Black belts are standard uniform components of several branches of the Armed Forces of the United States of America, as well as the Coast Guard Auxiliary, USPHS Commissioned Corps (USPHSCC), National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Maritime Service/Merchant Marine (USMM), but the regulations regarding the authorized design varies slightly from service to service.
To help you choose a belt that meets your service’s requirements, we’ve included drop-down boxes to allow you to designate your gender (Male belts are 1.25” wide, Female belts are 1”), the finish on the belt’s tip, the type of material used to construct the belt, belt length, and whether or not you need a buckle or just a replacement belt. Navy regulations specifically state that the fabric of cloth belts must match the fabric of the uniform with which they are worn.
Army regulations, for instance call for a brass (gold-colored) tip, while the Navy specifies gold-colored tips for Officers and CPOs and silver tips for Petty Officers and non-rated. The Coast Guard specifies only one width (1.25”) and a brass-colored clip, while the Coast Guard Auxiliary uniform manual simply calls for a “black web belt with a silver buckle and tip.” The USPHSCC, NOAA, and USMM all follow Navy regulations.