Free · Browser-only · No sign-up

Norwood Scale Test
Instant Hairline Self-Check

Upload one photo. Get a Norwood I–VII estimate plus three real measurements: forehead height ratio, temple recession, and M-pattern index. Everything runs inside your browser — your photo never leaves the tab.

Start the Test

~10s to load · ~1s per analysis · 100% local

100% in your browser · photo never uploaded

Front-facing photo

Hair in normal style · even lighting · forehead visible

Tip: Hair pulled back / styled forward will skew the result. Use a relaxed, natural style. JPG · PNG · WebP up to ~10MB.

How it works

  1. 01FaceLandmarker locates 478 facial points to anchor the eyebrow line and chin.
  2. 02Image segmenter separates hair pixels from forehead skin.
  3. 03Geometric ratios → Norwood I–VII estimate + percentile vs adult baseline.
  4. 04Zero data ever leaves the browser. Refresh and it's gone.

DISCLAIMER · This is a self-screen tool, not a medical diagnosis. Front-facing photos can only reliably grade Norwood I–V; stages VI–VII require a top-down crown view.

What the Norwood scale measures

Published in 1975 by Dr. O'Tar Norwood and refined from Dr. James Hamilton's original 1951 classification, the scale breaks male pattern hair loss into seven progressive stages — from a youthful, dense hairline (I) through the well-known horseshoe band of remaining hair (VII).

Two patterns dominate the early stages. The standard pattern recedes evenly across the front; the "A" (anterior) variant pushes back as a deep M-shape with the central tuft shrinking last. This test flags the M-pattern explicitly so you can interpret an early-stage result correctly.

Frontal photographs alone reliably grade Norwood I through V. Stages VI and VII involve crown thinning that a forward-facing shot simply cannot see — a top-down photograph of the crown is required to confirm those.

How the on-device test works

Step 01

Face landmark detection

MediaPipe FaceLandmarker locates 478 canonical points on your face. We use the eyebrow plane and chin tip as the bottom edges of the forehead and face.

Step 02

Hair segmentation

The multiclass selfie segmenter labels every pixel as hair, face-skin, body-skin, clothes, or background. The hair / skin boundary at the top of your forehead is the hairline.

Step 03

Geometric Norwood mapping

Forehead-height-to-face-height ratio, temple recession depth, and central-vs-lateral hairline asymmetry combine into a Norwood I–VII estimate plus a percentile vs the adult baseline.

Privacy

Your photo never leaves the browser

The analysis runs on MediaPipe WASM models that are downloaded once from Google's public CDN and then execute entirely inside your browser tab. We never see your photo, your measurements, or your Norwood result. There is no account, no cookie banner, and no third-party tracker on this test.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Norwood scale?+
The Norwood scale (also called the Hamilton–Norwood scale) is the medical industry standard for grading male pattern hair loss across seven stages, from a mature hairline (I) to a horseshoe band of remaining hair (VII). It was first published in 1975 by Dr. James Hamilton and refined by Dr. O'Tar Norwood.
How does this Norwood test work?+
Two open-source AI models run locally inside your browser: FaceLandmarker locates 478 reference points on your face, and a multiclass image segmenter separates hair pixels from forehead skin. We then compute the ratio of forehead height to total face height plus temple recession depth, and map those measurements onto Norwood stages I–VII.
Is the photo uploaded anywhere?+
No. The entire analysis runs client-side using MediaPipe WASM. Your photo never leaves the browser tab — no servers, no logs, no third-party APIs. Closing the page erases everything.
How accurate is the test?+
Front-facing photos with even lighting reliably distinguish Norwood I through V. Stages VI and VII typically need a top-down photo of the crown to confirm, which a single front view can't capture. Hair styling — combing hair forward or pulling it back — will shift the result, so use your natural, relaxed style.
Should I trust this for a medical decision?+
No. This is a self-screen and educational tool, not a clinical diagnosis. For decisions about minoxidil, finasteride, or hair transplant procedures, consult a dermatologist or trichologist.
What do I do with the result?+
Two next steps: (1) see what you would look like at the next Norwood stage or fully bald using BaldFade's AI preview, or (2) bookmark your current measurement and re-test in 6–12 months to track changes objectively.

Want to see what comes next?

BaldFade's AI bald filter generates a photorealistic preview of what you'd look like with a fully shaved head — or with any of 33+ fade haircuts, useful as a "before I go to the barber" preview at any Norwood stage.

Preview Yourself Bald — from $0.99

HD output · 30 seconds · 7-day money-back guarantee