How to Measure Yourself for Clothes, Shoes, Hats and Rings

Use a soft tape measure, wear thin clothing, and measure in centimetres if you can. Keep the tape level and snug but not tight, and write each number down. Chest, waist and hips decide most clothing sizes; feet, head, neck and fingers have their own measurements and size charts.

What you need

A soft tailor’s tape (a “measuring tape” in the US) is easiest. Without one, wrap a piece of string or a strip of paper, mark where it meets, then lay it flat along a ruler or a metal tape. A second person helps for the chest and inside leg. Stand straight, breathe normally and do not pull the tape in.

Chest or bust

Put the tape around the fullest part of your chest, under your arms and across the shoulder blades, keeping it level all the way round. For women, measure over a non-padded bra. This is the main number for shirts, T-shirts, knitwear, jackets and dresses. Use it with the men's clothing size converter or the dress size converter.

Waist

Your natural waist is the narrowest part of your body, usually just above the belly button. Trousers and jeans (pants) are usually sized at the point where they sit, which is often lower. Measure there for trousers and compare with the jeans and trousers size converter.

Hips

Stand with your feet together and measure around the fullest part of your hips and seat. Hips decide the fit of skirts, dresses and fitted trousers more often than the waist does.

Inside leg

Measure from the top of the inner thigh down to the floor, standing without shoes. It is easier to measure a pair of trousers that fits well: lay them flat and measure the inside seam from the crotch to the hem. This is the “L” number on jeans (L30, L32, L34).

Neck (shirt collar)

Measure around the base of your neck where a shirt collar sits, with one finger under the tape. UK and US shirts use inches; European collar sizes are the same measurement in centimetres. See the shirt and neck size chart.

Feet

Stand on a sheet of paper with your heel against a wall, mark the tip of your longest toe, and measure from the wall to the mark. Do both feet and use the longer one. Foot length in centimetres is the most reliable way to compare US, UK and EU shoe sizes in the shoe size converter.

Head (hat size)

Wrap the tape around your head just above the ears and about a finger’s width above the eyebrows, where a hat band sits. EU hat sizes are this measurement in centimetres; US and UK fitted sizes are worked out from it in the hat size chart.

Wrist

Measure around the wrist just below the wrist bone, where a watch strap sits. Use it to choose a watch case size and strap length in the watch size calculator.

Ring finger

Wrap a thin strip of paper around the base of the finger, mark where it overlaps, and measure the length in millimetres: that is the inside circumference, which is the EU ring size. Measure at the end of the day, and check the paper can still slide over the knuckle. The ring size converter turns it into US and UK sizes.

Belt

Take a belt that fits and measure from the fold at the buckle to the hole you use most. That number is your belt size. Or add about 2 inches to your trouser waist size, as the belt size calculator does.

Which measurement for which item

Questions