuring the hand is best. The PDF is true size: print at 100% (Actual size) and check the square.
How to print a hand template
- Choose one hand, a pair, a wreath set or the handprint turkey.
- Choose right or left, fingers apart or together, and the hand length (or measure).
- Optional: names, the colour version or “Fill the sheet”.
- Download the PDF and print at 100% (Actual size); measure the check square. There is also an SVG (true size, for Cricut, Silhouette or laser cutters) and a 300 DPI PNG, one per sheet.
- Cut out the hands and use them.
What you can use it for
- Handprint wreaths for winter and spring doors
- Handprint turkeys for Thanksgiving
- Left and right practice, counting fingers
- “Helping hands” and kindness displays with names
- Felt and fabric hands (trace the outline)
- Cutting practice with the dashed outline
Hand sizes
| Size | Hand length | Width (fingers apart) | Hands per US Letter sheet | Letter sheets for a pair | Letter sheets for a 12-hand wreath |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult, women’s median | 7.1 in (18 cm) | 14.3 cm | 1 | 2 | 12 |
| Adult, men’s median | 7.6 in (19.3 cm) | 15.3 cm | 1 | 2 | 12 |
| 75% of the women’s median | 5.3 in (13.5 cm) | 10.7 cm | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 60% of the women’s median | 4.2 in (10.8 cm) | 8.6 cm | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 150% (display size) | 10.6 in (27 cm) | 21.4 cm | tiled | 4 | 22 |
Worked out by the tool with 4 mm gaps and the check square on the sheet. The width across the knuckles is 0.44 of the hand length, between the ANSUR II medians for women (78 mm on 180 mm) and men (88 mm on 193 mm).
Where the sizes come from
The adult sizes are medians we computed from the ANSUR II public data files (US Army anthropometric survey, 2010-2012: 1,986 women and 4,082 men, right hand, wrist crease to the tip of the middle finger). The sample is adult military personnel aged 17 to 58, so it does not cover children; the smaller sizes are percentage scales of the women’s median, not ages.
| ANSUR II adults | 5th percentile | 25th | Median | 75th | 95th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women: hand length | 16.5 cm | 17.4 cm | 18.0 cm | 18.7 cm | 19.9 cm |
| Women: hand breadth | 7.2 cm | 7.5 cm | 7.8 cm | 8.0 cm | 8.5 cm |
| Men: hand length | 17.7 cm | 18.7 cm | 19.3 cm | 20.0 cm | 21.0 cm |
| Men: hand breadth | 8.1 cm | 8.5 cm | 8.8 cm | 9.1 cm | 9.6 cm |
Percentiles we computed from the same files (hand breadth is measured across the knuckles, thumb not included). To print the hand at one of these lengths, choose Custom and type the length in.
Hand craft ideas
- See the full hand measurement tables, with percentiles, in the Hand Size Chart.
- Stand handprints round a band with the Paper Crown Template.
- Put a name on each hand for a class display, then add matching labels with the Name Tag Template.
- Hang a row of hands on flags from the Bunting Template.
More free printables
More classroom crafts?
Paper crowns, masks, name tags and hand measurements: free tools that run in your browser, with no sign-up and no watermark.
Frequently asked questions
What size is the hand?
You choose the hand length, measured from the crease at the wrist to the tip of the middle finger. The adult sizes are the median hand lengths in the ANSUR II public data (US Army, 2010-2012): 18 cm for women and 19.3 cm for men. The smaller sizes are 75% and 60% of the women’s median.
Are there child sizes?
We only use sizes from a source we could check, and the ANSUR II data covers adults only, so the smaller sizes are percentage scales, not ages. The most accurate way is to measure the hand from the wrist crease to the tip of the middle finger and type that in.
How do I measure a hand?
Lay the hand flat, palm down, fingers together. Measure in a straight line from the crease where the wrist meets the palm to the tip of the middle finger.
How do I make a handprint wreath?
Choose “Handprint wreath”: you get a set of left and right hands (12 by default). Cut the middle out of a paper plate and glue the hands round the ring, fingers out, each overlapping the one before.
How does the handprint turkey work?
The thumb is the turkey’s head, with an eye, a beak and a wattle drawn on; the four fingers are the feathers and the legs are drawn on the palm. Colour it or print the colour version.
How do I check the print is the right size?
Measure the check square on the first sheet: it must be exactly 1 in (or 2 cm with cm units) on each side. If it is smaller, print again at 100% or Actual size, not Fit to page.
Can I use it with a Cricut or Silhouette?
Yes. Download the SVG: it is true size in millimetres, with the cut lines on their own layer.
Can I sell things I make with these hands?
The designs are our own drawings: you may use them and anything you make with them, including things you sell, with no credit needed.