New Delhi, May 16: A five-year research by Sudhakar Krishnamurti might help the country’s condom-makers tailor their product closer to Indian needs.

The Hyderabad-based scientist has measured the erect penile dimensions of 200 Indian men — 20 each from 10 regional, ethnic and linguistic groups — and arrived at the first average figures for India.

The average length is 14cm and the average circumference 12.3cm, according to his research, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

“For condom manufacturers, the circumference is more important than the length,” Krishnamurti said. “Such a study could provide valuable guidance to manufacturers in India.” he told The Telegraph.

Krishnamurti, an andrologist (one who studies the problems of the male reproductive system), said race is known to influence penis size.

“You can’t expect a six-foot-tall Scandinavian and a four-foot-tall Korean to have the same size. The size difference is consistent with differences in other parts of the body,” he said.

In the study, Krishnamurti and his colleagues at the Andromeda Andrology Centre, Hyderabad, examined the sizes of people from all parts of India, excluding patients with significant obesity.

They induced an erection through an injection and — measured. They found a minimum length of 9.6cm and a maximum of 16.6cm. The minimum circumference was 10.2cm and the maximum 14.7cm.

“Our experience is that Indians usually complain about loose condoms; complaints about tight ones are rare,” Krishnamurti said.

The average length that the Hyderabad team has calculated is not too different from figures from international results. Three previous studies in the West had come up with averages of 15.5cm, 14.5cm and 12.9cm.