UK clothes sizes to EU and US: a conversion guide for second-hand shopping

As a rough guide, a UK women's dress size is usually four lower as a US size and 28 higher as an EU size: a UK 12 is typically a US 8 and an EU 40. Men's chest and waist sizes in inches are usually the same in the UK and the US, and EU men's jacket sizes are often the UK chest size plus 10, so a 40 chest is around an EU 50. But brands, countries and decades all vary, so treat any chart as a starting point and check the measurements.

Second-hand shopping means labels from all over the world and from every era. Here is how to read them.

Women's clothing sizes

This is the conversion most commonly used for dresses, tops, skirts and trousers.

• UK 6 is usually EU 34 and US 2.
• UK 8 is usually EU 36 and US 4.
• UK 10 is usually EU 38 and US 6.
• UK 12 is usually EU 40 and US 8.
• UK 14 is usually EU 42 and US 10.
• UK 16 is usually EU 44 and US 12.
• UK 18 is usually EU 46 and US 14.
• UK 20 is usually EU 48 and US 16.

Some labels show Italian or French sizes, which can differ again from the general EU figure. Italian sizing in particular often runs a couple of numbers higher.

Letter sizes

XS, S, M and L are the least consistent of all. One brand's medium can cover a UK 10 to 12, and another's a UK 12 to 14. Many brands publish their own size chart showing what each letter means, which is worth checking when you know the brand.

Men's clothing sizes

Men's sizes are often given as measurements already, which helps.

• Jackets, coats and suits. UK and US sizes are usually the chest in inches: 38, 40, 42. EU sizes are often that figure plus 10, so a UK 40 is around an EU 50.
• Jeans and trousers. A waist size such as W32 is meant to be the waist in inches, and L is the inside leg. In practice, the actual waistband measurement can differ from the label, sometimes by more than you would expect.
• Shirts. Collar sizes are given in inches in the UK and US, and in cm in Europe. A 15 inch collar is around 38 cm, 15.5 around 39, 16 around 41, 16.5 around 42 and 17 around 43.
• Letter sizes vary between brands just as much as women's do.

Children's clothing sizes

Children's clothes in the UK are usually sized by age, from 0 to 3 months up to 11 to 12 years and beyond. Some European labels use height in cm instead, such as 110 or 116, which is the child's height the piece is cut for.

Age sizes are especially loose, because children of the same age vary so much. A height label, or the garment's own measurements, is a better guide than an age. Our guide to selling kids' clothes covers this from the seller's side.

Why sizes vary so much

There is no single legal definition of a size in the UK, so each brand sets its own. Sizes also change over time: a UK 12 from twenty or thirty years ago is often noticeably smaller than a UK 12 bought new today. Vintage pieces in particular tend to run small compared with modern sizes.

Fabric matters too. Stretch jersey and denim with elastane can fit a range of bodies, while a rigid woven fabric fits exactly as it is cut.

Why measurements beat any chart

A centimetre is the same in every country and every decade. A 76 cm waist is a 76 cm waist whatever the label says. That is why the most reliable way to buy second-hand is to compare a garment's measurements with your own, or with a similar piece you own that fits.

1. Measure yourself once: bust or chest, waist, hips and inside leg.
2. Measure a favourite piece that fits well, laid flat.
3. Compare every listing against those numbers, remembering that flat measurements such as pit to pit are half the way round.

Our guide to measuring clothes for buying online explains each measurement step by step.

Using sizes and measurements on Rewear

Sellers on Rewear choose a size from the list for each category, including UK sizes and letter sizes for women, letter and waist sizes for men, and ages for children. Measurements in cm are optional, but many sellers add them.

If you save your own measurements in your profile, a listing that has been measured for fit compares them with the piece and tells you how it is likely to sit. If a listing has no measurements, tap Message the seller and ask for the ones you need.

Found something somewhere else? Our free Will it fit? checker compares a garment's measurements with yours, with no account needed.

Selling a piece with a foreign label?

Give the size exactly as the label says it, and choose the closest UK size if the category asks for one. Then add the measurements in cm, which answer the question a conversion chart cannot. Our guide to measuring clothes for selling shows which ones to take.

The short version

UK women's sizes are usually four lower in US sizing and 28 higher in EU sizing. Men's chest and waist sizes are often in inches, with EU jackets around the chest size plus 10. Charts are a starting point; the measurements in cm are what tell you whether it will fit.