Count in wefts, not packs. Hair brands publish anything from 30 to 120 tape-in pieces for the same medium-density full head, because they count in different units: pieces, sandwiches, packs and grams. Convert every figure to wefts, then set it against your density and goal. Each weft takes one tab, so that count is your tab count every move-up.
Search this question and the first four answers disagree by a factor of two or more. One brand says a thick head takes 60 to 80 pieces. Another says 60 to 80 sandwiches, which is 120 to 160 pieces. Neither says it is counting differently.
We don't sell hair, so we have no reason to push the number up. Below, every brand's figure is put into one unit, and you count your own head against it. Then comes the number hair sellers leave out: how many tabs every move-up takes.
How many tape-ins do you need for a full head?
Published figures for a full head of tape-in extensions run from about 30 to 160 wefts. Big Kizzy starts an average full head at 30 to 40 pieces, Perfect Locks at 40 to 60 wefts, and Cooviphair at 40 to 60 sandwiches, which is 80 to 120 wefts. Your density and the length you want decide where you sit.
Most of that spread is about units, not hair. Here is every brand's figure in single wefts, one piece of hair with one tab.
| Publisher | Unit they use | Volume or fine hair | Medium, full head | Thick hair |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Kizzy | Pieces | 10 to 20 wefts | 30 to 40 wefts | 60 to 80 wefts |
| Perfect Locks | Wefts and sandwiches | 20 to 30 wefts | 40 to 50 wefts (40 to 60 for a typical full head) | 60+ wefts |
| Wicked Roots | 10-piece packs | 20 to 30 wefts (2 to 3 packs) | 40 to 60 wefts (4 to 6 packs, for length) | 60 to 80 wefts (6 to 8 packs, for length) |
| Cliphair | Grams, 2.5g wefts | 30 to 40 wefts (75 to 100g, thin hair) | 60 to 80 wefts (150 to 200g) | 80+ wefts (200g or more) |
| Cooviphair | Sandwiches | 40 to 80 wefts (20 to 40 sandwiches) | 80 to 120 wefts (40 to 60 sandwiches) | 120 to 160 wefts (60 to 80 sandwiches) |
Each brand's own figure, converted to single wefts by us: sandwiches doubled, packs multiplied by the brand's stated pack size, grams divided by the brand's stated weft weight. Read 28 September 2026. These are the brands' numbers, not ours.
Look down the medium column. The same head is 30 wefts on one site and 120 on another. Cooviphair counts in sandwiches and never says a sandwich is two pieces. Cliphair counts in grams that assume its own 2.5g wefts. Wicked Roots sells 10-piece packs, which it describes as five double-sided extensions.
Pieces, sandwiches, packs and grams: what's the difference?
A piece is one tape-in weft, a strip of hair with one adhesive tab. A sandwich is two pieces pressed together around a thin section of your own hair. A pack is whatever the brand puts in the bag, commonly 10, 20 or 40 pieces. Grams measure weight, which depends on each weft: Bellami sells both 2.5g and 5g wefts.
- Piece, weft or panel: one strip of hair, one tab. The only unit that means the same thing everywhere.
- Sandwich: two pieces, tab to tab, with your hair between them. Always half the piece count.
- Pack: a retail bag. Cliphair's regular pack is 40 wefts, Bellami Classic is 20, Bellami Deluxe and Wicked Roots are 10.
- Grams: total weight. Bellami Classic and Deluxe packs both weigh 50g, but one holds 20 wefts and the other holds 10.
That last point catches buyers out. Two 50g packs can put 20 sandwiches in your head or 10. Same weight, half the attachment points. Put any figure into wefts before you compare.
| Wefts (pieces) | Sandwiches | Tabs | Grams at 2.5g a weft | Grams at 5g a weft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 5 | 10 | 25g | 50g |
| 20 | 10 | 20 | 50g | 100g |
| 30 | 15 | 30 | 75g | 150g |
| 40 | 20 | 40 | 100g | 200g |
| 60 | 30 | 60 | 150g | 300g |
| 80 | 40 | 80 | 200g | 400g |
Arithmetic only. 2.5g is the weft weight Cliphair and Bellami Classic publish; 5g is Bellami Deluxe. Check the weight on your own pack, since other brands differ.
Is 20 pieces of tape-ins enough?
Twenty tape-in pieces is ten sandwiches. Every published range puts that at the volume end: Big Kizzy calls 10 to 20 pieces a volume install, and Perfect Locks gives 20 to 30 wefts for volume and subtle length on fine hair. Twenty pieces can thicken your current length. It is at the bottom of every range for adding length.
Ten sandwiches is ten points of attachment. Across the back, that fills in thin ends at your own length. Stretch the same ten to add several inches and the ends read as see-through where your own hair stops. Check what the listing means by piece, too: a "20 piece" pack is usually 20 single wefts, but a seller counting sandwiches means 40. For what 20 pieces can do at your current length, see tape-ins for volume without length.
How many grams of tape-ins do you need, and is 100g enough?
Grams mean nothing until you know each weft's weight. 100g of tape-in extensions is 40 wefts at 2.5g, but only 20 wefts at 5g. Cliphair publishes 150 to 200g as a full head and 100g as enough for volume. Big Kizzy calls 100 to 150g about half a head. Check the weft weight on the pack first.
Those two brands disagree on the same 150g: a full head at Cliphair, half a head at Big Kizzy. Hair Rehab London assumes about 25g a pack and gives no weft weight, so its gram ranges can't be turned into a piece count at all.
Grams also say nothing about length. A thread on r/Hair asked whether two 50g packs of 18-inch tape-ins would be enough on fine, thin hair. The first reply wasn't about weight at all. It said blending would be hard because her own hair was so bottom heavy. Past a certain point, the shape of your own hair and the cut decide how 100g looks.
How many grams for thin hair?
Cliphair publishes 75 to 100g for thin hair adding two to three inches. Hair Rehab London publishes 60 to 100g for fine hair. On thin hair the total is the wrong number to watch. What your hair feels is the weight each sandwich hangs off one small section. Whether tape-ins suit your hair at all is covered in hair extensions for thin hair.
How many packs of tape-ins should you buy?
Divide the wefts you need by the pieces in that brand's tape-in pack, then round up. Packs aren't a standard unit: 10, 20 and 40-piece packs are all common, and some sellers count packs in sandwiches. The same 40-weft head is four packs from one brand and a single pack from another.
| Wefts you need | 10-piece packs | 20-piece packs | 40-piece packs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 2 | 1 | 1 (20 spare) |
| 40 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 60 | 6 | 3 | 2 (20 spare) |
| 80 | 8 | 4 | 2 |
| 120 | 12 | 6 | 3 |
Arithmetic only. Confirm whether the listing counts pieces or sandwiches before you use this table.
Brand pack advice is written around the brand's own bag. Wicked Roots' "four to six packs" assumes 10 pieces a pack. Hair Rehab's "three to four" assumes about 25g. Take the weft count to another brand, never the pack count.
How to count your own head before you buy
Before counting tape-in extensions, check three things: your density, from ponytail thickness and how much scalp shows at the part; the length you want against the length you have; and how you wear your hair. Then find your row in the published ranges, start at the low end, and confirm the number with a stylist.
- Judge your densityPull your hair into a ponytail at the nape and judge its thickness. Then part your hair in daylight and see how much scalp shows.
- Measure the length jumpMeasure from the nape to where your own ends stop, then decide how long you want to go. The bigger the jump, the higher your count sits in its range, because the new length has to hide where your hair ends.
- Pick your goalVolume at your current length, length and volume, or a full length change. Read that column in the full-head table, converted to wefts.
- Write the number in weftsTake the low end of your range, in single wefts, to your consultation. Convert to packs only once you've chosen a brand.
Fine, thin or just sparse at the ends?
- Fine: each strand is narrow. You may still have plenty of them.
- Thin: fewer strands overall. The part shows more scalp and the ponytail is small.
- Sparse at the ends: full at the roots, wispy at the bottom. Length is the hard part, and the blend cut matters more than the count.
A poster on r/weddingplanning described her hair as thin but plentiful, and needed three packs to look natural. Count by how much hair you have, not how each strand feels.
In the chair
A stylist counts at the consultation, with the hair sectioned and the length measured, and writes it on your record. Keep that number. It is your tab count at every move-up after.
At home
Start at the low end. You can add sandwiches at the first move-up. Taking weight off hair that is already struggling is the harder fix. The placement map shows where each row goes.
Stop signal
Soreness or a pulling feeling at one bond means that section is carrying too much weight. Don't wait for the move-up. Have it looked at by a stylist.
What changes the number?
Head size, the jump in length, your own layers and how you wear your hair all move a tape-in count. Bigger length jumps need more wefts to avoid see-through ends. Layered cuts need coverage where the layers stop. People who wear their hair up lose perimeter spots, so they fit fewer wefts.
| Factor | Moves the count | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A big length jump | Up | More new hair has to hang past your ends before it stops looking see-through |
| A larger head | Up | More rows, and more sandwiches per row |
| Layers in your cut | Up | Wefts are needed where each layer ends, or the ends look stepped |
| Wearing your hair up | Down | Perimeter spots near the hairline and nape have to stay empty so tabs don't show |
| Short hair | Down | There's less hair to cover each tab, so fewer rows fit |
| Fine or thin hair | Down per section | Each section can carry less, so the count is often lower than the length you want suggests |
Direction only. How far each factor moves the count is a judgement for your stylist.
Short hair is its own case, because the hair above each tab has to be long enough to fall over it. Our page on tape-in extensions on short hair covers the published minimums and where the rows go.
When more hair is the wrong answer
More tape-in wefts means more weight on your own hair. On fine or thin hair the honest count is often lower than you hoped, and sometimes tape-ins aren't the right method. Sections made too thick to hit a number cause slipping and tension, which is how traction damage starts. This is not medical advice.
The mistake to watch for is hitting a count by making the sections bigger. A thicker section doesn't share the load better. It sits proud, catches on the brush, and slips. Our placement guide covers sections too thick to carry the weight.
The American Academy of Dermatology warns that hairstyles which pull can cause hair loss, and advises removing extensions that cause pain or irritate the scalp. Its early signs are broken hairs around the forehead, a receding hairline and patches where hair is pulled tight. See a stylist, and a dermatologist for new or sudden shedding.
How many tabs do you need at every move-up?
One tab per tape-in weft, every six to eight weeks. The hair comes out, gets cleaned and goes back in, but the tape doesn't, so a 40-weft head takes 40 fresh tabs every move-up. Our Replacement Tape Tabs are 60 tabs, 30 sandwiches, for $45, which is $0.75 a tab.
| Wefts in your head | Tabs per move-up | 60-tab packs to buy | Tab cost used, at $0.75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 20 | 1 (40 left over) | $15 |
| 40 | 40 | 1 (20 left over) | $30 |
| 60 | 60 | 1 | $45 |
| 80 | 80 | 2 (40 left over) | $60 |
| 120 | 120 | 2 | $90 |
Arithmetic from the $45 price and 60 tabs a pack. Leftover tabs carry to the next move-up, and a few spare are useful for a torn tab.
The weft count sets a cost that comes back every six to eight weeks. A 60-tab pack covers a 60-weft install once. For how a pack stretches across several cycles, see tape tabs by the cycle.
Your wefts don't have to be ours. Vanity tabs re-tape any brand's double-sided wefts, and Jaci Finch has done it with Bellami, Hairtalk and Babe hair. Our remover is built for Vanity tape and underperforms on another brand's adhesive, so expect the first removal of factory tape to be the slow one. The full answer is on our compatibility page, and whether a weft is worth another cycle is on can you reuse tape-in extensions.
Count your wefts once and you know every reorder. Replacement Tape Tabs hold for six to eight weeks, in ten years of daily use in our salon, and release cleanly with The Clean Remover at the move-up.
What this guide is based on
Written under the byline of Jaci Finch, licensed cosmetologist in Utah with 21 years behind the chair. We sell no hair and publish no weft or gram count of our own on this page. Every range quoted is the named brand's published figure, read on 28 September 2026. Converting those figures into single wefts, and the pack and tab tables, is our arithmetic, and each table says how it was worked out.
Questions we get asked
How many tape in extensions do I need for my hair?
Published ranges run from about 30 to 60 wefts for an average full head (Big Kizzy, Perfect Locks) up to 80 to 120 (Cooviphair, counting sandwiches). Convert every figure to single wefts, place yourself by density and goal, and start at the low end.
Is a sandwich the same as a piece?
No. A sandwich is two pieces pressed together around a section of your hair. Twenty sandwiches is 40 pieces.
Is 100g of hair enough?
It depends on the weft weight. 100g is 40 wefts at 2.5g and 20 wefts at 5g. Cliphair calls 100g enough for volume and puts a full head at 150 to 200g.
How many tape-ins for volume only?
Big Kizzy publishes 10 to 20 pieces for volume, Perfect Locks 20 to 30 wefts, and Cooviphair 20 to 30 sandwiches, which is 40 to 60 wefts.
How many times can you use the same tape in extensions?
The hair can go back in at several move-ups while the weft base stays intact. The tab is used once. Every move-up needs a fresh tab on every weft.
How many tabs do I need to re-tape my extensions?
One per weft. A 40-weft head takes 40 tabs each move-up. Keep a few spare for a torn tab.
Does a 60-tab pack cover a full head?
A 60-tab pack covers a 60-weft install, once. Whether that's your full head depends on your count. Published full-head figures run from well under 60 wefts to well over it.
Can I wash my hair 24 hours after getting tape in extensions?
Yes. Our washing guide says wait 24 hours after tape-ins are installed or re-tabbed, then wash normally. If you're wearing another brand's tape, follow your installer's instructions.
Sources
Every price, specification and claim about another brand on this page traces to one of the references below. Each was read on the date shown. Where a figure could not be verified from a primary source we've left it out rather than estimated it.
- Cliphair: how many grams of tape hair extensions do I need 2.5g per tape weft; 40-weft 100g regular packs, 20-weft 50g packs on some lines; 150 to 200g full head; 100g for volume; 75 to 100g for thin hair adding 2 to 3 inches; 200g or more for thick hair Accessed 2026-09-28
- Big Kizzy: how many tape in extensions do I need 10 to 20 pieces for volume; 30 to 40 pieces for a full head; 60 to 80 pieces for thick hair; 50g a quarter head; 100 to 150g about half a head Accessed 2026-09-28
- Cooviphair: how many tape in extensions do I need Counts in sandwiches: 20 to 40 thin, 40 to 60 medium, 60 to 80 thick; 20 to 30 for volume Accessed 2026-09-28
- Perfect Locks: tape-in hair extensions guide 20 to 30 wefts for fine hair; 40 to 50 wefts for medium density; 40 to 60 wefts (20 to 30 sandwiches) for a typical full head; 60+ wefts for thick hair Accessed 2026-09-28
- Wicked Roots: how many tape in extensions do I need 10 pieces per pack (5 double-sided); pack counts for volume and for length by hair type Accessed 2026-09-28
- Hair Rehab London: how many packs of tape hair extensions for a full head About 25g a pack assumed; 60 to 100g for fine hair; pack counts tied to that pack weight Accessed 2026-09-28
- Bellami: tape-in specifications Classic 2.5g a piece, 20 a pack; Deluxe 5g a piece, 10 a pack; both 50g packs Accessed 2026-09-28
- r/Hair: would 100g of tape in hair extensions be enough? Fine, thin hair with two 50g packs of 18-inch hair; the first reply says blending will be hard because the poster's natural hair is so bottom heavy Accessed 2026-09-24
- r/weddingplanning: trying tape-in extensions before the wedding Thin hair, but a lot of it, needed three packs to look natural Accessed 2026-09-24
- American Academy of Dermatology: hairstyles that pull can lead to hair loss Remove extensions that cause pain or scalp irritation; early signs of traction hair loss Accessed 2026-09-28
About the brands mentioned. We aren't affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any other company named on this page, and we earn no commission on anything we link to. Product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Prices, specifications and formulations are those published by each manufacturer at the time of writing and change without notice, check the current listing before you buy. Where we rank a competitor above our own product we mean it, and where we rank ours first we say which criterion produced that result so you can reject it. Reviews and comparisons here reflect our own experience behind the chair plus published information; they aren't laboratory tests unless a page says so explicitly. Nothing here is medical advice. If you believe we have described your product unfairly or inaccurately, email info@vanityhairsolutions.com and we will correct it. Last reviewed 2026-09-28.