Body measurement guide
Where to put the tape for each of the twelve measurements clothing, shoe, ring and bra charts use, and a size book that keeps your numbers in this browser and turns them into sizes.
Your sizes appear here
Enter a bust or chest, waist, height, foot length or finger measurement and this panel shows the matching sizes on every chart of the site.
Saved only in this browser (local storage). Nothing is sent anywhere.
Where to put the tape
Use a soft tailor's tape, keep it level and snug without pressing in, and measure over light underwear. The definitions follow the body measurement rules of EN 13402-1 and ISO 8559-1, which most size charts are built on.
Height
Stand straight against a wall, barefoot, feet together. Rest a book flat on your head, mark the wall under it and measure from the floor to the mark.
Neck
Around the neck about 2 cm below the Adam's apple, level with the bony bump at the back of the neck (the seventh vertebra). Keep one finger under the tape for a shirt collar.
Bust or chest
The fullest horizontal girth: under the arms, across the shoulder blades and over the fullest part of the chest, breathing normally. For the bust, wear a well-fitting, unpadded bra.
Underbust
Level around the ribcage directly below the breasts, where a bra band sits. Snug for bra bands; the European method measures it loosely for the cup.
Waist
The natural waistline, between the top of the hip bones and the lowest ribs, usually the narrowest point. Stand relaxed and breathe out normally; do not pull the stomach in.
Hip
Feet together, around the widest part of the seat, keeping the tape level all the way round. A mirror helps.
Inside leg
Standing, feet slightly apart and weight on both feet: from the crotch straight down to the floor. A jeans inseam label (L32) measures the trouser, from crotch to hem, so it is usually shorter.
Arm length
Make a fist on your hip, so the elbow bends at a right angle. Measure from the shoulder point over the elbow to the wrist bone.
Head
Around the head just above the ears and across the middle of the forehead, the widest girth. Hat sizes in Europe are this number in centimetres.
Foot length
Heel against a wall, weight on the foot: from the wall to the tip of the longest toe. Measure both feet in the evening and keep the longer.
Foot width
Across the widest part of the foot, over the joints at the base of the big and little toe, standing.
Finger (ring)
Wrap a thin paper strip around the base of the finger, mark the overlap and measure the length flat. Use the finger and hand the ring is for, at the end of the day.
Using the size book
Type each measurement in centimetres or inches. Focus a field and the matching line lights up on the figure; the numbers in the list below the tool explain each one. Leave out anything you do not need: a shoe size only needs the foot length, a ring size only the finger.
Size charts chooses which charts your measurements are read against: women's (dresses by bust, jeans by waist), men's (jackets by chest, shirts by neck, trousers by waist) or children's (clothes by height). Shoe and ring sizes work the same for everyone; bra sizes appear when both underbust and bust are filled in.
The panel under the fields updates as you type, with links to each converter for the details. Use Add a person to keep measurements for a partner or a child, up to eight people.
Privacy: the book lives in your browser's local storage on this device only. Copy and Download .txt give you a plain-text copy, Print size card prints the current person's numbers and sizes, and Delete this person removes them for good.
Worked example: a bust of 92 cm, waist 75 and hip 103 read as UK 14 / US 10 / EU 40 for dresses and tops; the hip points to UK 16 for fitted skirts. A 25.4 cm foot is a UK 7, and a finger 54 mm around takes a US 7 ring.
Sources
- ISO 8559-1, Size designation of clothes – Anthropometric definitions for body measurement, which replaced EN 13402-1; see EN 13402 (Wikipedia) for an overview.
- Konfektionsgröße (German Wikipedia): the EN 13402 measuring rules for neck, chest, bust, underbust, waist, hip, height, inside leg, arm length, head and foot length.
- Shoe size (Wikipedia): Mondopoint foot length and width measuring points.
Questions
Should I measure over clothes?
No: size charts list body measurements, so measure over light underwear. The ease a garment needs is already built into the pattern, and adding your own on top pushes you a size up.
How tight should the tape be?
Snug but not pressing in: the tape lies flat on the skin and you can slide a finger under it. The two exceptions are the bra underbust, measured firmly, and a shirt collar, where you keep one finger under the tape on purpose.
Where exactly is my waist?
At the natural waistline, between the lowest ribs and the top of the hip bones, which is usually the narrowest part of the torso. Bend sideways: the crease that forms marks it. Trouser waistbands often sit lower, so compare with a pair that fits too.
Is my data stored anywhere?
Only in this browser's local storage, on this device. Nothing is uploaded, and clearing your browser data or pressing Delete this person removes it. Use Download .txt if you want a copy elsewhere.
Why do I get different sizes for top and bottom?
Because few bodies match a chart's proportions exactly. Charts assume a typical difference between bust, waist and hip; if yours differs, buy tops by bust and bottoms by hip, which is why separates are sold in separate sizes.