How to Shorten a Leather Belt

Your Belt Has Arrived, But It Is a Little Too Long?

	1. Determine how much you need to shorten it. You can do this by removing the buckle holders of the two belts, and then aligning the hole you most frequently use on the belt you already have that fits well and the hole you would like to use on the new belt. The difference at the front of the straps is how much you need to cut off on the new belt.
2. Mark the Spot Where the New Belt Needs to be Cut. After aligning the two belts, mark the spot where you need to cut with the screw driver.
	3. Cut-Off the Extra Length. Cut-off the length that you just marked. We recommend using an exacto knife instead of scissors, because the full-grain leather is very thick and using scissors will distort it,
4. Punch the New Hole. Now you can just punch a new hole (using the small metal tool we provided with a hammer and the piece you cut-off to help you determine where the hole should be). Then re-attach the buckle holder and you are all set.

Sometimes you buy a belt that you like, but it is just a little too long, or sometime you lose weight and the belt you loved becomes too small. If you are wondering how to cut a belt that is too long, or how to make a new hole in a belt, we have some answers for you.

Generally, it is NOT recommended that you cut an extra hole in a belt. Your belt already has beautiful perfectly cut holes, to make a new hole you would need a special tool that leather craftsmen use for making holes, and you would need one that has exactly the same dimensions as the holes on your belt, or the new hole will look our of place. Even if you have a tool like that, chances are that you are not going to make a perfectly cut hole that is symmetrical with the other holes on the belt unless you are very experienced, in which case you probably wouldn't be reading this post. You could take the belt to a leather repair shop to cut a new hole. However, then you have to consider that the belt may start looking a little strange with too many holes.

What we always recommend is shortening the belt itself, this means cutting off a part of the leather strap. This is done like in our instructions below and video above. The process is very simple, and you just need to punch a small hole for the buckle holder. Make sure to always use a tool to punch the hole, do not cut it with scissors, because this will destroy the integrity of the structure of the leather and overtime the small cracks may become longer and longer and the buckle will fall off.

This method can be used for the following types of belts:1. Buckle is attached to the belt using a screw held buckle holder.2. Buckle is screwed to or bites directly into the belt strap.

As long as you can remove the buckle without destroying the belt, you can shorten it this method.

There are some types of belts that can't be shortened, and these are all types of belts where the buckle is sewn directly to the strap without a buckle holder that can be separated, or snap on belts. Of course, a leather worker could still shorten them, but it is definitely not a DIY type of project, while as you can see the method we illustrate here is very very simple.

Your Belt Has Arrived, But It Is a Little Too Short?

Sorry, there isn't much we can do.

We don't recommend punching extra holes in the belt body. Some customers have used our extra buckle holders to extend the lengths of their belts. While technically this will work, the belt just won't look as nice as a properly constructed belt.

Please exchange it for a longer size.

If you need any help with shortening your belt, please get in touch.