Clothing size conversion charts
US, UK and EU conversions for womenswear, menswear, footwear and childrenswear — with the variance stated rather than implied, because there is no enforced standard for any of it.
Read these as a way to get to the right neighbourhood, not as an answer. A brand that calls a US 8 a medium and one that calls it a small are both entirely normal, and no conversion table can reconcile them — only that brand's own chart can.
Women's clothing — alpha, US, UK and EU
The most requested conversion and the least standardised one. Treat the alpha column as the loosest part of the table: a brand that calls a US 8 a medium and one that calls it a small are both common.
| Alpha | US | UK | EU | IT | FR | AU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 0–2 | 4–6 | 32–34 | 36–38 | 32–34 | 4–6 |
| S | 4–6 | 8–10 | 36–38 | 40–42 | 36–38 | 8–10 |
| M | 8–10 | 12–14 | 40–42 | 44–46 | 40–42 | 12–14 |
| L | 12–14 | 16–18 | 44–46 | 48–50 | 44–46 | 16–18 |
| XL | 16–18 | 20–22 | 48–50 | 52–54 | 48–50 | 20–22 |
| XXL | 20–22 | 24–26 | 52–54 | 56–58 | 52–54 | 24–26 |
UK sizes run roughly 4 numbers above US and EU roughly 28 above US for womenswear, which is the arithmetic behind most of this table. Italian sizing runs about 4 above EU. None of it survives contact with a specific brand's grading, so use it to get to the right neighbourhood and then check that brand's own chart.
Men's tops — alpha, chest and collar
Menswear is more consistent than womenswear because it is more often sold on actual measurements. Shirts in particular are usually sold by collar size, which removes most of the guesswork.
| Alpha | Chest (in) | Chest (cm) | Collar (in) | Collar (cm) | EU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 32–34 | 81–86 | 13.5–14 | 34–36 | 42–44 |
| S | 35–37 | 89–94 | 14.5–15 | 37–38 | 46 |
| M | 38–40 | 97–102 | 15.5–16 | 39–41 | 48–50 |
| L | 41–43 | 104–109 | 16.5–17 | 42–43 | 52 |
| XL | 44–46 | 112–117 | 17.5–18 | 44–46 | 54–56 |
| XXL | 47–49 | 119–124 | 18.5–19 | 47–48 | 58 |
Chest measurement here is the body, not the garment. A garment's chest measurement includes ease, which is a design decision and varies enormously between a slim-fit and a relaxed shirt in the same nominal size — so a garment measurement and a body measurement are not comparable numbers.
Footwear — US, UK, EU and CM
Shoe conversion is the most reliable table on this page because it derives from foot length, which is a measurable quantity. Foot length in centimetres is the column to trust.
| CM | US women | US men | UK | EU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22.0 | 5 | — | 2.5 | 35 |
| 22.5 | 5.5 | — | 3 | 35.5 |
| 23.0 | 6 | — | 3.5 | 36 |
| 23.5 | 6.5 | 5 | 4 | 37 |
| 24.0 | 7 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 37.5 |
| 24.5 | 7.5 | 6 | 5 | 38 |
| 25.0 | 8 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 38.5 |
| 25.5 | 8.5 | 7 | 6 | 39 |
| 26.0 | 9 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 40 |
| 26.5 | 9.5 | 8 | 7 | 40.5 |
| 27.0 | 10 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 41 |
| 27.5 | 10.5 | 9 | 8 | 42 |
| 28.0 | 11 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 42.5 |
| 28.5 | — | 10 | 9 | 43 |
| 29.0 | — | 10.5 | 9.5 | 44 |
| 29.5 | — | 11 | 10 | 44.5 |
| 30.0 | — | 11.5 | 10.5 | 45 |
US men's and women's numbering differ by roughly 1.5 sizes at the same foot length, which is the single most common source of confusion in footwear listings. Measure the foot standing, at the end of the day, and use the longer foot. Width is a separate dimension this table does not cover at all.
Childrenswear — age, height and EU
Childrenswear is normally sized by height rather than by age, and height is the number to use. Age labels are a convenience that assumes an average growth curve no individual child follows.
| Age (typical) | Height (cm) | Height (in) | US | UK / EU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12–18 m | 80–86 | 31–34 | 18 m | 80–86 |
| 18–24 m | 86–92 | 34–36 | 24 m | 86–92 |
| 2–3 y | 92–98 | 36–39 | 2T–3T | 92–98 |
| 3–4 y | 98–104 | 39–41 | 4T | 98–104 |
| 4–5 y | 104–110 | 41–43 | 5 | 104–110 |
| 5–6 y | 110–116 | 43–46 | 6 | 110–116 |
| 6–7 y | 116–122 | 46–48 | 7 | 116–122 |
| 7–8 y | 122–128 | 48–50 | 8 | 122–128 |
| 9–10 y | 134–140 | 53–55 | 10 | 134–140 |
| 11–12 y | 146–152 | 57–60 | 12 | 146–152 |
Use height, not age. UK and EU childrenswear is commonly labelled by height in centimetres directly, which is why those columns are identical here — and it is the clearer system. A listing that gives only an age label is asking the parent to guess.
Measure instead, where you can
Every table above is a translation between labelling systems. Measurements are the thing the labels are approximating, so where a listing gives them, they beat any conversion:
- Compare against a garment you own. Lay a shirt that fits you flat and measure it pit to pit, then double it. That number against a listing's garment measurement is the most reliable check available to a shopper.
- Know which kind of measurement you are reading. A body measurement and a garment measurement are different numbers — the garment includes ease, which is a design decision, not a tolerance.
- For shoes, use foot length in centimetres. It is the physical quantity all the numbering derives from, so it converts cleanly where the numbers do not.
- For children, use height. Age labels assume a growth curve no individual child follows; UK and EU childrenswear is often labelled in centimetres directly for exactly this reason.
If you are the one selling
The two changes that do most for a listing are unglamorous. Publish garment measurements alongside the size label and say explicitly which they are; and state the model's height and the size they are wearing on every on-model image, because that is what lets a shopper calibrate the photo against themselves.
What a chart cannot do is show fit. That is a separate problem and it is the one we work on — see size inclusivity for where imagery helps and where it misleads.
Common questions
Is there a standard for clothing sizes?
Not an enforced one. There are published standards and there is broad regional convention, but no authority requires a brand to follow either, and vanity sizing has shifted the alpha-to-numeric mapping over decades. This is why two garments labelled M from different brands can differ by several inches through the chest.
How do I convert US sizes to UK and EU?
For womenswear the working rule is UK ≈ US + 4 and EU ≈ US + 28. For footwear the reliable route is not arithmetic at all — convert through foot length in centimetres, because that is the physical quantity the numbering derives from.
Why does the same size fit differently between brands?
Three reasons, in order of impact: the brand's fit block (its base body proportions) differs; the design's intended ease differs, so a slim and a relaxed shirt in the same nominal size are genuinely different garments; and the fabric's stretch and recovery change how a given measurement feels. None of these is visible from the size label.
Should I list garment measurements or body measurements?
Both, labelled explicitly as which they are — this is the single highest-value fix most listings can make. Shoppers do not know their garment measurements, so a body-measurement chart lets them find their size, and a garment-measurement table lets them compare against something they already own and like.
Do size charts reduce returns?
We do not publish a figure, and any number quoted without naming its study is worth discounting. What is defensible is the mechanism: a shopper choosing from measurements is guessing less than one choosing from a label alone. A chart answers what the garment measures; it does not answer how it will look, which is a different question — see size inclusivity.
These are typical conversions compiled from common regional convention, not a standard — there is no enforced standard for apparel sizing, and no table here is authoritative for any individual brand. Always check the brand's own size chart, and treat measurements as better evidence than labels. Last reviewed August 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us and we'll correct it.
Show the garment, not just the numbers
A chart answers what it measures. On-model imagery answers how it looks — from one product photo, on the body types you actually sell to.