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Apparel Search How To
How to build a size chart you can give your factory, and a clear one to show your customers.
A good size chart does two jobs. Internally, it is the set of measurements and grade rules your factory builds every size from. Externally, it helps customers choose the right size so they keep what they buy. Clothing sizes are not standardized worldwide, so each brand defines its own, and your chart is how you make those choices explicit. This guide walks through the steps in order.
You will usually need two versions. The factory spec lists finished garment measurements with tolerances. The customer chart often shows body measurements, or garment measurements with advice on how to choose. Know the difference: body measurements describe a person, while garment measurements describe the clothing, which is larger by an amount called ease.
Decide the size range you will offer and pick a base size, the size you develop first and grade from. Many brands pick a middle size. The base size is usually fit-tested on a model or form that matches your target customer.
Choose the measurements that define the garment, for example chest, waist, hip, body length, shoulder and sleeve length for a top. Write down exactly how each is measured, and whether it is flat (half the circumference) or a full circumference, so your factory and your fit team measure the same way.
A grade rule is how much a measurement changes from one size to the next, for example more chest width per size. Rules often differ between brands, fits and size ranges, and larger and smaller sizes may use different steps. Apply them to your base measurements to produce every size.
Calculate a full graded size chart, in inches or centimeters, with the Size Grading Calculator.
A tolerance is the plus or minus a finished garment may vary from the spec. Agree tolerances with your factory for each measurement. Tighter tolerances give more consistent sizing, but can cost more to achieve.
A chart on paper is only a starting point. Check samples on a fit model or form, measure them against the spec and adjust measurements or grade rules until the fit is right. Update the tech pack and chart each time. See our guide to creating a tech pack and our explanation of pre-production samples.
If you sell internationally, customers will look for their own sizing system. US, UK, European and Japanese sizes do not line up exactly, and clothing conversions are conventions that vary by brand. Show the conversion you intend and tell customers to rely on measurements.
See typical equivalents and the measurements behind them with the Size Chart & Conversion Tool.
Show measurements in both centimeters and inches, explain how to measure, say whether the numbers are body or garment measurements, and note the fit of each style. Keep the chart consistent across your website, labels and listings. When you place orders, use a size curve and order splitter to turn your sales expectations into quantities by size.
A size chart is a table of measurements for each size a brand offers. Brands use one internally as a production spec and another to help customers choose a size.
Body measurements describe a person. Garment measurements describe the finished clothing, which is larger than the body by an allowance called ease. A customer chart should say which one it shows.
The base size is the size a pattern and spec are developed in first. All other sizes are graded up or down from it.
No. There is no single worldwide standard for clothing sizes, so the same label can fit differently from brand to brand. That is why a brand should publish its own measurements.
Use the typical conversions as a guide only, and rely on measurements for fit. The free Apparel Search Size Chart and Conversion Tool shows common equivalents and the measurements behind them.