Clothing Size Converter

Why US, UK and EU clothing sizes disagree

There is no international standard body behind a dress size — each country's scale grew out of its own sizing surveys, and brands have since drifted from them in different directions (the industry calls this vanity sizing). The rough rule for women's dresses is that the UK number runs two above the US number, so a US 8 is typically a UK 12, and the EU number runs about thirty above the US number, so that same dress is typically an EU 38. Trousers, tops and jeans follow their own tables and do not always obey the same offsets, which is why this converter sticks to the dress and top scale it can state honestly.

Typical women's dress size chart

All measurements below are typical values in centimetres, from standard size charts — treat them as a starting point, not a promise. If your measurements straddle two rows, the larger size is usually the safer order, because taking a garment in is easier than letting it out.

Measure before you order

Bust goes around the fullest part, with the tape level and your arms relaxed; waist goes at the natural waistline, usually just above the navel, not at the trouser waistband; hips go around the fullest part of the seat. Measure over underwear, standing straight, and do not pull the tape tight — a measurement taken while holding your breath is a measurement that will not fit. If you are buying for someone else, their most recent measurements beat any size they remember wearing, because sizes shift between brands and over time.

Between sizes, stretch and brands

Stretch fabrics forgive a centimetre or two; structured jackets, tailored trousers and non-stretch denim do not. When a brand publishes its own garment measurements (the actual finished garment, not body measurements), use those instead of any generic chart — that is the only number that describes the thing you are buying. Petite, tall and plus ranges are cut differently again, not just scaled up or down, so a size converted from another system is a guide to try first, not a guarantee.