How to Read Clothing Size Charts Correctly

A clothing size chart is a table of numbers that only helps once you know what those numbers describe. Some charts list body measurements, meaning the size of the person the garment is meant to fit. Others list garment measurements, meaning the flat dimensions of the piece itself. Mixing the two up is the most common reason an order arrives the wrong size. This guide shows how to tell them apart, how to measure yourself accurately, how US, UK and EU sizes relate, and what to do when you fall between sizes.

It is a companion to our broader online clothing sizing guide, which covers the whole buying process; this article focuses on the chart itself.

Body measurements versus garment measurements

Look at the heading of the chart or the note beneath it. Two formats exist:

• Body measurements. The chart says something like “fits bust 34 to 36 inches”. The garment includes built-in ease, so its own dimensions are larger than these numbers. Choose the row that matches your measurements.
• Garment measurements. The chart lists dimensions taken across the flat garment, such as “chest 21 inches pit to pit”. Double the flat width to compare it with a circumference (21 inches flat means about 42 inches around). You must subtract your own body size to learn how much ease you will have.

Garment charts are more precise and are the ones to prefer when available. If the chart does not state which type it is, look at the numbers: if a “medium” chest reads about 21, it is flat and garment-based; if it reads about 38, it is a body measurement.

How to measure yourself accurately

Use a flexible tape, stand naturally and measure over light clothing. Do not pull the tape tight, and check that it stays level all the way around.

• Bust or chest: around the fullest part, with the tape running under the arms and across the shoulder blades. Women should wear an unpadded or lightly lined bra.
• Waist: at your natural waist, the narrowest point, not where trousers sit.
• Hips: around the fullest part of the seat, with feet together.
• Shoulder: across the back, from the end of one shoulder to the end of the other.
• Sleeve: from the shoulder point along a slightly bent arm to the wrist bone.
• Inseam: the inside leg from the crotch to the ankle. It is easier to measure a pair of trousers you already own than your leg directly.
• Neck: around the base of the neck, leaving room for one finger.
• Rise: from the crotch seam to the top of the waistband on a pair of trousers that fit.

Measure twice, ideally at the end of the day rather than the start, and ask a friend to help with your back and shoulders, since it is hard to read a tape you are holding behind you.

Why a tape measure and not “I’m a medium”

Letter sizes are labels, not measurements. A brand’s medium might have a chest of 38 inches while another’s is 40. The letter also depends on the garment type: a medium tee and a medium jacket are cut to different amounts of ease. Only the chart in front of you, matched with your numbers, tells you what you need.

How US, UK and EU sizes relate

National size systems are not identical, and they are not universal either. These are common conversions, but treat them as guidelines and always trust a retailer’s own chart:

• Women’s clothing. A US size 4 typically corresponds to a UK 8 and an EU 36. UK sizes are commonly 4 higher than US sizes, and EU sizes are commonly 28 higher than UK sizes.
• Men’s suits and jackets. US and UK sizes are usually the chest circumference in inches, for example 40, followed by a length letter (short, regular or long). EU sizes are roughly 10 higher than the US number, so a 40 is around a 50.
• Men’s shirts. Sold by neck size in inches in the US and UK, so 15.5, or in centimetres in many European brands, so 39 or 40. One inch is about 2.5 centimetres.
• Trousers and jeans. Waist and inseam are usually given in inches (32 x 32), though European brands may use centimetres or their own numbers.

Two extra warnings. Some fashion brands use “vanity sizing”, labelling a garment with a smaller number than its measurements suggest, so a number that once fitted you may not fit a different brand. And Asian sizing tends to be smaller in cut, which means many people size up for those labels.

Reading a chart row by row: an example

Suppose a blazer chart shows garment measurements for “Medium”: shoulder 17.5, chest 22 (flat), sleeve 25 and length 29. To translate that, double the chest to 44 inches around. If your own chest is 38, you have about 6 inches of ease, which is comfortable for a jacket worn over a shirt. If you want a closer, more tailored look and typically like about 3 to 4 inches of ease, look at a smaller size. For the shoulder, compare against your own shoulder width or a jacket you own. If the chart says 17.5 and your best-fitting jacket measures 17, that is a tiny difference. If your best jacket is 16, the chart size is too broad for you, however well the chest works.

What to do when you are between sizes

1. Decide which measurement matters most for that garment: shoulders for jackets, bust or hip for dresses, hip for trousers, neck for shirts.
2. Size for the measurement that is hardest to alter, and get the rest tailored.
3. Check the fabric. A stretch blend can go smaller, and a stiff woven fabric cannot.
4. Read the item description for cut. A slim cut suggests sizing up, and a relaxed cut suggests sizing down.
5. If still unsure and the return terms allow it, order the size that suits your priority measurement and decide after trying on.

How stretch changes the chart

A chart gives numbers for a garment at rest, and stretch affects how you use them. Fabrics with a couple of percent of elastane can accommodate an inch or two more than a rigid fabric of the same measurements, and knits stretch more than wovens. Look at the fabric composition before you look at the chart, and check the product page rather than assuming; our explanation of what cotton, wool and elastane percentages mean is helpful. As a rule of thumb, stretch helps with circumference measurements like bust and waist but does little for length, shoulder width or sleeve length, so those numbers should match closely.

Chart mistakes that lead to returns

• Comparing your body to a garment chart, as if the numbers were the same thing.
• Measuring yourself over bulky clothing.
• Ignoring length and sleeve, and choosing only by chest.
• Assuming that two brands’ medium sizes are equal.
• Forgetting to account for a layer, such as a jacket over a shirt.
• Reading a chart for a different product; a T-shirt chart will not describe a jacket.

For a jacket-specific look, our suit jacket fit guide explains how to check shoulders and chest once the garment arrives. Delivery and return details are on the shipping and returns page, and the 30-day window for eligible unworn items with tags gives you room to test the numbers.

FAQ: Clothing size charts

Should I use the chart or the size the model wears?

Use the chart. The model’s size is a reference for how the cut looks on one body. Your own numbers, compared with the measurements listed, are far more reliable.

What does “pit to pit” mean?

It is the width of a garment measured flat from one armpit seam to the other. Double it to get the circumference and compare it with your chest measurement plus the ease you want.

How much ease should I allow?

It depends on the garment. A fitted knit may need almost none, a shirt often has three to four inches, and a jacket worn over layers has more. Measure something you already own and love to calibrate.

Do UK and US sizes match for men’s clothing?

Often for suits and jackets, where both use chest inches, but not always for trousers, shirts or shoes. Check the specific chart, and convert only as a fallback.

With your numbers in hand, browse the ADDMPS shop and compare each product’s measurements before you choose a size.

Edited by the ADDMPS Style Team.