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Foxes are smaller than most people expect: about the size of a small - medium dog. The weight of an average male (dog) fox is 6.5 kilograms (14 pounds). The average weight of a female (vixen) fox is 5.5 kilograms (12 ponds). Male foxes have an average body length of 67 centimeters (26 inches), and then a tail averaging 41 centimeters (16 inches) which gives a total length from nose to tail of 108 centimeters (42 inches). For a vixen, the body and tail are 63 and 39 centimeters receptively, giving a total length of 102 centimeters (40 inches) - which is just two inches smaller than the dog fox. In comparison to other similar species the red fox is relatively small. It is about half the size of a wolf, and smaller than a coyote too. The red fox is slightly bigger than the fennec fox.

In terms of localisation in Great Britain, foxes tend to get bigger the further north you go. In Scotland, for example, foxes are much bigger and heavier. Foxes in the United States, however are smaller than the British red fox.

Fox much of the summer foxes look very scruffy - their fur comes out in large clumps and they look much darker too. This is because as they loose their top winter coat hairs (called guard hairs) the base coat is revealed, which is much darker. Adult foxes moult only once each year during most of the summer. The moult starts first on the feet and then spreads upwards towards the rest of the body.

During the autumn the foxes coat starts to grow again and by October and November the coat is long and thick again. The individual hairs will now be about 5 centimeters (2 inches) long. Foxes further north will grow much longer coats - the coat of foxes that live in Alaska and Siberia are twice as long as those living in Great Britain.