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International dress size conversion chart

A dress is the hardest garment to buy by size alone, because one number has to satisfy three measurements. This chart gives the US, UK and European conversion for sizes 00 to 22 alongside the bust, waist and hip each size is graded to, in both centimetres and inches.

US
UK
EU
France
Italy
Updated Free, no sign-upCompiled by the DesignerBox team

Dress sizes: the quick answer

A US dress size converts to UK by adding 4 and to EU by adding 32, from US 0 upward. France uses the EU number and Italy adds 4 to it, so a US 6 is a UK 10, an EU 38 and an Italian 42. Because a dress has to fit the bust, waist and hip at once, buy for whichever is largest.

Quick converter

Convert your size in one step

Pick the system you know and the size you take. Every other system appears below, and the matching row is highlighted in the chart.

Dress sizes with body measurements

US 00 to 22 across five systems, with the bust, waist and hip each size is graded to.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Dress sizes with body measurements: International Dress Size Conversion Chart
USUKEUFranceItalyBust (cm)Waist (cm)Hip (cm)Bust (in)Waist (in)Hip (in)
002303034765984302333
043232367962873124½34½
2634343882659032½25½35½
4836364085689333½2736½
61038384288719634½2838
812404044917499362939
1014424246957810337½30½40½
12164444489982107393242
14184646501038611140½3443½
162048485210791116423645½
182250505411296121443847½
2024525256117101126464049½
22265454581221061314841½51½
Measurements are the body, not the garment. A finished dress adds ease on top, usually 5 to 10 cm at the bust and hip on a fitted woven style, which is why a garment measured flat is always larger than the numbers here. The EU column is the number brands print; Germany's own labelling runs two numbers lower.
How the systems relate

Why the numbers differ

The conversion itself is arithmetic. From US 0 upward, UK is the US number plus 4 and the retail European number is the US number plus 32. France uses that same European number and Italy adds 4 to it. US 00 is the one exception: it is not a number the offsets apply to, so it sits one grade step below US 0, at a UK 2 and an EU 30.

The measurement columns are the part worth reading twice. Dress sizes are graded to a standard body shape, and almost nobody is one. If your bust is a US 8 and your hips are a US 12, the size that fits is a 12 with the bust taken in, not a 10 that fits nowhere. This is the single most useful rule on the page and it costs one visit to a tailor.

Silhouette changes the answer as much as the numbers do. A wrap or A-line dress forgives a hip and waist mismatch, and a sheath or bodycon does not. If your three measurements are more than two sizes apart, choosing the shape is a more effective fix than choosing the size.

Fabric is the last variable. Anything with 3 percent elastane or more will give roughly half a size. A lined woven dress will give nothing, so buy the woven one on the largest measurement and the jersey one on the middle.

How to measure

Take the measurements yourself

A conversion is only as good as the size you start from. Use a soft tape, and measure over skin or light clothing rather than over a jumper.

Bust

  1. Wear an unpadded bra so the tape reads your body.
  2. Run the tape around the fullest part of the bust, level with the floor.
  3. Keep it flat across your back and do not let it ride up.
  4. Breathe out normally and read the number.

Waist

  1. Bend sideways to find the natural crease at your waist.
  2. Stand straight and wrap the tape around that point.
  3. Keep one finger under the tape so it is snug rather than tight.
  4. Read the number with your stomach relaxed.

Hips

  1. Stand with your feet together.
  2. Measure around the fullest part of your hips and seat, usually about 20 cm below the waist.
  3. Check the tape is level all the way round in a mirror.
  4. Read the number without tightening the tape.

Hollow to hem

  1. Find the hollow at the base of your throat, between your collarbones.
  2. Measure straight down the front of your body to where you want the hem to fall.
  3. Take it in the shoes you plan to wear, because heel height changes the answer by several centimetres.
  4. Give this number to any brand that offers custom length. It is what formalwear brands ask for.
Buying tips

Shopping across sizing systems

Six rules that matter more than the conversion itself once you are ordering from another country.

Buy for the largest measurement

A dress that fits the hips can be taken in at the bust and waist. A dress that is too small at the hips cannot be fixed at all.

Match the silhouette to your measurement spread

If your bust, waist and hip land more than two sizes apart, a wrap or A-line shape will fit where a sheath will not.

Measure in the underwear you will wear

A padded or a minimising bra changes the bust measurement by several centimetres, which is a full size.

Read the fabric before you size down

Elastane of 3 percent or more gives about half a size. A lined woven dress gives nothing.

Budget for alterations on anything formal

Almost no off-the-rack dress fits three measurements at once. The hem and the waist are cheap fixes and they are what makes it look made for you.

Check the length against your height

Standard grading assumes about 168 cm. Below that, a midi becomes a maxi, and above it a maxi becomes a midi.

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Dress sizes sizing, answered

The questions that come up most often when buying clothing or footwear across borders.

What is a US size 6 dress in UK sizing?
A UK 10. UK dress sizes are the US size plus 4 from US 0 upward, so a US 2 is a UK 6, a US 6 is a UK 10 and a US 10 is a UK 14. US 00 is the exception and sits at a UK 2.
What is a US size 6 dress in European sizing?
An EU 38, which is also the French number, and an Italian 42. A German-labelled brand runs two numbers lower again.
What are the measurements for a US size 8 dress?
A 91 cm bust, a 74 cm waist and a 99 cm hip, which is 36, 29 and 39 inches. Those are body measurements, so a finished garment measures larger.
What should I do if my bust and hips are different sizes?
Buy the size that fits the larger of the two and have the smaller area taken in. Every seam can be reduced by a tailor and none can be let out beyond the seam allowance.
Do dress sizes match top and skirt sizes?
Not reliably. A dress has to satisfy the bust, waist and hip in one garment, so brands grade it to a composite. Separates are graded to one measurement each, which is why many people wear two different numbers in tops and skirts.
What is hollow to hem?
The distance from the hollow at the base of your throat straight down to where you want the hem to fall, measured in the shoes you plan to wear. Formalwear brands ask for it to set the length.
Why does my size change between brands in the same country?
Because dress sizes are not tied to a measurement. Each brand grades to its own fit model, and many relabel deliberately. The centimetre columns are the only figures that compare across brands.
How much ease should a dress have?
A fitted woven dress usually adds 5 to 10 cm to the bust and hip over the body measurement. Less than that and you cannot sit down; much more and it reads as loose rather than fitted.

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