Clothing size chart: comparing US, UK and EU sizes

Clothing sizes are not standardized internationally the way a kilowatt-hour is — each country's numbering grew out of its own industry history, so the same body measurement gets a different number depending on where the garment was designed.

How do women's sizes compare across US, UK and EU?

As a rough, commonly used equivalence: US size 4 is close to UK size 8 and EU size 36; US 8 to UK 12 and EU 40; US 12 to UK 16 and EU 44. The pattern is fairly consistent across the range: UK sizing runs about 4 numbers above the US number, and EU sizing runs roughly 32 above the US number, in women's wear.

These are starting points, not guarantees — a size 8 from a British high-street brand and a size 8 from a European one can still differ by a noticeable margin.

How do men's sizes compare?

Men's shirt sizing is more often based on an actual measurement — neck size in inches or centimeters, or a letter size (S, M, L) — which travels better across borders than women's numbered sizing, though cut and fit still vary by brand and by country's typical body proportions.

For trousers, waist size in inches is close to universal in US and UK sizing; EU sizing instead uses a number that is roughly the waist measurement in centimeters divided by two, rounded (so a 32-inch waist is close to EU size 42).

Why does the same labeled size fit differently between brands?

There is no single enforced international standard that brands must follow for clothing sizing, unlike, say, a GTIN barcode. Each brand sets its own size chart against its own block pattern, and "vanity sizing" — labeling a garment smaller than its actual measurements — is common and varies by brand and by country.

The only reliable check is the brand's own size chart with body measurements in inches or centimeters, compared against your own measurements — not the size number alone.

Before you rely on this guide

Como ler este número

These are common approximations, not a fixed standard

Unlike a barcode or an energy label, clothing sizing has no single international regulator — treat any US/UK/EU table, including this one, as a starting point.

De onde vem o dado

Industry sizing conventions

These equivalences reflect commonly published sizing conventions used across US, UK and EU retail, not a single legal standard.

Cuidado

Always check the brand's own measurements when possible

A brand's own size chart, in inches or centimeters against your actual body measurements, is always more reliable than converting a size number between countries.

O que fazer com isso

Measure, then compare

Measure your own bust/chest, waist and hips in inches or centimeters, and match those numbers to the specific brand's size chart rather than converting a size label directly.

Glossário: os termos desta página

kWh (kilowatt-hour)

A kilowatt-hour is the unit electricity bills are measured in: it is the energy used by a 1,000-watt device running for one hour. An appliance's "annual kWh" figure is how many of these units it uses in a year under a standard test.

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Energy and consumer glossary — todos os 9 termos.