Commonly, men and boys feel insecure about their penile length. Feelings of deficiency or anxiety about size and shape are perfectly normal but can affect the self-esteem and personal relationships of many men. Men are concerned that their penis is smaller than it should be. Many companies have made their fortune by selling pills, tools, and other products that claim to enlarge the penis, maintaining the myth that ‘bigger is better.’

What is the average penile length?

So, what is the average penile length? There are a number of studies that have looked at the average penile length in different races. A recent study studied 600 men in the UK all Caucasian, they measured a number of dimensions of the penis based on the way it hung from the pubic bone and stretched, The mean values of penile dimensions recorded were:

Pendulous length, or flaccid length measured from the tip of the glans to the base hanging loosely – 3.4 inches

• Penopubic length, measured from the tip of glans to the bone above your penis, or the pubic bone – 4 inches
• Stretched length, measured the same way as the penopubic length but with the penis at extended – 5.6 inches

• If you compare all the studies done on multiple races the average stretched penile length ranges from 3.5 inches to 6.6 inches.

The three measurements recorded were:

1. The flaccid ‘pendulous’ length, in which the flaccid penile length was measured from the tip of the glans penis to the base of the pendulous penis.
2. The ‘pubic arch penile length’, measuring from the tip of the glans penis to the lower edge of the pubic bone above the suspensory ligament insertion.
3. The ‘stretched flaccid length’, which is determined as the distance from the pubic bone to the tip of the glans penis under the gentle painless extension of the penis.

Penile length measurements were taken at normal room temperature with the patient supine and the legs adducted and before surgery in a patient. Only Caucasian, British men were included in the study.

How to measure the penile length correctly?

Length is simply the measure of the penis from the base to the tip (glans, without the foreskin). To correctly measure the length of your penis, make sure you’re in normal room temperature:

1. Position a ruler or measuring tape at the base of the penis, where it attaches to the body.
2. Press into the pubic bone as far as you can, until you contact the bone. This is especially important if there’s a lot of belly fat.
3. Measure from the base to the end of the tip.

You can do this with your penis on no stretch, stretched and erect.