I had a belt from another seller that said "40" for a 38 inch waist. I've lost some weight and wanted a better belt so I bought a 38 waist here (recommended for 36 inches) expecting to lose 2 inches. Instead, this belt was slightly longer than my old 40's and left me (36" waist) with 5 extra cutouts. I've attached a picture of a belt against a tape measure so you can draw your own conclusions. The two ends of the belt are dated from the same photo of this belt in size 38 (36" waist recommended. "38" has been stamped on the belt). I got a brown and a black belt, the lengths were the same. The quality seemed ok. The texture was very smooth/polished if you like it. If they were 2cm shorter I would probably leave them. Maybe I don't understand the size of the belts. Reviews say 78% find the right size, maybe that's why. I hope others find the photo informative.