UK, EU and US Clothing Sizes: A Plain-English Conversion Guide

A UK to EU clothing size conversion ought to be simple, and on paper it nearly is: add 28 to your UK dress size and you have the usual European number. The fun starts when a US label, a letter size or a generous cut joins in. Here is how to read every label calmly, and when to trust a tape measure over a chart.

The UK to EU clothing size conversion chart

Start here, then read the small print below it. The figures are approximate, because every brand cuts a little differently, but they are the conventions most shops in Britain and Europe work from.

Three quick rules sit behind the table. European sizes are usually your UK size plus 28. US sizes are usually your UK size minus 4. Italian sizes are usually your UK size plus 32, which is why an Italian 44 can look alarming on a label and turn out to be a perfectly ordinary UK 12.

A few labels, often German or Scandinavian ones, use a scale that sits one step lower than the French one, so a UK 10 may appear as a 36. If a European number looks oddly small for you, that is probably the reason, and the measurements on the product page will settle it.

Whatever the chart says, the size guide on the product page is the one to follow. A softly draped wrap V-neck midi dress with puff sleeves forgives a centimetre or two; a tailored jacket does not. Browse the dresses with the chart open in another tab and you will soon see how much the cut changes the picture.

Dresses to start with

A few pieces that fit what you have just read.

Wrap V-Neck Midi Dress with Puff SleevesGeometric Print Midi Shirt DressLoose V-Neck Dress with Pockets, Painterly Print

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Why the numbers never quite match

There is no single standard that every brand must follow for women's clothing. Each label builds its patterns around its own idea of a typical customer, then grades up and down from there. One brand's 14 is cut for a fuller bust, another's for narrower shoulders, and a third has quietly let its sizes grow over the years so that the number feels kinder.

That last habit, often called vanity sizing, is why you may wear a 12 in one shop and a 16 in the next without your body changing in the slightest. It is also why a size conversion chart can only ever get you into the right neighbourhood. The street address comes from your measurements.

Fabric matters too. A jersey or a knit with a little stretch will fit across a wider range of bodies than a crisp woven cotton. So a ribbed knit midi dress with a zip front may feel true to size, while a structured shirt dress in your usual number feels snug across the shoulders.

What this means for you

Think of your usual size as a first guess, never as a verdict. If a label comes up large or small, it says something about the brand, not about you. Life is too short to take a number on a swing tag personally.

Reading UK to US clothing sizes

American sizes tend to be four numbers below British ones, so a UK 12 becomes a US 8 and a UK 16 a US 12. That rule holds for most of the standard range, from about a US 2 to a US 18.

Two things trip people up. First, some American brands offer a separate range with a W after the number, such as 16W or 18W. These are cut with more room through the body, not simply scaled up, so a 16W is not the same garment as a 16 with a little extra. Second, a US 0 or 00 exists, which has no real UK twin. If you see one, ignore it and look at the measurements.

When an American size chart gives measurements in inches, keep a calculator handy: one inch is 2.54 centimetres. Much easier, though, to measure yourself in both units once and keep the figures on your phone.

Letter sizes S, M, L and the one-size label

Letter sizes are the loosest of the lot. Small, Medium and Large each usually cover two UK sizes, and which two depends entirely on the brand. A Medium is often a UK 12 to 14, but you will find Mediums that behave like a 10 and others that comfortably fit a 16.

Letter sizes work best on relaxed shapes where an exact fit is not the point. A slouchy jumper, a stand collar shirt with knot button fastening or an easy layer from the tops and shirts collection will usually look intended across a range of bodies. For anything fitted, the size guide wins.

One-size pieces deserve a raised eyebrow. They are designed to fit a range, often around a UK 8 to 16, and they rely on stretch, ties or volume to do it. Lovely for a kimono-style layer or a scarf. Less reliable for a dress that needs to meet at the waist.

Petite, tall and extended size ranges

Petite and tall ranges change the length of a garment, not its width. A petite 12 is usually built for someone around 5 foot 3 or under, with a shorter body, sleeves and leg; a tall 12 does the opposite, usually for someone around 5 foot 8 and above. The bust, waist and hip measurements stay close to a standard 12.

That matters when you convert, because European and American petite ranges do not always use the same height cut-off as British ones. If length is the issue for you, look for three numbers on the size guide: body length from shoulder to hem, sleeve length and inside leg. Compare them with a garment you already own and you will know at once whether a standard length works or whether you need a different range.

Extended ranges follow the same conversion rules as the rest of the chart, so a UK 20 is usually a European 48 and a US 16. Where brands differ most is in how they grade the larger sizes: some add room evenly, others add more at the bust or the hips. Once again, the measurements on the product page tell the real story, and a midi length is a kind friend if you are unsure where a hem will land.

Clothing size conversion, garment by garment

Different garments fit at different points of your body, so the measurement that matters changes with the piece. This is where a chart becomes truly useful, because you know which line of it to read.

Dresses

A dress has to agree with you in three places: bust, waist and hips. For a fitted or wrap style, size for your bust and check the waist. For something loose, like a loose V-neck midi dress with a bold abstract print, the shoulders and bust are usually the only points that matter, and the rest simply drapes.

Tops and shirts

Shoulders and bust decide the fit. A shirt that is right at the shoulders but pulls across the buttons is too small, however generous it looks elsewhere. A ditsy floral button-front blouse is a good test: if the placket lies flat when you sit and reach, the size is right. When you browse blouses, compare your bust measurement with the size guide on each page before you settle on a number.

Trousers and jeans

Here the waist and hips take over, and inside leg length joins them. Jeans are often sized by waist in inches rather than by dress size, which is actually good news, because it asks you for a measurement rather than a guess. Measure your waist where you like your trousers to sit, not where a textbook says your waist is.

Wide shapes, such as wide-leg trousers with a shirred waist, are forgiving through the hips and thighs, so the waist is the number to watch. Straighter shapes need both to agree. If you are looking at trousers from a European label, convert your waist and hips to centimetres and ignore the dress size altogether.

Sizing up for outerwear and layers

A coat must fit over whatever you wear underneath it in January, which is rarely a thin T-shirt. Most coats are designed with that in mind, but the amount of room varies a great deal between a neat tailored style and a deliberately oversized one.

Check two measurements on the size guide: chest and sleeve length. If you like to wear a chunky jumper underneath, you want a few centimetres of room across the chest beyond your bust measurement. For a shape that is cut generous on purpose, such as an oversized faux fur coat with a big hood, stay with your usual size, or the shoulders will slide halfway to your elbows.

A belted shape gives you more leeway. A belted knee-length trench coat can be drawn in over a blouse in April and let out over knitwear in November. Have a look through the coats and jackets with that layering question in mind.

Using a size conversion with your own measurements

The single most useful thing you can do is measure yourself once, properly, and write the figures down in both centimetres and inches. Bust, waist, hips and inside leg will answer most questions; shoulder width and arm length handle the rest. Our guide on how to measure yourself for clothes walks through each one with a soft tape and a mirror.

Then do something slightly sneaky. Take a garment you already own and love, lay it flat, and measure it across the chest, waist and hips. Double those flat measurements and you have the real size of a piece that suits you. Compare that with the garment measurements on a product's size guide and you will rarely go wrong.

This works especially well for shapes that are hard to judge from a photograph. A geometric print midi shirt dress and a navy coat dress with lapels may share a size label, yet sit on you quite differently. Your own favourites will tell you which one to trust.

If you are also building a wardrobe that works hard, our notes on a capsule wardrobe that works after 40 pair nicely with this habit: fewer pieces, each one chosen to fit.

When you fall between two sizes

Most of us do, at least somewhere. Perhaps your bust says 14 and your hips say 16, or your top half is a 12 while your trousers are firmly a 14. That is completely normal. Bodies were not designed with size charts in mind.

A few rules of thumb help. Size for the part of the garment that has to fit closely and let the looser part look after itself. With stretch fabrics, the smaller size is often fine; with crisp wovens, take the larger and have it taken in if needed. With wrap styles, ties and elasticated waists, go with your bust or hip measurement, whichever is larger, because the waist will adjust itself.

Separates are your friend here. A matching top and trouser set may come in one size, but a V-neck top and tapered trousers co-ord set worn with a top from elsewhere solves the problem neatly. For delivery and returns questions, our FAQ has the details.

And if a piece turns out a touch large, remember that a belt is a perfectly respectable solution. So is a good tailor.

Shoe sizes are a different system altogether

Clothing and shoe sizes share nothing but the word size. British shoe sizes count in thirds of an inch, European ones in two-thirds of a centimetre, and the two scales slide past each other rather than lining up. A neat plus-28 rule does not exist for feet.

If you are shopping for boots or shoes from a European label, read our separate guide to UK to EU shoe size conversion, which also explains how to measure your feet at home with a sheet of paper and a pencil. Once you know your foot length, it pays to understand how shoes should fit as well, from toe room to heel grip.

Keep your measurements, keep this chart, and let the labels say what they like.

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