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Women's international size conversion chart

Eight sizing systems, one body. Women's sizing has no shared measurement behind it the way menswear has the chest, so the only reliable way across is a conversion table plus your own bust, waist and hip in centimetres. Both are below.

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

Women's clothing: the quick answer

For women's clothing, a UK size is the US size plus 4 and a European size is the US size plus 32. France uses the same number as the retail EU size and Italy adds 4 to it. So a US 8 is a UK 12, an EU 40, a French 40 and an Italian 44. Australia uses UK sizing.

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.

Dresses, jackets, coats, blouses and knitwear

The core conversion. Every column is a fixed offset from the US size, so the row you are on holds for every garment type.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Dresses, jackets, coats, blouses and knitwear: Women's International Size Conversion Chart
USUKAUEUFranceItalyJapanRussiaIntl
044323236338XXS
266343438540XS
488363640742S
61010383842944S
812124040441146M
1014144242461348M
1216164444481550L
1418184646501752L
1620204848521954XL
1822225050542156XXL
20242452525623583XL
22262654545825604XL
The EU column is the number brands print as EU, and it is also the French and Spanish number. Germany's own Konfektionsgroesse runs two numbers lower, so a German 38 is what this column calls a 40. Japanese numbers are graded to a smaller body than US numbers: a Japanese 11 is graded to an 86 cm bust, while a US 8 here is a 91 cm bust, so many people need one or two Japanese numbers above the chart value. Check the centimetres before ordering.

Body measurements behind each size

The industry averages the offsets above are built on. Use these to check a brand chart rather than to grade yourself.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Body measurements behind each size: Women's International Size Conversion Chart
USBust (cm)Bust (in)Waist (cm)Waist (in)Hip (cm)Hip (in)
079316224½8734½
28232½6525½9035½
48533½68279336½
68834½71289638
8913674299939
109537½7830½10340½
129939823210742
1410340½863411143½
1610742913611645½
1811244963812147½
20117461014012649½
221224810641½13151½
If your three measurements land in different rows, buy for the largest of the three and have the garment taken in. Fabric can be removed and cannot be added.
How the systems relate

Why the numbers differ

Every number in the table follows a fixed offset from the US size. The UK adds 4. The retail European number, which is what almost every brand prints as EU, adds 32, and France uses that same number. Italy takes it and adds 4, and Russia takes it and adds 6. Japan uses odd numbers and sits 3 above the US size. Australia and New Zealand use UK sizing unchanged.

One label does not follow the retail EU number. Germany's own Konfektionsgroesse runs two numbers lower, so a German 38 is what this table calls a 40. On a German-labelled brand, drop one size from the EU column.

Those offsets are stable, which makes the conversion itself easy. What is not stable is what any of the numbers mean in centimetres. Unlike menswear, women's sizing is not tied to a measurement, so a US 8 is a manufacturer's opinion rather than a specification. The bust, waist and hip columns below are the industry averages the offsets are built on, and any given brand may sit a full size either way.

This is also why vanity sizing works at all. A brand that relabels its US 10 as a US 8 has changed nothing about the garment, and no conversion chart can see the difference. Treat the numeric conversion as reliable and the fit as an estimate, and always read the brand's own centimetre table when there is one.

For anyone selling womenswear internationally, the sizing table is the cheap half of the problem. The expensive half is that a shopper in Milan is looking at a garment photographed on one model in one size. AI fashion model photography and virtual try-on let one product shoot cover several body types and markets.

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, or nothing on top, so the tape reads your body rather than the garment.
  2. Run the tape around the fullest part of your bust.
  3. Keep it level with the floor and flat across your back.
  4. Breathe out normally and read the number.

Waist

  1. Bend to one side to find the crease. That crease is your natural waist.
  2. Stand up straight again and wrap the tape around it.
  3. Keep the tape snug but not tight enough to press into the skin.
  4. Read the number with your stomach relaxed.

Hips

  1. Stand with your feet together, which matters more here than for the other two.
  2. Wrap the tape around the fullest part of your hips and seat.
  3. Check in a mirror that the tape is level all the way round.
  4. Read the number without pulling the tape tight.
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 of your three measurements

Bust, waist and hips rarely land on the same size. Take the biggest, then have the rest taken in. Fabric cannot be added.

Italian and French sizes are not the same number

France uses the retail EU number and Italy adds 4 to it, so the same garment can read 40 in France and 44 in Italy. Italian cuts are also generally narrower through the shoulder and waist.

Japanese sizes run small twice over

A Japanese 11 converts to a US 8, and it is graded to an 86 cm bust where a US 8 here is 91 cm. Confirm against centimetres before ordering.

Ignore vanity sizing, use the tape

Two brands in the same country can put the same garment on a US 8 and a US 12 label. The centimetre table is the only thing that is comparable across brands.

Check the shoulder and the shoulder alone on outerwear

A coat sized on the bust is easy to alter. A coat that is wrong across the shoulders is not worth altering.

Watch the fabric before you size down

Anything with 3 percent or more elastane will give. A woven cotton or a lined jacket will not.

Selling womenswear in more than one market?

The size chart answers the number. It does not answer "what will this look like on me", which is the question that decides the order and the return. Show the same garment on several body types without a second shoot.

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International Dress Size Conversion Chart

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Men's International Size Conversion Chart

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International Shoe Size Conversion Chart: Women & Men

Convert women's and men's shoe sizes between US, UK, EU, AU, China and Japan sizing systems. Covers adult footwear with foot length in centimetres and inches.

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Women's clothing sizing, answered

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

What is a US 8 in UK sizing?
A UK 12. UK women's sizes are always the US size plus 4, so a US 4 is a UK 8, a US 8 is a UK 12 and a US 12 is a UK 16.
What is a UK 10 in European sizing?
An EU 38, which is the number most brands print. UK sizes convert to it by adding 28, so a UK 10 is an EU 38, a UK 12 an EU 40 and a UK 14 an EU 42. A German-labelled brand runs two numbers lower again, so the same garment can read 36.
Are Australian and UK sizes the same?
Yes for clothing. Australia and New Zealand use UK numbering unchanged, so an AU 12 is a UK 12 is a US 8. Footwear is where the two diverge.
Are French and Italian sizes different?
Yes. France uses the same number brands print as EU, and Italy adds 4 to it, so the same garment reads 40 in France and 44 in Italy. Germany's own domestic labelling runs two below the retail EU number again.
What is a Japanese size 11 in US sizing?
A US 8 by the published conversion. Japanese women's sizes run in odd numbers and sit 3 above the US size, so 7 is a US 4, 9 is a US 6 and 11 is a US 8. Japanese numbers are graded to a smaller body, so check the centimetres and expect to need one or two numbers above the chart value.
How do I convert Russian women's sizes?
Subtract 6 to get the retail EU size, then subtract 32 more for the US size. A Russian 46 is an EU 40 and a US 8.
What is vanity sizing and does it affect these conversions?
Vanity sizing is a brand relabelling a garment with a smaller number than the measurement warrants. The conversions between national systems stay correct, but the garment behind the label may not match the measurement table. Always cross-check the brand's own centimetres.
What should I do if my measurements span two sizes?
Order the larger size and alter it. Every measurement in a garment can be reduced by a tailor, and none can be increased beyond the seam allowance.
Do these conversions work for plus sizes?
The offsets hold across the range, which is why the table runs to a US 22. Grading above roughly a US 18 varies more between brands, so the brand's own centimetre table matters more the further up the range you go.

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