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Men's international size conversion chart

Men's sizing looks like six unrelated systems, but five of them measure the same thing: your chest. Once you know your chest in centimetres, every number on this page follows from it. Below are conversion tables for suit jackets, trousers and dress shirts, plus how to take the three measurements that decide all of them.

US
UK
EU
Russia
Japan
Korea
Updated Free, no sign-upCompiled by the DesignerBox team

Men's clothing: the quick answer

To convert men's sizes, add 10 to a US or UK jacket size to get the European size, so a US 40 is an EU 50. European sizing is close to the chest in centimetres halved. Russia uses the same rule, Korea labels the chest in centimetres, and Japan uses S to 6L.

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.

Suit jackets, blazers and coats

Sized on the chest. On most American and British brands the jacket number is your chest in inches; European and Russian numbers are close to that chest in centimetres halved.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Suit jackets, blazers and coats: Men's International Size Conversion Chart
USUKEURussiaJapanKoreaIntlChest (in)Chest (cm)
34344444S90XS3486
36364646M95S3691
38384848L100M3897
40405050LL105M40102
424252523L110L42107
444454544L115L44112
464656565L120XL46117
484858586L125XL48122
50506060—130XXL50127
52526262—135XXL52132
54546464—1403XL54137
Jacket length is a second, separate letter: R is regular, S is short and L is long, and it changes the body and sleeve without changing the chest. Some brands apply a minus-two rule instead of labelling the chest, so a 42 inch chest is sold as a 40; where a brand publishes its own centimetres, use those. Japanese tailored suits are not labelled S to 6L at all. They use a body type letter for the drop between chest and waist (Y, A, AB or BB) plus a height number, where 4 is 165 cm, 5 is 170, 6 is 175 and 7 is 180, so an A5 is an average build at about 170 cm. Above roughly EU 58 and Japanese 3L neither ladder is standardised and each maker sets its own.

Trousers and pants

Sized on the waist. US and UK trousers are labelled in inches, and European trousers add 16 to that number.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Trousers and pants: Men's International Size Conversion Chart
US / UK (in)EUWaist (cm)Intl
284471XS
304676S
324881M
345086L
365291XL
385497XXL
40561023XL
42581074XL
44601125XL
Trousers carry a second number for inside leg length, written as 32/34 or W32 L34. The first number is always the waist. The +16 rule is what international charts publish; German brands that measure the actual waistband run up to two sizes lower at the small end, so a W30 can be labelled 44 rather than 46. Japanese trousers label a nominal waist in centimetres in roughly 3 cm steps, which does not line up one to one with the inch ladder. The Intl column above a 40 inch waist is an extrapolation rather than a published mapping.

Dress shirts

Sized on the neck. The US and UK use inches, Europe and Japan use centimetres, and the two are the same measurement in different units.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Dress shirts: Men's International Size Conversion Chart
US / UK (neck in)EU / Japan (neck cm)IntlChest (in)
1436XS34
14½37S36
1538S38
15½39M40
1641L42
16½42L44
1743XL46
17½44XL48
1846XXL50
18½473XL52
A dress shirt also has a sleeve length, usually 32/33 or 34/35 inches. Neck size alone will not give you a shirt that fits at the cuff. European collar sizes exist at every centimetre, so 40 and 45 have no exact US half-inch equivalent and are skipped here rather than duplicated.
How the systems relate

Why the numbers differ

A US or UK jacket size is your chest in inches. A European jacket size is close to your chest in centimetres halved, which is why the two columns differ by 10 through the core of the range. It is not an exact identity: 40 inches is 101.6 cm, and European sizes are graded in 4 cm steps against the US 2 inch step of 5.1 cm, so a European 50 is cut for a 98 to 101 cm chest while a US 40 is cut for 102. The two drift further apart above a US 46. Russia inherited the same centimetre rule, so Russian and European jacket numbers match through the published range.

Korea takes a third route and labels the chest itself in centimetres, in 5 cm steps, which is why Korean sizes read 95, 100, 105. Each label covers a band rather than a point, so a Korean 100 fits roughly a 97 to 101 cm chest. Japan uses letters, running S, M, L, LL, 3L, 4L, 5L, 6L, and runs roughly one size smaller than the same letter in Europe or the US.

The practical consequence is that alpha sizes travel badly and numbers travel well. If a brand gives you a numeric size in any system on this page you can convert it. If it gives you a letter, you are reading that brand's opinion of what a medium is. Where a listing offers both, use the number.

If you sell menswear across these markets, the sizing chart is only half the returns problem. The other half is that the customer cannot see the garment on a body anywhere near their own. Virtual try-on and AI fashion model photography let you show the same jacket on a range of body types without booking a second shoot.

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.

Chest

  1. Stand upright and relaxed, arms at your sides, wearing a shirt rather than a jacket.
  2. Run the tape around the fullest part of your chest, level with your armpits.
  3. Keep the tape flat and level all the way round your back.
  4. Breathe normally and read the number. Do not hold your breath in or puff your chest out.

Waist

  1. Find your natural waist, which is the narrowest point between your ribs and your hips.
  2. Wrap the tape around it, keeping it parallel to the floor.
  3. Rest one finger under the tape so it is snug rather than tight.
  4. Read the number with your stomach relaxed.

Neck

  1. Wrap the tape around the base of your neck, where a shirt collar sits.
  2. Bring it just below the Adam's apple.
  3. Slide two fingers between the tape and your neck so the collar will close comfortably.
  4. Read the number and round up to the nearest half inch or full centimetre.
Buying tips

Shopping across sizing systems

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

Convert from the number, never the letter

A numeric size in any system on this page converts cleanly. A medium does not. If the listing shows both, work from the number.

Italian brands run one size small

Italian tailoring is cut closer than German or British tailoring at the same EU number. If you are between sizes in an Italian brand, take the larger one.

Japanese sizes run roughly one size small

A Japanese L is closer to a Western M. Treat the Japan column as a starting point and confirm against the centimetre measurements.

Check the shoulder before anything else

A jacket can be taken in at the waist and shortened at the sleeve. The shoulder seam is the one thing a tailor cannot fix cheaply, so it has to land on your shoulder bone.

Read the brand chart, not just this one

This chart converts between national systems. It cannot know that one label cuts every jacket 3 cm slimmer, or that another labels two inches below the chest it fits. Always cross-check the brand's own centimetres.

Know the return terms before you buy abroad

Cross-border returns can cost more than the item and can take weeks. Check who pays the return postage before you order two sizes to try.

Selling menswear across these markets?

A conversion chart fixes the number. It does not show the customer the jacket on a body like theirs, which is where most apparel returns actually start. Put your product on a range of AI models and show the same garment on several body types from one flat-lay.

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Men's clothing sizing, answered

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

What is a US 40 jacket in European sizing?
A US 40 is a EU 50. US and UK jacket sizes are the chest in inches and European sizes are close to that chest in centimetres halved, so the two differ by 10 through the core of the range. The relationship is approximate rather than exact, because Europe grades in 4 cm steps and the US grades in 2 inch steps.
Are US and UK men's sizes the same?
For jackets, trousers and shirts, yes. Both label the chest, waist and neck in inches, so a UK 40 jacket and a US 40 jacket are the same measurement. Menswear is the one category where the two systems agree; womenswear and footwear do not.
Is Russian men's sizing the same as European?
For jackets and coats the published Russian and European numbers match, because both derive from the chest in centimetres. Treat them as one column and check the brand's own centimetres, as you would for any European label.
What does a Korean 100 mean in men's clothing?
A Korean 100 is a US 38 and an EU 48. Korean menswear labels the chest in centimetres in 5 cm steps, and each label covers a band rather than a single measurement, so a 100 fits roughly a 97 to 101 cm chest.
How do Japanese men's sizes compare to US sizes?
Japanese sizes run about one size smaller than the same letter elsewhere, so a Japanese L is close to a US medium. Japan uses S, M, L, LL and 3L to 6L rather than numbers, so convert through the chest in centimetres rather than through the letter. Japanese tailored suits use a different system again, a body type letter plus a height number such as A5.
What is my European trouser size?
Add 16 to your US waist in inches. A US 32 waist is an EU 48, a US 34 is an EU 50 and a US 36 is an EU 52. German brands that label the actual waistband can run up to two sizes lower at the small end.
How do I convert a dress shirt size?
The US and UK label the neck in inches and Europe and Japan label the same neck in centimetres. A 15½ inch neck is a 39, a 16 inch neck is a 41 and an 18 inch neck is a 46.
What if I am between two sizes?
Size up for structured garments such as jackets, coats and shirts, because a tailor can take in a seam but cannot add fabric. Size down only for knitwear and jersey, which stretch.
Do these conversions work for every brand?
They convert between national systems, which is what national systems define. They cannot account for a brand cutting slim or oversized on top of that, or for the brands that label a jacket two inches below the chest it fits. Use this chart to reach the right number, then confirm against the brand's own centimetres.

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