I have a 32" waist and they told me to buy an extra 2" belt which I did. When it arrived I had to cut off 2 inches. Not a big deal, but when I did I found that the "leather" was about 0.002 inches thick on either side of the belt. Thickness 2/1000 inch. You will need a micrometer to measure. It's just a leather-coated rubber belt. Can't imagine the buckle wouldn't cut through after a few weeks. Why can't I buy a $22 one-piece leather belt? I think I'll just take the buckle off and put it on my old belt with the broken buckle.