I had a belt from another seller that said '40' for a 38 inch waist. I've lost some weight and wanted a more fitting belt, so I bought a 38 here (recommended for a 36" waist, expect a 2" loss. Instead, this belt was slightly longer than my old 40 and made me (36 -inch waist) with 5 extra cutouts I've attached a picture of the belt against a tape measure so you can make your own conclusions The two ends of the belt The belt is taken from the same photo of this belt Size 38 (36" waist recommended. "38" was stamped on the belt) I received the brown belt and the black strap, lengths were the same Quality seemed ok The texture was very smooth/polished if you like them If they were 2 inches shorter I would probably keep maybe I don't I don't understand the size of the straps Reviews say that 78% find the right size, maybe that's the reason, I hope others find the photo informative.