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Clothing sizes

Label sizes used for garments sold off-the-shelf

Summary

Label sizes used for garments sold off-the-shelf

Examples of body measurements used for the sizing of clothes

Clothing sizes are the sizes with which garments sold off-the-shelf are labeled. Sizing systems vary based on the country and the type of garment, such as dresses, tops, skirts, and trousers. There are three approaches:

Body dimensions: The label states the range of body measurements for which the product was designed. (For example: bike helmet label stating "head girth: 56–60 cm".)
Product dimensions: The label states characteristic dimensions of the product. (For example: jeans label stating inner leg length of the jeans in centimetres or inches (not inner leg measurement of the intended wearer).)
Ad hoc sizes: The label states a size number or code with no obvious relationship to any measurement. (For example: Size 12, XL.) Children's clothes sizes are sometimes described by the age of the child, or, for infants, the weight.

Traditionally, clothes have been labelled using many different ad hoc size systems, which has resulted in varying sizing methods between different manufacturers made for different countries due to changing demographics and increasing rates of obesity, a phenomenon known as vanity sizing. This results in country-specific and vendor-specific labels incurring additional costs, and can make internet or mail order difficult. Some new standards for clothing sizes being developed are therefore based on body dimensions, such as the EN 13402 "Size designation of clothes".

History of standard clothing sizes

Before the invention of standardized clothing sizes in the early 1800s, all clothing was made to fit individuals by either tailors or makers of clothing in their homes. Then garment makers noticed that the range of human body dimensions was relatively small (for their demographic). Because of the drape and ease of the fabric, not all measurements are required to obtain a well-fitting apparel in most styles. Sizes were based on:

Horizontal torso measurements, which include the neck circumference, the shoulder width, the bustline measurements – over-bust circumference, the full bust circumference, the bust-point separation, and the under-bust (rib-cage) circumference – the natural waist circumference, the upper hip circumference and the lower hip circumference.
Vertical torso measurements, which include the back (neck-waist) length, the shoulder-waist length (not the same as the back length, due to the slope of the shoulder), the bust-shoulder length, the bust-waist length, and the two hip-waist lengths.
Sleeve measurements, which include the under-arm and over-arm lengths, the fore-arm length, the wrist circumference and the biceps circumference.

Pit-to-pit measurementPit-to-pit measurement is not a tailoring measurement, but a finished garment measure, used in the second-hand internet marketplace, generally the straight line measure across the garment, laid flat, at the bottom of the armpits.

Standards

A variety of plastic size markers commonly attached to a [[clothes hanger]] in stores to indicate an item's size.

International standards

There are several ISO standards for size designation of clothes, but most of them are being revised and replaced by one of the parts of ISO 8559 which closely resembles European Standard EN 13402:

ISO 3635:1981, Size designation of clothes: Definitions and body measurement procedure (withdrawn, replaced by ISO 8559-1)
ISO 3636:1977, Size designation of clothes: Men's and boys' outerwear garments (withdrawn, replaced by ISO 8559-2)
ISO 3637:1977, Size designation of clothes: Women's and girls' outerwear garments (withdrawn, replaced by ISO 8559-2)
ISO 3638:1977, Size designation of clothes: Infants garments (withdrawn, replaced by ISO 8559-2)
ISO 4415:1981, Size designation of clothes: Men's and boys' underwear, nightwear and shirts (withdrawn, replaced by ISO 8559-2)
ISO 4416:1981, Size designation of clothes: Women's and girls' underwear, nightwear, foundation garments and shirts (withdrawn, replaced by ISO 8559-2)
ISO 4417:1977, Size designation of clothes: Headwear (withdrawn, replaced by ISO 8559-2)
ISO 4418:1978, Size designation of clothes: Gloves (withdrawn, replaced by ISO 8559-2)
ISO 5971:1981, 2017, Size designation of clothes: Pantyhose
ISO 7070:1982, Size designation of clothes - Hosiery
ISO 8559:1989, Garment construction and anthropometric surveys: Body dimensions (withdrawn, replaced by ISO 8559-1)
- ISO 8559-1:2017, Size designation of clothes: Part 1: Anthropometric definitions for body measurement
- ISO 8559-2:2017, Size designation of clothes: Part 2: Primary and secondary dimension indicators
- ISO 8559-3:2018, Size designation of clothes: Part 3: Methodology of the creation of the body measurement tables and intervals
- ISO 8559-3:2023, Size designation of clothes: Part 4: Determination of the coverage ratios of body measurement tables
ISO/TR 10652:1991, Standard sizing systems for clothes (withdrawn)

Asian standards

Chinese standards

China

GB 1335-81
GB/T 1335.1-2008 Size designation of clothes - Men
GB/T 1335.2-2008 Size designation of clothes - Women
GB/T 1335.3-2008 Size designation of clothes - Children
GB/T 2668-2002 Sizes for coats, jackets and trousers
GB/T 14304-2002 Sizes for woolen garments

Japanese standards

Japan

JIS L 4001 (1997) Sizing systems for infants' garments
JIS L 4002 (1997) Sizing systems for boys' garments
JIS L 4003 (1997) Sizing systems for girls' garments
JIS L 4004 (1997) Sizing systems for men's garments
JIS L 4005 (1997) Sizing systems for women's garments
JIS L 4006 (1997) Sizing systems for foundation garments
JIS L 4007 (1997) Sizing systems for Hosiery and Pantyhose

Korean standards

South Korea

KS K 0050 (2009) Men's wear
KS K 0051 (2004) Women's wear
KS K 0052 Infants
KS K 0059 Headgear
KS K 0070 Brassiere
KS K 0037 Dress Shirts
KS K 0088 Socks

Thai standards

Thailand

Wacoal (1981, 1987)

Australian standards

Australia

L9 - Women's clothing - Apparel Manufacturers Association of NSW - 1959-1970
AS1344-1972, 1975, 1997 Size coding scheme for women's clothing
AS1182 - 1980 - Size coding scheme for infants and children's clothing

European standards

Europe The European Standards Organisation (CEN) produced a series of standards, prefixed with EN 13402:

EN 13402-1: Terms, definitions and body measurement procedure (2001, withdrawn and replace by ISO 8559-1:2020)
EN 13402-2: Primary and secondary dimensions (2002, withdrawn and replaced by ISO 8559-2:2020)
EN 13402-3: Size designation of clothes. Body measurements and intervals (2004, 2007, 2014, 2017)
EN 13402-4: Coding system (2006) These are intended to replace the existing national standards of the 33 member states. It is currently in common use for children's clothing, but not yet for adults. The third standard EN 13402-3 seeks to address the problem of irregular or vanity sizing through offering a SI unit based labelling system, which will also pictographically describe the dimensions a garment is designed to fit, per the ISO 3635 standard.

German standards

Germany

DOB-Verband (1983)

French standards

France

AFNOR NF G 03-001 (1977) - Human body - Vocabulary - Pictogram;
AFNOR EXP G 03-002 (1977) - Women Measures
AFNOR EXP G 03-003 (1977) - Men Measures
AFNOR EXP G 03-006 (1978) - Measures of babies and young children
AFNOR EXP G 03-007 (1977) - Size designation of clothes for men, women and children
AFNOR NF G 03-008 (1984) - Tights - Sizes - Designation - Marking

Russian standards

Russia Federation

GOST R 53230-2008 (ISO 4415-1981) Size designation of clothes. Men's and boy's underwear, nightwear and shirts

British standards

high-visibility]] jacket sold in the United Kingdom).

BS 3666:1982 Specification for size designation of women's wear
BS 6185:1982 Specification for size designation of men's wear BS 3666:1982, the standard for women's clothing, is rarely followed by manufacturers as it defines sizes in terms of hip and bust measurements only within a limited range. This has resulted in variations between manufacturers and a tendency towards vanity sizing.

Yugoslavian standards

Former Yugoslavia Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Serbia still use the JUS (F.G0.001 1979, F.G0.002 1979, F.G0.003 1979) standards developed in the former Yugoslavia. In addition to typical girth measurements clothing is also marked to identify which of 5 height bands: X-Short, Short, Medium, Tall, X-Tall, and body types: Slim, Normal, or Full, it is designed to fit.

American standards

North America

US standards

United States

CS-151-50 - Infants, Babies, Toddlers and Children's clothing
CS 215-58 - Women's Clothing (1958)
PS 36-70 - Boys Clothing (1971)
PS 42-70 – Women's Clothing (1971)
PS 45-71 - Young Men's clothing
PS 54-72 - Girls Clothing
ASTM D5585-95 (2001)
ASTM D6829-02 (2008)
ASTM D5585-11 (2011) (withdrawn, 2020)
ASTM D6240-98
ASTM D6960-04 – Women's Plus sizes (2004)

There is no mandatory clothing size or labeling standard in the US, though a series of voluntary standards have been in place since the 1930s. The US government, however, did attempt to establish a system for women's clothing in 1958 when the National Bureau of Standards published Body Measurements for the Sizing of Women's Patterns and Apparel. The guidelines were made a commercial standard and were even updated in 1970. But the guide was eventually degraded to a voluntary standard until it was abolished altogether in 1983. Private organization ASTM International started to release its own recommended size carts in the 1990s.

Since then, the common US misses sizes have not had stable dimensions. Clothing brands and manufacturers size their products according to their preferences. For example, the dimensions of two size 10 dresses from different companies, or even from the same company, may have grossly different dimensions; and both are almost certainly larger than the size 10 dimensions described in the US standard. Vanity sizing may be partly responsible for this deviation (which began in earnest in the 1980s).

Women

Comparison table

Int	US	UK	DE	FR	IT	KR	JP
XXS	XS	S	M	L	XL	XXL
0	2	4	6	8	10	12	14
4	6	8	10	12	14	16	18
30	32	34	36	38	40	42	44
32	34	36	38	40	42	44	46
36	38	40	42	44	46	48	50
44	44	55	55	66	66	77	77
		7	11	15	17	21

Inch-based women's sizes (US/UK)

British (UK) and American (US) standard dress sizes, s, are calculated by bust circumference, b, measured in inches, as follows:

US: s = b − 28
UK: s = b − 24

US	UK	Bust	Waist	Hip
4	6	8	10	12
8	10	12	14	16
32 in	34 in	36 in	38 in	40 in
81 cm	86 cm	91 cm	97 cm	102 cm
24 in	26.5 in	29 in	31 in	33 in
61 cm	67 cm	74 cm	79 cm	84 cm
35 in	37 in	39 in	41 in	43 in
89 cm	94 cm	99 cm	104 cm	109 cm

EU	US	UK
28	30	32
1	3	5
3	5	7

EU	US	UK
40	42	44
32	34	36
34	36	38

Women's jeans sizes: international conversions

Jeans Size	EU Size	INT	UK	FR	IT
23	30	XS	2	32	36
24	32	XS	4	34	38
25	32	XS	4	34	38
26	34	S	6	36	40
27	34	S	6	36	40
28	36	S	8	38	42
29	36	M	8	38	42
30	38	M	10	40	44
31	38	M	10	40	44
32	40	L	12	42	46
33	40	L	12	42	46
34	42	L	14	44	48
36	44	XL	14	46	50
38	46	XXL	16	48	52
40	48	XXL	18	50	54
42	50	3XL	20	52	56
44	52	4XL	22	54	58
46	54	4XL	24	56	60
48	56	5XL	26	58	62
50	58	6XL	28	60	64
52	60	6XL	30	62	66
54	62	7XL	32	64	68
56	64	8XL	34	66	70
58	66	8XL	36	68	72

Korean women's sizes

Dress size	Bust (cm)
3XS	XXS
70	75

Japanese women's sizes

Dress size	Bust (cm)
3	5
74	77

Modifier	Body height (cm)	Additional hip girth (cm)
PP	P	R
double-petite	petite	regular
142	150	158
0	0	2

Modifier	Additional hip girth (cm)
Y	A
0	4

Note: a Japanese dress marked 13-Y-PP or 13-Y-P would be designed for someone with an 89 cm bust and 89 cm hips, while a dress marked 13-B-T would be targeted at a taller individual with 105 cm hips, but the same 89 cm bust. The B fitting adds 12 cm and the T height modifier 4 cm to the base hip measurement 89 + 16 = 105 cm. Additionally there are a set of age based waist adjustments, such that a dress marketed at someone in their 60s may allow for a waist 9 cm larger than a dress, of the same size, marketed at someone in their 20s. The age based adjustments allow for up to a 3 cm increase in girth, per decade of life.

Continental European women's sizes

Italian (IT), French (FR) and German (DE) standard dress sizes, s, are calculated by bust circumference, b, and body height, h, both measured in centimetres, as follows:

IT: s =
FR: s = − 4 =
DE: s = − 6 =
- short, petite, h
- tall, h 170: s' = 2 × s = b − 12

French sizes are also used by Belgian manufacturers and retailers, while German sizes are also used by Austrian, Dutch and Scandinavian ones.

Short size codes	Standard size codes	Tall size codes	International	EU tops	EU bottoms	Shoulder width (cm)	Arm length (cm)	Bust (cm)	Waist (cm)	Hips (cm)	Inside leg (cm)
16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27
32	34	36	38	40	42	44	46	48	50	52	54
64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	100	104	108
XS	S	M	L	XL	XXL
76	80	84	88	92	96	100	105	110	116	122	128
60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	94	100	106	112
12	13	14
58	59	60	61	62
74–77	78–81	82–85	86–89	90–93	94–97	98–102	103–107	108–113	114–119	120–125	126–131
58–61	62–64	65–68	69–72	73–77	78–81	82–85	86–90	91–95	96–102	103–108	109–114
80–84	85–89	90–94	95–97	98–101	102–104	105–108	109–112	113–116	117–122	123–128	129–134
103	104	105	106	107	108	109	110	111	112	113	114

Men

Comparison tables

UK / EU / Japan	UK / US / AUS	url=http://www.korea4expats.com/article-men%27s_clothing_size_conversion_chart.html	title=Men's Clothing, Size Conversion Chart – South-Korea	publisher=korea4expats
36	37	38	39	40
14		15
S	M	L	LL
90	95	100	105	110
XS	S	M	L	XL

EU	UK / US	chest girth
36	37/38	39/40
XS	S	M
84 cm	92 cm	100 cm

EU	UK / US
38/40	42/44
S	M

EU / Russia	UK / US	Japan	Korea	SML
40	42	44	46	48
30	32	34	36	38
32	34	36	38	40
80	85	90	95	100
XXS	XS	S	S	M

EU	Italy	UK / US
64/68	68/72	72/76
43	44	45
27	28	29

EU	UK / US
34	36
25/26	27/28

EU	UK / US
1	2
S	M

Continental European men's sizes

French (FR) and German (DE) standard suit sizes, s, are calculated by chest circumference, b, measured in centimetres, as follows:

FR: s = + 0.5 =
DE: s = − 0.5 =
- short, stocky (kurz, untersetzt): s' = = − 0.25 =
- portly (Bauchgröße): s' = s + 1 = + 0.5 =
- tall, lean (lang, schlank): s' = 2 × (s − 1) = b − 3

French sizes are also used by Belgian manufacturers and retailers, while German sizes are also used by Austrian, Dutch and Scandinavian ones.

Standard Size Codes	Underwear	International	Chest (cm)	Waist size (cm)	Hip circumference (cm)	Height (cm)	Short / Stocky
(untersetzt)	Chest (cm)	Waist size (cm)	Hip circumference (cm)	Height (cm)	Portly
(Bauchgrößen)	Chest (cm)	Waist size (cm)	Hip circumference (cm)	Height (cm)	Tall size
(schlanke)	Chest (cm)	Waist size (cm)	Hip circumference (cm)	Height (cm)
44	46	48	50	52	54	56	58	60	62	64	66	68	70	72	74
4	5	6	7	8
XXS	XS	S	M	L	XL	XXL	3XL	4XL	5XL	6XL	7XL
86–89	90–93	94–97	98–101	102–105	106–109	110–113	114–117	118–121	122–125	126-128	129-132	133-136	137-140	141-144	145-148
74–77	78–81	82–85	86–89	90–94	95–99	100–104	105–109	110–114	115–119	120-124	125-128	129-132	133-134	135-138	139-142
90–93	94–97	98–101	102–105	106–109	110–113	114–117	118–121	122–125	126–129
166–170	168–173	171–176	174–179	177–182	180–184	182–186	184–188	185–189	187–190	191-192	193-194	195-196	197-198	199-200	201-202
22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37
	89–92	93–96	97–100	101–104	105–108	109–112	113–116	117–120	121–124	125-128	129-132	133-136	137-140	141-144	145-148
	81–84	85–88	89–92	93–96	97–100	101–106	107–110	111–114	115–118
	97-100	101–104	105–108	109–112	113–116	117–120	121–124	125–128	129–132
	163-167	166–170	169–173	172–176	175–178	177–180	179–182	181–183	182–183	184	185	186	187	188	189-190	191-192
			51	53	55	57	59	61	63	65	67	69	71	73
			100–103	104–107	108–111	112–115	116–119	120–123	124–126	127-130	131-134	135-138	139-142	143-146
			102–107	108–111	112–117	118–121	122–125	126–129	130-132	133-136	137-140	141-146	147-150	151-154
			108–111	112–115	116–119	120–123	124–127	128–132	133–137
			168–172	170–174	172–176	174–178	176–180	178–182	180–184
	90	94	98	102	106	110	114	118	122
	88–91	92–95	96–99	100–103	104–107	108–111	111-114	115-118	119-122
	74–77	78–81	82–85	86–89	90–93	94–98	100-104	105-109	110-114
	92–95	96–99	100–103	104–107	108–111	112–115	116-119	120-123	124-127
	175–179	178–182	181–185	184–188	186–190	188–192	193-197	196-200	199-203

Size dividers

Size dividers are used by clothing stores to help customers find the right size. Like index cards, they are found on racks between sizes. There are three basic types: the rectangular, round and the king size. Among the stores that use them are Marshalls and TJ Maxx.

Inclusive sizing

Inclusive sizing is the practice of having clothing ranges which do not make a distinction between "regular sizes" and "plus sizes".

References

"How to Measure Your Perfect Size For Sportswear?". Kevin..
"Children's size & fit chart".
"Size Guide: Girls' Clothing". George..
"Size Guide - Find your Perfect Fit".
(20 September 2022). "How To Measure Your Pit To Pit Size For Online Shopping".
"Measuring Guide".
"Pit To Pit Measurements & Size Chart".
"Sizing FAQs: What is Pit-to-Pit Measurement?". TOFFS.
Clifford, Stephanie. (25 April 2011). "One Size Fits Nobody: Seeking a Steady 4 or a 10". The New York Times.
(2005). "Anthropometry and the Comparison of Garment Size Systems in Some European Countries".
Ingraham, Christopher. (2015-08-11). "The absurdity of women's clothing sizes, in one chart". Washington Post.
(October 23, 2014). "The Bizarre History of Women's Clothing Sizes".
"Japanese Size Charts". JIS.
"Men's Clothing, Size Conversion Chart – South-Korea". korea4expats.
"Men's clothing sizes - International conversion charts and size charts".
GmbH, BB-Trading. "Größentabelle Herren - Big-Basics.com".
(2017-01-17). "Men's Size Charts: Guide how to Measure, Convert. + EASY Fitting Guide". BlitzResults.com.
Weston, Sabina. (2023-08-30). "How inclusive-sized brands are breaking the mould".
Terra, Caitlyn. (2023-04-12). "Plus size, large sizes or size inclusive? This is what's going on in the plus-size fashion market".

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

retail-processes-and-techniques sizes-in-clothing 19th-century-fashion 20th-century-fashion 21st-century-fashion clothing-controversies dresses fashion-design

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Int	US	UK	DE	FR	IT	KR	JP
XXS	XS	S	M	L	XL	XXL
0	2	4	6	8	10	12	14
4	6	8	10	12	14	16	18
30	32	34	36	38	40	42	44
32	34	36	38	40	42	44	46
36	38	40	42	44	46	48	50
44	44	55	55	66	66	77	77
		7	11	15	17	21

Jeans Size	EU Size	INT	UK	FR	IT
23	30	XS	2	32	36
24	32	XS	4	34	38
25	32	XS	4	34	38
26	34	S	6	36	40
27	34	S	6	36	40
28	36	S	8	38	42
29	36	M	8	38	42
30	38	M	10	40	44
31	38	M	10	40	44
32	40	L	12	42	46
33	40	L	12	42	46
34	42	L	14	44	48
36	44	XL	14	46	50
38	46	XXL	16	48	52
40	48	XXL	18	50	54
42	50	3XL	20	52	56
44	52	4XL	22	54	58
46	54	4XL	24	56	60
48	56	5XL	26	58	62
50	58	6XL	28	60	64
52	60	6XL	30	62	66
54	62	7XL	32	64	68
56	64	8XL	34	66	70
58	66	8XL	36	68	72

Int	US	UK	DE	FR	IT	KR	JP
XXS	XS	S	M	L	XL	XXL
0	2	4	6	8	10	12	14
4	6	8	10	12	14	16	18
30	32	34	36	38	40	42	44
32	34	36	38	40	42	44	46
36	38	40	42	44	46	48	50
44	44	55	55	66	66	77	77
		7	11	15	17	21

Jeans Size	EU Size	INT	UK	FR	IT
23	30	XS	2	32	36
24	32	XS	4	34	38
25	32	XS	4	34	38
26	34	S	6	36	40
27	34	S	6	36	40
28	36	S	8	38	42
29	36	M	8	38	42
30	38	M	10	40	44
31	38	M	10	40	44
32	40	L	12	42	46
33	40	L	12	42	46
34	42	L	14	44	48
36	44	XL	14	46	50
38	46	XXL	16	48	52
40	48	XXL	18	50	54
42	50	3XL	20	52	56
44	52	4XL	22	54	58
46	54	4XL	24	56	60
48	56	5XL	26	58	62
50	58	6XL	28	60	64
52	60	6XL	30	62	66
54	62	7XL	32	64	68
56	64	8XL	34	66	70
58	66	8XL	36	68	72

Int	US	UK	DE	FR	IT	KR	JP
XXS	XS	S	M	L	XL	XXL
0	2	4	6	8	10	12	14
4	6	8	10	12	14	16	18
30	32	34	36	38	40	42	44
32	34	36	38	40	42	44	46
36	38	40	42	44	46	48	50
44	44	55	55	66	66	77	77
		7	11	15	17	21

Jeans Size	EU Size	INT	UK	FR	IT
23	30	XS	2	32	36
24	32	XS	4	34	38
25	32	XS	4	34	38
26	34	S	6	36	40
27	34	S	6	36	40
28	36	S	8	38	42
29	36	M	8	38	42
30	38	M	10	40	44
31	38	M	10	40	44
32	40	L	12	42	46
33	40	L	12	42	46
34	42	L	14	44	48
36	44	XL	14	46	50
38	46	XXL	16	48	52
40	48	XXL	18	50	54
42	50	3XL	20	52	56
44	52	4XL	22	54	58
46	54	4XL	24	56	60
48	56	5XL	26	58	62
50	58	6XL	28	60	64
52	60	6XL	30	62	66
54	62	7XL	32	64	68
56	64	8XL	34	66	70
58	66	8XL	36	68	72