Women's and men's size conversion in one place: US, UK and EU numbers next to the actual bust, waist, hip and chest measurements in cm and inches, plus the reason the EU number is never quite the same twice.
Clothing sizes are not standardised the way shoe sizes or currency codes are. Only the European Union has a measurement-based standard, EN 13402, which states sizes in centimetres of body girth [1][2]. US and UK numbers are conventions that each brand cuts to its own table, so treat every conversion here as a starting point and confirm against the seller’s own chart. All numbers were checked on July 18, 2026.
Numbers from a published conversion table [3]. The EU column is the German system (US + 30). French and Italian labels usually add 2 more.
| US | UK | EU (DE) | EU (FR/IT) | Letter | Bust (cm) | Waist (cm) | Hip (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 4 | 30 | 32 | XS | 76 | 58 | 83.5 |
| 2 | 6 | 32 | 34 | XS | 78.5 | 60.5 | 86 |
| 4 | 8 | 34 | 36 | XS | 81 | 63 | 88.5 |
| 6 | 10 | 36 | 38 | S | 86 | 68 | 93.5 |
| 8 | 12 | 38 | 40 | S | 91 | 73 | 98.5 |
| 10 | 14 | 40 | 42 | M | 96 | 78 | 103.5 |
| 12 | 16 | 42 | 44 | M | 101 | 83 | 108.5 |
| 14 | 18 | 44 | 46 | L | 108.5 | 90.5 | 116 |
| 16 | 20 | 46 | 48 | L | 116 | 98 | 123.5 |
| 18 | 22 | 48 | 50 | XL | 123.5 | 105.5 | 131 |
| 20 | 24 | 50 | 52 | XL | 131 | 113 | 138.5 |
Bust is the primary measurement for tops and dresses. When the bust and hip point to different rows, size to the larger of the two and take in the rest.
A men’s dress-shirt size is the neck (collar) circumference. In Europe that number is simply the collar in centimetres, which makes the conversion exact rather than approximate [4].
| Letter | Collar (in) | Collar / EU (cm) |
|---|---|---|
| S | 14.5 | 37 |
| S | 15 | 38 |
| M | 15.5 | 39 |
| M | 15.75 | 40 |
| L | 16 | 41 |
| L | 16.5 | 42 |
| XL | 17 | 43 |
| XL | 17.5 | 44 |
A men’s jacket number is the chest measurement in inches, and US and UK use the same number. The EU size adds 10 [4].
| US / UK | EU | Chest (cm) | Chest (in) | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 46 | 90 to 93 | 35 to 36.5 | S |
| 38 | 48 | 94 to 97 | 37 to 38 | M |
| 40 | 50 | 98 to 101 | 38.5 to 40 | L |
| 42 | 52 | 102 to 105 | 40 to 41.5 | L |
| 44 | 54 | 106 to 109 | 42 to 43 | XL |
| 46 | 56 | 110 to 113 | 43 to 44.5 | XL |
| 48 | 58 | 114 to 117 | 45 to 46 | XXL |
Enter your body measurements in centimetres. The finder matches your bust or chest against the tables above, since that is the primary measurement.
A size guide on the product page is the cheapest returns-reducer a store has, because it lets a shopper match measurements instead of guessing a number. Themes differ in whether they ship a size-chart block at all; the Shopify themes UTD builds include one so the chart sits on the product page rather than in an app popup.
Add 4 to get the UK size and add 30 to get the German EU size. A US 8 is a UK 12 and a German EU 38. French and Italian labels run two numbers higher, so the same garment is often an EU 40 there. These are the common conventions, not a standard, and brands cut them differently.
Because US and UK numeric sizes are not defined by any law or standard, each brand sets its own measurement table. This is why a body-measurement approach beats a label: measure bust, waist and hip once and match the numbers in the brand's own chart.
EN 13402 is the European standard for size labelling of clothes. It designates sizes by actual body measurements in centimetres (bust, waist, hip, chest and others) rather than by a national number, which is why European labels increasingly show a cm range or a pictogram.
For women's dresses and tops it is the bust girth, with hip and waist as secondary. For men's jackets it is the chest girth, and for dress shirts it is the neck (collar) girth. Measure at the fullest or narrowest point as noted, keep the tape level, and do not pull it tight.