How to Read International Clothing Size Labels

Clothing sizes are not standardised. There is no international body enforcing what a Medium means, and there never has been. Two garments labelled M from two manufacturers can differ by several centimetres in the chest.

This is worse online, where a lot of stock is made for different regional markets. The answer is not to memorise conversion charts. It is to stop shopping by letter.

Measure yourself once

Take three measurements with a soft tape, wearing light clothing, and write them down somewhere you can find them.

• Chest or bust: around the fullest part, tape level all the way round, arms down.
• Waist: around the narrowest part of your torso, usually just above the navel. Do not hold your breath in.
• Hips: around the fullest part, usually about 20 cm below the waist.

For trousers add inseam, from the crotch seam to where you want the hem to sit. Measure a pair you already like rather than your leg.

These four numbers will serve you better than any size letter for years.

Use the garment chart, not the conversion chart

Every reputable listing has a size chart specific to that garment. Compare your measurements to that chart, not to a general regional conversion.

Where a listing gives garment measurements rather than body measurements, the difference is ease, the extra room built in for movement. A shirt with a 100 cm chest measurement is not meant for someone with a 100 cm chest, it is meant for someone around 92 to 96 cm.

If the chart does not say which it is, measure a garment you own that fits the way you want and compare like with like.

Rough regional patterns

These are tendencies, not rules, and they are worth knowing only as a sanity check.

• Asian sizing generally runs smaller than North American for the same letter. Sizing up one or sometimes two is common.
• UK womenswear numbers usually run about four higher than the equivalent US number.
• European sizing uses a separate numeric scale entirely for both clothing and shoes.

Treat any of this as a reason to check the chart more carefully, not as a substitute for checking it.

Shoes are their own problem

Shoe sizing varies by region, by brand and by shape of last. The most reliable method is to measure your foot in centimetres, heel to longest toe, standing with weight on it, in the evening when feet are at their largest.

Many listings give a centimetre measurement alongside the size numbers. That figure is worth more than all the conversions combined.

Practical habits

• Read reviews for fit comments. If several people say a garment runs small, believe them. This is the single most useful signal on any listing.
• Check the fabric. Anything with elastane has give and is more forgiving. Rigid cotton and denim are not.
• When between sizes, size up for outerwear and anything you will layer under, and consider sizing down for stretchy knitwear.
• Check the returns policy before ordering, especially when buying more than one size to try.

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