Density is the amount of hair sewn onto the cap, expressed as a percentage of a full natural head. 100% is roughly what an average person grows. Everything above that is more.
It is the specification most likely to be responsible for a wig you do not like, because unlike length and texture you cannot picture it from the number.
The short answer
180% for most people. Drop to 150% if you have fine features or want an understated everyday look. Go 200% for bobs, for lengths over 24 inches, and for any bleached or coloured unit.
What each density looks like
130% — Light. You can see the cap through it if you look. It exists as a budget option and it is almost never the right buy.
150% — Natural. Close to what most people actually have. Right if you have fine features, want an understated look, or are buying a mid-length unit for work. It moves well because there is less weight.
180% — Full. What most people picture when they picture a wig: noticeably more hair than average, visible volume, still believable. Our default recommendation.
200% — Maximum. Big, glossy, obviously abundant. The density in the photos that made you want a wig. Heavier on your scalp and slower to dry.
180 vs 200: the question everyone actually asks
These two are close enough that the choice comes down to three things.
Length. Under 20 inches, 200% can look like too much hair for the shape — the volume has nowhere to go and it reads as a wig. Over 24 inches, 180% starts to look thin at the ends because the hair tapers. Short: lean 200%. Long: lean 200%. Mid-length: 180% almost always.
Your frame. Very high density on delicate features reads as costume rather than hair. Strong features and a larger frame carry 200% comfortably.
How you will wear it. Wearing it down, most days? 180%. Pulling it into styles, wanting drama in photographs, wearing it occasionally? 200%.
And the tiebreaker: a stylist can thin a too-dense unit, but nobody can add density to a thin one. When genuinely torn, buy up.
The three rules
1. Short means dense. A bob under 180% looks thin, and there is a physical reason: on a long unit, length itself creates the illusion of volume as hair stacks down the back. A bob has no length to do that with, so all the volume must come from density.
2. Long means dense. Past about 24 inches, lower densities thin out at the ends. If you are buying 26 or 28 inches, 180% is the minimum and 200% keeps the hem as full as the roots.
3. Bleached means dense. Lifted hair reads thinner than natural hair at identical density — lighter colours show more gaps and bleaching reduces the diameter of each strand. Buy 613 platinum and highlight units at 180% or 200%.
Density is not quality
A cheap 200% unit is still a cheap unit. Density tells you how much hair is on the cap — not whether it is cuticle-aligned, whether it will tangle at the nape in three months, or whether the lace will survive. Check hair grade separately: see raw vs virgin vs Remy.
Measuring instructions and a shrinkage table are in the size and density guide. Browse all wigs.