A medium is not a measurement - it is a local agreement. The same dress is an 8 in the US, a 12 in the UK, a 38 in most of Europe, a 40 in France, a 44 in Italy, and numbered entirely differently in Japan and Korea. This page converts the main systems for women's and men's clothing in one place, so a size found on any country's label can be read in your own terms.
Treat every row as a general guide, not a promise. There is no law behind clothing sizes: brands set their own scales, vanity sizing has shifted US numbers over the decades, and two brands in the same country can disagree by a full size. The chart's best use is to pick the size to try first - then let fit decide. Where a brand publishes a chart based on body measurements, that chart wins; take yours with the body measurements guide and compare, or start from the Apparel Search size guides.
Women's Clothing Size Conversion Chart
For dresses, tops, suits and coats. This single table covers dress sizes as well - dress sizing follows the same scales as other women's clothing, so no separate dress chart is needed.
| International | US | UK | EU | France | Italy | Japan | Korea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 0 | 4 | 32 | 32 | 36 | 5 | 44 |
| XS | 2 | 6 | 34 | 34 | 38 | 7 | 44 |
| S | 4 | 8 | 36 | 36 | 40 | 9 | 55 |
| S | 6 | 10 | 38 | 38 | 42 | 11 | 55 |
| M | 8 | 12 | 40 | 40 | 44 | 13 | 66 |
| M | 10 | 14 | 42 | 42 | 46 | 15 | 66 |
| L | 12 | 16 | 44 | 44 | 48 | 17 | 77 |
| L | 14 | 18 | 46 | 46 | 50 | 19 | 77 |
| XL | 16 | 20 | 48 | 48 | 52 | 21 | 88 |
The reliable patterns: UK sizes run four above US, French sizes match the EU column on most published charts, and Italian sizes run four above it. German national charts often sit two below the EU column (a US 8 is a German 38), which is why some conversion tables show lower EU numbers. Japanese sizes use odd numbers in steps of two, and Korean women's sizes use the doubled digits 44, 55, 66, 77, 88 - both systems vary more by brand than the western ones, so hold them the loosest. The women's size chart pairs these labels with bust, waist and hip measurements, which is the version to use for fitted garments.
Men's Clothing Size Conversion Chart
For suits, jackets, coats and tops. Trousers and shirts are usually sold by waist and neck measurements directly, which travel across borders without conversion.
| International | Chest (in) | US / UK | EU / France / Italy | Japan | Korea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 34 | 34 | 44 | S | 90 |
| S | 36 | 36 | 46 | M | 95 |
| M | 38 | 38 | 48 | L | 100 |
| L | 40 | 40 | 50 | XL | 105 |
| XL | 42 | 42 | 52 | 2L | 110 |
| XXL | 44 | 44 | 54 | 3L | 115 |
Men's tailored sizes are the most international of all: a US or UK suit size is the chest in inches, and the EU size is the same chest in a centimetre-derived scale (chest inches plus ten, roughly - a 40 chest is an EU 50). Japanese men's ready-to-wear is lettered about one step smaller than western letters - a western medium is typically a Japanese large - and Korean sizes state a chest-based number around 90 to 115. Dress shirts convert by neck size; see how to measure neck and sleeve and the suit size conversions for the tailored details.
Why the Systems Differ - and Why Measurements Win
Each scale grew from a different local tradition: British and American sizes from inch-based body measures, continental sizes from centimetre measures halved or offset, Italian and French fashion houses keeping their own house scales long enough for them to become national habits, and Japanese and Korean systems built from their domestic standards. No international body governs the labels, so conversion charts like this one record the working consensus of the trade, not a law of nature.
The practical conclusion is to shop by measurement wherever the garment is fitted. Bust, waist and hip for women's clothing; chest, waist, neck and sleeve for men's - those numbers mean the same thing in every country, and the size conversion tool will turn a single known size into its equivalents when you are mid-purchase. Use this chart to translate labels, use the tape to decide.
Common Questions
- What is a US women's size 8 in UK, French and Italian sizes?
- A US 8 is a UK 12, a French 40 and an Italian 44, and a 40 on the EU scale used in this chart. It is one of the most consistent rows in women's conversion - the offsets of +4 (UK), +32 (EU and France) and +36 (Italy) from the US number all meet at that row.
- Why do Japanese and Korean sizes look so different?
- Because they were built on domestic standards rather than the western scales. Japanese women's sizes use odd numbers (5, 7, 9, 11...), Korean women's sizes use doubled digits (44, 55, 66, 77, 88), and Korean men's sizes use chest-based numbers around 90-115. They convert by chart, not by arithmetic, and they vary the most between brands.
- Are men's suit sizes the same in the US and UK?
- Yes - both state the chest measurement in inches, so a 40 regular is a 40 regular in both countries. The EU equivalent adds ten (EU 50). Drop and length letters (S, R, L) also carry across, though brands cut them differently.
- Can I trust a conversion chart over the brand's own chart?
- No. A general chart like this one is for translating labels and choosing a first size to try. The brand's own chart, especially when it is given in body measurements, describes that brand's actual grading and should win whenever the two disagree.
Measure & Convert: The Full Series
This page is part of the Apparel Search measuring and size conversion series. Browse the full series below, or start from the size guides hub.