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Many voyagers like to shop for clothes abroad. Some types of clothes might be significantly cheaper in another country, and often you can find things that you're unable to find in your home country.

When buying clothes abroad (or from a foreign online store) you may however run into a number of different systems for clothing sizes. In some stores (let alone in open-air markets and similar places) there are not facilities available for trying clothes, so having a reference of the local size system at hand can be useful.

In some cases clothes are marked by letters like S(mall), M(edium), L(arge), XL (extra large) and so on — souvenir t-shirts are often marked this way. However these do in practice vary — for example clothes of a certain size sold on the Asian market are often a bit smaller than American equivalents. Finally, clothing markings may be faulty or entirely missing.

Women

[edit]

Comparison tables

[edit]
Women's dresses and suits
United States 024681012141618202224
UK 46810121416182022242628
Germany 30323436384042444648505254
France 32343638404244464850525456
Italy 36384042444648505254565860
Korea 44445555666677778888
Women's clothing sizes
USA 4681012
UK 810121416
France 3638404244
Japanese 711151721
Bust 32"34"36"38"40"
81 cm86 cm91 cm97 cm102 cm
Waist 24"26.5"29"31"33"
61 cm67 cm74 cm79 cm84 cm
Hip 35"37"39"41"43"
89 cm94 cm99 cm104 cm109 cm
Women’s blouses and sweaters
EU 404244464850
UK 343638404244
US 323436384042
Children’s junior misses dresses and coats
EU 2830323436384042
UK 357911131517
US 13579111315
Korean casual / underwear (KS 051 - 2009)
Dress size 3XSXXSXSSMLXLXXL3XL4XL
Bust (cm) 707580859095100105110-115120-125
Japanese dresses sizes (JIS L 4005 - 2001)
Dress size 35791113151719212325272931
Bust (cm) 7477808386899296100104108112116120124
Japanese dresses length modifiers
Modifier PP (double-petite)P (petite)R (regular)T (tall)
Subject Height (cm) 142150158166
Additional hip girth (cm) 0024
Japanese dresses fit modifiers
Modifier YAABB
Additional hip girth (cm) 04812

e.g. a 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.

Italian sizes (ITA)

[edit]

Dress sizes are calculated as follows:

  • Standard dress size = (Bust Circumference cm / 2)

French sizes (FRA/BEL)

[edit]

Dress sizes are calculated as follows:

  • Standard dress size = (Bust Circumference cm / 2) - 4

Germanic sizes (DE/AT/NL/SE/DK)

[edit]

Dress sizes are calculated as follows:

  • Standard dress size (Height 164–170 cm) = (Bust Circumference cm / 2 ) - 6
  • Short dress sizes (Height <164 cm) = Standard dress size / 2
  • Tall dress sizes (Height >170 cm) = Standard dress size * 2
Women's clothing sizes (DE/AT/NL/SE/DK)
Short Size codes
< 164 cm
1617 1819 2021 2223 2425 2627
Standard size codes
< 170 cm
3234 3638 4042 4446 4850 5254
Tall size codes
170 cm
6468 7276 8084 8892 96100 104108
International XS S M L XL XXL
EU Tops 7680 8488 9296 100105 110116 122128
EU Bottoms 6063 6770 7580 8488 94100 106112
Shoulder Width (cm) 1212 1212 1313 1313 1414 1414
Arm length (cm) 5859 5960 6061 6161 6162 6262
Bust (cm) 74–7778–81 82–8586–89 90–9394–97 98–102103–107 108–113114–119 120–125126–131
Waist (cm) 58–6162–64 65–6869–72 73–7778–81 82–8586–90 91–9596–102 103–108109–114
Hips (cm) 80–8485–89 90–9495–97 98–101102–104 105–108109–112 113–116117–122 123–128129–134
Inside Leg (cm) 103104 105106 107108 109110 111112 113114

Men

[edit]

Comparison tables

[edit]
Men's shirts
UK & other EU / Japan 3637383940414243444546
UK / US / AUS 1414½1515½15¾16¼16½1717½1818½
Japan SSMMLLLL,XLLL,XLLL,XL
Korea 9095100105110
Men's sports shirts, T-shirts
EU 3637/3839/4041/4243/4445/46
UK / US XSSMLXLXXL
84 cm92 cm100 cm108 cm116 cm124 cm
Men's sweaters, jackets
EU 38/4042/4446/4850/5252/54
UK / US SMLXLXXL
Men's suits, suit jackets, blazers, overcoats
EU/Russia 40424446485052545658606264
UK / US 30323436384042444648505254
Japan 3234363840424446485052
Korea 80859095100105110115120125130
SML XXSXSSSMMLLXLXXLXXXL
Men's jeans, slacks, pants, trousers: Waist
EU 64/6868/7272/7676/8080/8484/8888/9292/9696/100100/104104/108108/112112/116
Italy 43444546474849505152535455
UK / US 27282930313233343638404244
Men's jeans, slacks, pants, trousers: Length
EU 3436384042444648
UK / US 25/2627/2829/303132333436

The nominal UK/US size for men's trousers is the garment's waist measured in inches minus three inches of 'ease', so the waistband of a pair of "size 30" trousers measures 33 inches around. By contrast, a medium-sized ladies' garment is no more than a "size 12" due to differences in the US size charts - so a lady "size 30" would be huge.

Men's underwear
EU 12345
UK / US SMLXLXXL

French sizes (FRA/BEL)

[edit]

Chest / Suit sizes are calculated as follows:

  • Standard Size Code = ( Chest Circumference cm + 1) / 2

Germanic sizes (AT/DE/NL/DK/SE/FI)

[edit]

Chest / Suit sizes are calculated as follows:

  • Standard Size Code (Normale) = ( Chest Circumference cm – 1) / 2
  • Short / Stocky (Kurz / Untersetzt) = Standard Size Code / 2
  • Portly (Bauchgrößen) = Standard Size Code + 1
  • Tall / Lean (Schlank / Lang) = (Standard Size Code - 1) * 2
Men's clothing sizes (AT/DE/NL/DK/SE/FI)
Standard Size Codes 4446 4850 5254 5658 6062 6466 6870 7274
Underwear 4 5 6 7 8
International XXSXS SM LXL XXL 3XL 4XL 5XL 6XL 7XL
Chest (cm) 86–8990–93 94–9798–101 102–105106–109 110–113114–117 118–121122–125 126-128129-132 133-136137-140 141-144145-148
Waist size (cm) 74–7778–81 82–8586–89 90–9495–99 100–104105–109 110–114115–119 120-124125-128 129-132133-134 135-138139-142
Hip circumference (cm) 90–9394–97 98–101102–105 106–109110–113 114–117118–121 122–125126–129
Height (cm) 166–170168–173 171–176174–179 177–182180–184 182–186184–188 185–189187–190 191-192193-194 195-196197-198 199-200201-202
Short / Stocky
(untersetzte)
22232425262728293031323334353637
Chest (cm) 89–9293–9697–100101–104105–108109–112113–116117–120121–124125-128129-132133-136137-140141-144145-148
Waist size (cm) 81–8485–8889–9293–9697–100101–106107–110111–114115–118
Hip circumference (cm) 97-100101–104105–108109–112113–116117–120121–124125–128129–132
Height (cm) 163-167166–170169–173172–176175–178177–180179–182181–183182–183184185186187188189-190191-192
Portly
(Bauchgrößen)
515355575961636567697173
Chest (cm) 100–103104–107108–111112–115116–119120–123124–126127-130131-134135-138139-142143-146
Waist size (cm) 102–107108–111112–117118–121122–125126–129130-132133-136137-140141-146147-150151-154
Hip circumference (cm) 108–111112–115116–119120–123124–127128–132133–137
Height (cm) 168–172170–174172–176174–178176–180178–182180–184
Tall size
(schlanke)
909498102106110114118122
Chest (cm) 88–9192–9596–99100–103104–107108–111111-114115-118119-122
Waist size (cm) 74–7778–81 82–8586–89 90–9394–98 100-104105-109110-114
Hip circumference (cm) 92–9596–99100–103104–107108–111112–115116-119120-123124-127
Height (cm) 175–179178–182181–185184–188186–190188–192193-197196-200199-203

Shoe sizes

[edit]
Mondopoint conversion
MondoEURUKUS menUS women
215 342.53.54.5
220 35345
225 35.53.54.55.5
230 36.5456
235 374.55.56.5
240 385.56.57.5
245 38.5678
250 39.56.57.58.5
255 40789
260 417.58.59.5
265 41.58.59.510.5
270 42.591011
275 439.510.511.5
280 44101112
285 44.510.511.512.5
290 45.5111213
295 46121314
300 4712.513.514.5
305 47.5131415
310 48.513.514.515.5
315 49141516
320 50151617


See also

[edit]
This travel topic about Clothing sizes is a usable article. It touches on all the major areas of the topic. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.