Size Studio
Jeans Size Conversion: Waist Sizes in US, UK & EU
Men’s jeans are sized by waist in inches in both the US and UK, so a W32 is a 32 in both and roughly an EU 48, while a women’s W28 is a US 6, a UK 10 and an EU 38. Choose your waist size below for a quick jeans size conversion between US, UK and EU sizes for jeans and trousers (pants).
Your conversion appears here. The full chart is below.
| Waist | Waist (cm) | US | UK | EU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W24 | 61 cm | 00 | 2 | 30 |
| W25 | 64 cm | 0 | 4 | 32 |
| W26 | 66 cm | 2 | 6 | 34 |
| W27 | 69 cm | 4 | 8 | 36 |
| W28 | 71 cm | 6 | 10 | 38 |
| W29 | 74 cm | 8 | 12 | 40 |
| W30 | 76 cm | 10 | 14 | 42 |
| W31 | 79 cm | 12 | 16 | 44 |
| W32 | 81 cm | 14 | 18 | 46 |
| W33 | 84 cm | 16 | 20 | 48 |
| W34 | 86 cm | 18 | 22 | 50 |
| Waist | Waist (cm) | US | UK | EU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W28 | 71 cm | 28 | 28 | 44 |
| W29 | 74 cm | 29 | 29 | 45 |
| W30 | 76 cm | 30 | 30 | 46 |
| W31 | 79 cm | 31 | 31 | 47 |
| W32 | 81 cm | 32 | 32 | 48 |
| W33 | 84 cm | 33 | 33 | 49 |
| W34 | 86 cm | 34 | 34 | 50 |
| W36 | 91 cm | 36 | 36 | 52 |
| W38 | 97 cm | 38 | 38 | 54 |
| W40 | 102 cm | 40 | 40 | 56 |
| W42 | 107 cm | 42 | 42 | 58 |
How to measure your jeans size
The quickest way is to measure a pair of jeans that already fits you well. Measuring your body works too, as long as you measure where your jeans actually sit.
- Lay a pair of well-fitting jeans flat, buttoned and zipped, with the front facing up.
- Measure straight across the top of the waistband, from one side edge to the other. Double that figure to get the waist.
- For the leg length, measure along the inside seam from the crotch seam to the bottom of the hem. This is the inside leg, called the inseam in the US.
- To measure your body instead, run a soft tape round your waist at the height your waistband sits. For many modern cuts that is lower than your natural waist.
- Round to the nearest inch and pick that waist size in the converter. The chart also shows it in centimetres.
Stretch denim often runs half a size small, so if you are between two sizes in a stretch fabric, the larger one is usually the safer choice.
What W and L mean on a jeans label
A label such as “32/30” or “W32 L30” gives two measurements in inches: a 32-inch waist and a 30-inch inside leg. Men’s jeans are almost always sold this way in the US and UK, and many European shops use the same labels.
Women’s jeans are more mixed. Some brands use waist sizes like W26 or W28, and others use dress-style numbers. The converter links the two. In US sizing, a women’s size is twice the waist in inches minus 50, so W26 is a US 2 and W28 is a US 6. The UK size is 4 higher than the US size, and the EU size adds another 28 to the UK size.
For men’s jeans, EU sizes run about 16 above the waist in inches, so a W34 is roughly an EU 50.
Trousers, pants and jeans
In the UK, trousers are what Americans call pants, and “pants” in British English means underwear. The sizing is the same whichever word a shop uses. Chinos and tailored trousers usually follow the same waist sizes as jeans, although tailored styles are sometimes cut closer at the waist.
Quick answers
- Men’s W30: EU 46, waist 76 cm
- Men’s W32: EU 48, waist 81 cm
- Men’s W34: EU 50, waist 86 cm
- Men’s W36: EU 52, waist 91 cm
- Women’s W26: US 2, UK 6, EU 34
- Women’s W28: US 6, UK 10, EU 38
- Women’s W30: US 10, UK 14, EU 42
- Women’s EU 40: W29, US 8, UK 12
FAQs
What does 32/30 mean in jeans?
The first number is the waist and the second is the inside leg, both in inches. So 32/30 fits a 32-inch waist with a 30-inch inseam.
What is a women’s size 28 jeans in UK sizes?
If 28 is the waist in inches, it converts to a UK 10, which is a US 6 and an EU 38. If a label says US 28 without a W, check the brand’s chart, as a few brands use other scales.
Is an EU 48 the same as a 32 waist?
For men’s jeans, yes, roughly. Take 16 off the European number and you have the waist in inches: 48 minus 16 is 32.
Are men’s and women’s jeans sizes the same?
No. A men’s W28 and a women’s W28 describe a similar waist, but women’s jeans are also labelled in dress-style sizes, and the cut through the hip and seat is different.
Should I size down in stretch jeans?
Usually not. Stretch denim tends to run slightly small at first and then relaxes with wear, so start with your normal waist size and read the brand’s fit notes.
If you are buying a belt to go with your jeans, the belt size calculator works from the same waist size. Dresses and skirts are covered by the dress size converter, and the rest of our tools are in the size guide.
Women’s sizes use US = 2 × waist in inches − 50 (so W25 is a US 0 and W24 is shown as 00), UK = US + 4 (never below 2) and EU (German sizing) = UK + 28. Men’s sizes use US and UK = waist in inches, and EU (German sizing) ≈ waist + 16. Centimetres are the waist × 2.54, rounded. These are common conventions, not a standard, and brands vary.
Look up one size
Men's waist (W)
Men's EU
Women's US
Women's UK
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