Clothing sizes

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Examples of body measurements used for the sizing of clothes Body measures SVG.svg
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:

Contents

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 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:

Pit-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. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Standards

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:

Asian standards

Chinese standards

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Wacoal (1981, 1987)

Australian standards

European standards

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

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

  • DOB-Verband (1983)

French standards

  • 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

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

British standards

Clothes-size label with EN 13402-3 pictogram and body dimensions in centimetres (found on a high-visibility jacket sold in the United Kingdom). EN-13402-example-hiviz.jpg
Clothes-size label with EN 13402-3 pictogram and body dimensions in centimetres (found on a 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. [9]

Yugoslavian standards

Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 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. [10] 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

US standards

  • 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. [11] Private organization ASTM International started to release its own recommended size carts in the 1990s. [12]

Since then, the common US misses sizes have not had stable dimensions. Clothing brands and manufacturers size their products according to their preferences. [12] 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

Comparison of women's dresses and suits sizes
IntXXSXSSMLXLXXL
US024681012141618202224
UK46810121416182022242628
DE30323436384042444648505254
FR32343638404244464850525456
IT36384042444648505254565860
KR44445555666677778888
JP711151721

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:

Women's clothing US/UK
US4681012
UK810121416
Bust32 in34 in36 in38 in40 in
81 cm86 cm91 cm97 cm102 cm
Waist24 in26.5 in29 in31 in33 in
61 cm67 cm74 cm79 cm84 cm
Hip35 in37 in39 in41 in43 in
89 cm94 cm99 cm104 cm109 cm
Women's junior misses dresses and coats
EU2830323436384042
US13579111315
UK357911131517
Women's blouses and sweaters
EU404244464850
US323436384042
UK343638404244

Korean women's sizes

Korean casual and underwear (KS 051:2009)
Dress size3XSXXSXSSMLXLXXL3XL4XL
Bust (cm)707580859095100105110–115120–125

Japanese women's sizes

Japanese dresses sizes (JIS L 4005:2001)
Dress size35791113151719212325272931
Bust (cm)7477808386899296100104108112116120124
Japanese dresses length modifiers
ModifierPPPRT
double-petitepetiteregulartall
Body height (cm)142150158166
Additional hip girth (cm)0024
Japanese dresses fit modifiers
ModifierYAABB
Additional hip girth (cm)04812

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. [13] 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:

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

Women's clothing sizes (DE/AT/NL/SE/DK)
Short size codes161718192021222324252627
Standard size codes323436384042444648505254
Tall size codes646872768084889296100104108
InternationalXSSMLXLXXL
EU tops768084889296100105110116122128
EU bottoms606468727680848894100106112
Shoulder width (cm)121314
Arm length (cm)5859606162
Bust (cm)74–7778–8182–8586–8990–9394–9798–102103–107108–113114–119120–125126–131
Waist (cm)58–6162–6465–6869–7273–7778–8182–8586–9091–9596–102103–108109–114
Hips (cm)80–8485–8990–9495–9798–101102–104105–108109–112113–116117–122123–128129–134
Inside leg (cm)103104105106107108109110111112113114

Men

Comparison tables

Men's shirts by neck girth
UK / EU / Japan3637383940414243444546
UK / US / AUS1414+121515+1215+3416+1416+121717+121818+12
Japan [14] SMLLL
Korea [14] 9095100105110
InternationalXSSMLXLXXL
Men's sports shirts, T-shirts by chest girth
EU3637/3839/4041/4243/4445/46
UK / USXSSMLXLXXL
chest girth84 cm92 cm100 cm108 cm116 cm124 cm
Men's sweaters, jackets
EU38/4042/4446/4850/5252/54
UK / USSMLXLXXL
Men's suits, suit jackets, blazers, overcoats [15]
EU / Russia40424446485052545658606264
UK / US30323436384042444648505254
Japan3234363840424446485052
Korea80859095100105110115120125130
SMLXXSXSSSMMLLXLXXLXXXL
Men's jeans, slacks, pants, trousers: Waist
EU64/6868/7272/7676/8080/8484/8888/9292/9696/100100/104104/108108/112112/116
Italy43444546474849505152535455
UK / US27282930313233343638404244
Men's jeans, slacks, pants, trousers: Length
EU3436384042444648
UK / US25/2627/2829/303132333436
Men's underwear
EU12345
UK / USSMLXLXXL

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:

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

Men's clothing sizes (AT/DE/NL/DK/SE/FI)
Standard Size Codes [16] 44464850525456586062646668707274
Underwear [17] 45678
InternationalXXSXSSMLXLXXL3XL4XL5XL6XL7XL
Chest (cm)86–8990–9394–9798–101102–105106–109110–113114–117118–121122–125126-128129-132133-136137-140141-144145-148
Waist size (cm)74–7778–8182–8586–8990–9495–99100–104105–109110–114115–119120-124125-128129-132133-134135-138139-142
Hip circumference (cm)90–9394–9798–101102–105106–109110–113114–117118–121122–125126–129
Height (cm)166–170168–173171–176174–179177–182180–184182–186184–188185–189187–190191-192193-194195-196197-198199-200201-202
Short / Stocky
(untersetzt)
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)74–7778–8182–8586–8990–9394–98100-104105-109110-114
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

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.

See also

Related Research Articles

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