13x6 vs 13x4 Lace: Do You Really Need the Extra Inches?
The numbers on a frontal look like a secret code, and vendors charge more for the bigger one without ever explaining why. Here's the plain version: 13x4 and 13x6 differ by exactly two inches of lace, and those inches change one specific thing.
What the numbers mean
Both are measurements in inches. The 13 is the width across your hairline, ear to ear โ identical on both. The second number is the depth: how far back the lace runs from your hairline toward the crown. So a 13x4 has 4 inches of lace going back, a 13x6 has 6. That's the entire difference โ same width, two more inches of "scalp" running backward.
What the extra 2 inches buy
How far back you can part. With 4 inches, your believable scalp stops fairly close to the front โ totally fine for a side part or a shallow middle part. But push a deep middle part toward the crown, or sweep hair straight back off your face, and a 13x4 hits the cap sooner, where it stops looking like skin. The 13x6 moves that boundary back, so deep center parts and brushed-back styles stay convincing. It's not more hair and it's not wider โ purely parting depth.
Most people are fine on a 13x4
Here's what vendors won't volunteer: if you mostly wear side parts or modest middle parts, the extra depth is range you'll never touch. A good 13x4 with HD lace and a clean, pre-plucked hairline looks just as natural at the perimeter โ lace quality matters far more than the two inches. The brand I work with, SoftWig, does its HD hairlines well in both sizes, so the call comes down to how you actually part.
When 13x6 is genuinely worth it
Size up if you truly live in deep middle parts, wear brushed-back or slicked styles, or change your parting constantly. A 13x6 costs more (more hand-knotted lace) and asks for a touch more care, so it earns its price when you'll use the depth โ and wastes money and upkeep when you won't. One more thing: for a high ponytail, neither frontal is the right tool. Lace only sits at the front, so showing the perimeter is a 360 or full lace job, not a deeper frontal.
Meet the experts
A few people I trust shaped this, each from a different angle:
Maya Ellison is a lead stylist and lace front specialist at SoftWig, fitting HD lace human hair wigs for everyday wear and for clients going through hair loss.
Renรฉe Dubois is a color and styling editor at BestWigStyles, where she breaks down cuts, colors, and textures for new and longtime wearers.
Tasha Bell is a wig-fitting consultant with NearMeWigs, helping shoppers find the right wig โ and a good fitter โ close to home.
The full breakdown โ the price gap, the install, and how a frontal compares to 360 and full lace โ is over on the SoftWig blog.
Originally published at https://www.softwig.com/page/13x6-vs-13x4-lace-frontal















