35 Bold Chest Tattoos for Men

Chest tattoos for men tend to be large and bold. In fact, most chest tattoos are this way as people really like to take advantage of that skin real estate. You might be looking for some chest tattoo ideas or unique designs to inspire your very own ink. We wanted to discover the best trends today so we took a look at a variety of hashtags on recent social media posts to discover the hottest ink ideas for today.

That means you will finish this list with a better understanding of what new chest tattoos for men are moving the needle (pun intended) and, hopefully, you will walk away with an idea or two to present to your trusted tattoo artist. Check them out below.

Take a Look At These Amazing Chest Tattoos for Men!

Shattered Glass

Here’s one of the most interesting chest tattoos for men we came across while researching this style of tattoo. We think the broken glass look will appeal to a lot of guys looking for something unconventional.

Front & Center

Placement is a huge consideration when it comes to chest tattoos for men. Choosing something that sits right in the center of your chest looks best on guys with more slender builds.

Tiger, Tiger

We find some tigers and newly inked olive branches coming together around a central eye design. You too can complete a chestpiece one element at a time. Most guys prefer designs that sit on the top of the chest like this.

A Whole Pec

Perhaps you’ve got something a little larger in mind. Another popular placement for chest tattoos for men is to choose one pec and decorate the hell out of it. We find a cool geometric pattern here in the shape of this person’s pec to accentuate the body’s natural shape.

Bear Chest

We find a bear chest (get it?) here decorated with some neotraditional roses. The colorful ink applied for this chest tattoo looks truly incredible. You could do something similar if you’ve got nerves of steel and several hours to devote to the project.

Snake & Rose

If you’re on the slim side, these smaller designs will look best for your body type. Snakes are an extremely popular subject matter of chest tattoos for men. This one looks mysterious.

Shape

We’ve touched on the placement of chest tattoos for men but let’s also discuss shape. For most guys, a triangular overall shape or even a heart shape is going to look best across the entire chest. Notice how this one makes this person’s shoulders wider while pulling your eye to the center of the design? Most people are after that.

A Rooster

Here’s a delicately tattooed rooster that sits a little higher on the chest but still mimics the curved shape of this pec muscle. We think it’s a winning look.

Broken Mandala

Here’s an intricate mandala-inspired tattoo that features a crisp rose at the center. You don’t have to choose tons of colors to get a visually interesting tattoo.

Wrapped

We very much like the look of chest tattoos for men that seem to come up and around the shoulder, landing on the chest. This awesome botanical element would be welcome on many plant-loving bodies.

Go for the Drama

Choosing an intense scene for your tattoo will make the design read tough and even a bit menacing. With its contrasting, rich black ink, this design proves to be evocative.

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The dharmachakra or wheel of dharma is a widespread symbol used in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, and especially Buddhism. The shape has been used to decorate Buddhist temples for centuries. If your body is the temple, this feels appropriate.

Soaring

A popular design feature of chest tattoos for men is found behind the eagle tattoo above. The red circle fits neatly in the center of the chest which offers symmetry and balance to the design.

Metal Butterfly

Butterflies make for excellent chest tattoos for men. We like the choice of this classic design done in black ink.

Snoop

What do you think Snoop Dogg would say if he caught a glimpse of this tattoo? We’re almost certain he’d be impressed as his likeness is found to an undeniable degree. Portrait tattoos are always an option, just find yourself an artist you trust.

Lower Placement

This eye tattoo is very clean and well done. It looks with this placement, but we need to warn you about tattoos that sit lower than the nipples. You do not want any sort of design that seems to cup your pecs or it can make your chest appear more feminine like you’re wearing a corset.

Clean Snake

Simple, clean, black-line designs are always going to deliver. We find this handsome snake tattoo on the upper chest looking very understated.

Text

Original letter work can be requested from some tattoo artists. The placement across the collar like this is one of the most popular designs of chest tattoos for men. We’ll see at least one more example on this list.

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Triangle

Remember how we mentioned that triangle shape being a stellar one for chest tattoos? Here’s another example with a mysterious image contained inside of its lines.

A Proper Chestpiece

We find this tattoo on an adventurer, no doubt. Compasses, maps, treasure, and the architectural elements commonly found on ships are all featured in this full chestpiece tattoo.

Just Don’t Do It

Would you get a brand’s logo tattooed on your body? We think it’s actually really funny but we don’t know that we’d recommend it. This smaller design or something in the same size is going to work out well for many folks.

Smoky

Check out this amazing smoke effect. The ink has been applied in such a light manner that the entire design looks ethereal and haunting. Style is everything when it comes to these big chest tattoos for men.

Memorial Tattoos

If you’d like to tribute a loved one, a great way to do so is with a memorial tattoo that will remind you of someone you’ve lost every time you see it. A neatly tattooed important date is one option.

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A rat king is a collection of rats whose tails are intertwined and bound together. The phenomenon is well-documented in Germany. It makes for a slightly unsettling design, but we wanted to point out how great a round shape over the pec is for chest tattoos.

Floral

We’re big fans of floral, decorative tattoos. You can request flower “filler” in-between two other tattoos to help add cohesion. Or, you can do as this person has done and just showcased a very smart-looking rose tattoo.

Turn Up the Color

Most chest tattoos for men are finished only using black and grey ink, but not all of them! Here’s a neo-traditional design that incorporates Japanese elements in a winning fashion. If you can find an artist who can do something similar, tip them well and keep them close.

Geometric

If you feel a certain design looks too soft, you can add visual interest by asking for it to be done in these blocky sorts of shapes reminiscent of Marcel Duchamp’s famous modern paintings.

Praying Mantis

Love a certain bug or animal? Celebrate the beauty of that creature with a big chest tattoo!

Taurus Season

This bull tattoo looks handsome enough, but you will find a constellation hidden inside the shading of the animal’s face on closer inspection. Is it Taurus season already?

Coming At Ya

Here’s that triangular shape again! This is one superior owl tattoo. We saw several while researching chest tattoos for men for this list. This example is by far one of the best out there.

Compass

See how perfectly this compass design fits, centered in the natural shape of the body? Another notable feature of this great tattoo is the subtle use of color and shading.

More Text

Here’s another example of custom font being applied across the chest. We recommend placing your own a touch higher on your chest than this, but the lettering is handsome.

Really Go For It

Chest tattoos for men can extend all the way down to the belly button or stretch over the shoulders. You get to decide. We find this amazing black and grey design to be so perfectly balanced that it mesmerizes.

Old Tattoos, New Tricks

Here we find two swallow tattoos sitting underneath the collar bones. It’s one of the most classic designs and placements of all time. However, these swallows are completely modernized with thicker lines and bolder color choices. A really well-executed and creative design!

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Traditional Never Goes Out of Style

You might be looking for chest tattoos for men that are timeless yet still very fresh. Traditional tattoos like lady’s faces have been around and popular for decades. The placement of this one is particularly smart for its shape. You’d be wise to get something similar.

There you go, guys! We hope you enjoyed these chest tattoos for men and got some excellent chest tattoo ideas for your next ink session. Tattoos are a form of self-expression so make sure to create original designs that only you have the pleasure of having. A good tattoo artist will love to work with you on your next ink project.