How to Measure Your Body for Clothing

The size names the body, not the clothes

Because the label describes the body, a DE 38, an FR 40 and an IT 44 can all fit the same person, and none is wrong. EN 13402 is a voluntary standard, so brands and countries keep their own numbering on top of the shared body measurements. The useful consequence is that your body measurements in centimetres are stable, while the size number is not, so measure once in centimetres and convert from there rather than trusting a remembered size.

Turn a tape reading into a size

European sizes come from the body measurement by a simple rule, which lets you find your size with a tape alone. In the German system a men's size is the chest in centimetres divided by two, so a 96 cm chest is a size 48. A women's size is the bust in centimetres divided by two minus six, so an 88 cm bust is a size 38. The subtraction for women is why the same 88 cm reads as a men's 44 and a women's 38. These give the EU number; for the exact US, UK and international equivalents, use the women's and men's charts, which convert from the same measurements.

Bust, waist and hip rarely give one size

Bodies are not graded the way charts are, so your three measurements often point to three different sizes. A fitted top is set by the bust or chest, a dress or skirt by the hip, and trousers by the waist and hip together. When the numbers disagree, size to the largest measurement and have the rest taken in, since letting a seam out is harder than bringing it in. This is normal, not a sign of an odd figure: the chart assumes a fixed ratio between measurements that few bodies match exactly.

Why numbers drift between brands and decades

Even within one country the number moves. National body surveys have found average measurements shifting over time, and manufacturers have relabelled the same body with smaller numbers, so a size from an old chart and a new one are not the same garment. The body measurement in centimetres is the constant; the label is not. When a brand gives a size chart in centimetres, trust that over the letter or number on the tag.

How the letter sizes overlap

International letter sizes, XS through XXL, each cover more than one numeric size, so a single M can span two bust or chest measurements depending on where a brand splits the range. This is why a letter size fits less predictably than a centimetre measurement, and why the same M varies between labels. Read the brand's centimetre range for the letter, not the letter alone.

Frequently asked questions

Does my clothing size describe the garment or my body?

Your body. EN 13402-3 lists body measurements and states that garment dimensions are not part of the standard, which is why cut varies while the size stays the same.

How do I convert my chest measurement to a size?

In the German system a men's size is the chest in centimetres divided by two, so 96 cm is a 48. A women's size is the bust divided by two minus six, so 88 cm is a 38.

My bust, waist and hip give different sizes. Which do I use?

Size to the largest, then have the rest taken in. A fitted top follows the bust, a dress the hip, and trousers the waist.

Why is the same size different between brands?

Sizes name the body, not the garment, and no numbering is mandatory, so brands cut and label differently. Compare centimetre charts, not the number.

Why does a medium fit differently everywhere?

Letter sizes each cover two numeric sizes, and brands split the range differently, so an M can mean two different measurements. Read the centimetre range behind the letter.