Where the Norwood scale comes from
The Norwood scale is a chart for describing male pattern hair loss. Dr O. T. Norwood published it in 1975, building on a 1951 classification by J. B. Hamilton, and doctors and hair-loss clinics have used it ever since. It is often called the Hamilton-Norwood scale.
It describes a pattern, not a cause. Male pattern hair loss is hereditary, and the American Academy of Dermatology calls hereditary hair loss the most common cause of hair loss worldwide. In men, the first sign is often a receding hairline or a bald spot at the top of the head, and the scale follows how those two areas change.
The seven stages
Stage 1. The hairline sits low and even, with little or no recession at the temples. This is the starting point, and it is not hair loss.
Stage 2. The temples step back a little, about evenly on both sides, often into a shallow M. Many adult men have a stage 2 hairline and keep it for years. People often call it a mature hairline.
Stage 3. The temples sit clearly further back, and the M is deep. This is usually the first stage where recession is obvious to other people.
Stage 3 vertex. The front looks like stage 3, but hair is also thinning at the crown, the whorl at the back of the top of the head.
Stage 4. More hair is lost at the front and at the crown, with a band of hair still running across the top between the two areas.
Stage 5. The band across the top gets thinner, and the front and crown areas grow larger.
Stage 6. The band is gone, so the front and crown areas join.
Stage 7. Hair remains mainly in a horseshoe around the sides and the back of the head.
Norwood scale chart at a glance
| Stage | Front of the hairline | Crown and top |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Little or no recession | Full |
| 2 | Small, even step back at the temples | Full |
| 3 | Deep recession at the temples | Full |
| 3 vertex | Deep recession at the temples | Thinning at the crown |
| 4 | Further back at the front | Thin crown, band of hair between |
| 5 | Further back again | Larger crown, thinner band |
| 6 | Front and crown join | Band gone |
| 7 | Hair mainly at the sides and back | Hair mainly at the sides and back |
How to read your own stage
The front stages and the crown stages need different views.
- Stages 1 to 3 are read at the front. Push your hair back, look straight on, and compare the temples with the middle of your hairline.
- From stage 3 vertex onward, the crown decides. You need a photo from above or behind, ideally taken by someone else, in good light.
That is why a front-photo test can tell you stages 1, 2 and 3 with some confidence, but stops at “4 or beyond”. Our Norwood scale test reads the front view from one photo on your device and says where it cannot see.
Is Norwood 2 balding?
Not necessarily. A small, even step back at the temples is common in adult men and often holds for many years. What matters is whether it keeps moving. One photo cannot tell you that, but the same photo taken months apart can. Our guide to mature and receding hairlines goes through the signs.
Norwood 2 vs Norwood 3
The difference is depth. At stage 2 the temples have stepped back a little and the hairline still frames the forehead. At stage 3 the temples have receded far enough that the M is clearly deep and the corners of the forehead look bare. If you are between the two, you are in good company: the line between them is a judgement, which is why a measured photo reading shows a range when it is close.
What the scale does not tell you
- Why it is happening. Pattern hair loss is the most common reason, but other causes, from stress to some medical conditions, can thin hair too.
- How fast it will change. Two people at the same stage can move at very different speeds, or not at all.
- What to do about it. That is a conversation for a dermatologist, who can look at your scalp and your history.
The American Academy of Dermatology notes that treatment for hereditary hair loss tends to work better the earlier it starts. If you are worried, an appointment is the useful next step. See someone sooner if hair loss is sudden, patchy, itchy or painful.
The Norwood scale and women
The scale was written for men. Women with pattern hair loss usually keep their front hairline and thin across the top, often noticed first as a widening part. The Ludwig scale, published in 1977, describes that pattern.
Tracking your stage over time
A stage is a snapshot. The useful information is in the change: is the M deeper than last year, is the crown thinner? Taking the same photos every few months, in the same light, from the same angles, turns a worry into something you can actually see.