A snapped or badly bent temple arm feels like the end of a good pair of glasses, but replacing the temple arms on your sunglasses or eyeglasses is a five-minute repair with one tiny screwdriver — and on some frames, no tools at all. Here is how to identify your hinge type, measure the length you need and fit the new arms without drama.
First, identify your hinge type
Screw hinge
The classic design and by far the most common: two sets of interlocking metal barrels — one on the frame front, one on the arm — joined by a single small screw. Almost every acetate and metal frame uses it, including the majority of Ray-Ban models. If you can see a small screw head at the hinge, this is you, and the swap is as simple as repairs get.
Spring hinge
Also called a flex hinge: a small spring-loaded box inside the arm lets the temple flex outward beyond ninety degrees and snap back snug against your head. Very common on eyeglasses and comfort-fit frames. The replacement steps are the same, but the barrel sits under spring tension, which makes alignment slightly fiddlier — we cover the trick below.
Screwless snap hinges
Some sport frames skip the screw entirely: the arm clips onto a moulded pin and pops off with firm, steady pressure. If you see barrels but no screw head, pull the arm gently away from the frame at full opening — it should unclip.
Measure your temple length — the last number in the frame code
Look at the printed code inside one of your existing arms, for example RB2140 50□22 150. The final number — here 150 — is the temple length in millimetres, measured from the hinge to the tip. Adult frames typically run 135 to 150 mm, with 140 and 145 the most common. If the printing has worn off, measure your old arm along its length with a ruler, following the bend. Match the length within a couple of millimetres, and note the shape of the ear-piece drop while you are at it. If the rest of the code is a mystery, our guide to finding your sunglasses model number decodes every digit.
Match the material, colour and hinge
Arms need to match the frame in three ways. Material: glossy acetate arms suit acetate fronts, matte injected nylon suits sport frames, and metal fronts usually take slim metal arms with acetate tips. Colour: solid black is easy; tortoise and patterned finishes vary between production runs, so compare photos closely before ordering. Hinge: count the barrels at the frame-front side (usually three, five or seven interleaving lugs) and make sure the replacement matches, or the screw channel will never line up. Our compatible replacement temple arms are listed by model and length to take the guesswork out.
What you’ll need
- A precision screwdriver set (flat-head and cross-head, sizes #00–#000)
- Your new compatible arms in the correct length
- A microfiber cloth to work over
- A small dish or magnet for the screws — they vanish otherwise
- Good, direct light
Step-by-step: swapping the arms
- Set up over the cloth. Hinge screws that escape onto a hard floor are rarely seen again.
- Open the arm halfway so the hinge screw sits square to you, and choose the screwdriver that fills the screw slot completely.
- Press down firmly and turn counter-clockwise. Downward pressure matters more than force — it stops the driver camming out and chewing the slot. Unscrew fully and park the screw in your dish.
- Slide the old arm free of the frame-front barrels.
- Offer up the new arm, interleaving its barrels with the frame’s until the screw channel lines up perfectly. Sight through the channel — you should see clear daylight.
- Insert the screw and snug it down. Firm, not forced: overtightening strips the thread or makes the hinge stiff.
- Test the action. Fold and open several times; the arm should move smoothly and hold its position without wobble.
- Repeat on the other side if you are replacing the pair — matched arms age evenly and keep the fit symmetrical.
The spring-hinge trick: hold the arm slightly open so the spring-loaded barrel extends and lines up with the frame barrels, then start the screw while the tension holds everything in place. It can take two or three tries — that is the hinge, not you. Patience beats force every time.
Five minutes and they fit like day one
A broken arm is a part, not a verdict. Fit new replacement temple arms, and while the screwdriver is out, check whether your lenses deserve refreshing too — our full range of compatible replacement lenses installs just as easily. Free worldwide shipping on every order, a 3-year warranty against manufacturing defects and 14-day returns. SunglassRevivers parts are independently manufactured compatible replacements; they are not products of Ray-Ban®, Oakley® or any frame brand, whose names appear here only as compatibility references. Don’t replace your glasses. Revive them.