Clothing sizes

Ready-to-wear sizing is four overlapping systems at once: letters, European numbers, Swedish grades and denim inches. This page lines them up so you can translate the label in your favourite garment into the sizes used in our tables.

The systems you will meet

• Lettered bands condense multiple body measurements into XS–XXL and shift with each brand.
• European numbers count by twos (34, 36, 38…) and are often mapped to UK (−6) and US (+28) sizes.
• Swedish ready-to-wear grades combine a letter for height/proportion with the numeric step.
• Jeans quote waist and inseam in inches (for example, W31 L36).

What makes the Swedish system distinct

A Swedish size is a letter plus a number, written as C38 or C50. The number is the bust or chest circumference in centimetres and steps by roughly 4 cm at a time. The letter is a figure grade: it says how the rest of the body sits relative to that circumference, so two people with the same bust can need different letters.

Height is not part of the size name. Our tables handle it by publishing separate charts per height range, so you pick the chart first and the size second.

Women's conversions

The values below are the national standard body measurements for the C grade, with the nearest international and denim equivalents.

Conversions are approximate. Confirm garment or pattern measurements before cutting fabric.

Men's grading

Men's sizes work the same way, but the letter runs from A to F and describes the drop between chest and waist rather than curve: C is the standard build, A and B are slimmer through the waist, D to F fuller. The number is the chest circumference.

International notes

• EU women’s sizes increase by 2 (C38 ≈ EU 38). UK sizes often align minus six (C38 ≈ UK 12).
• US misses sizing roughly equals C size + 28 (C38 ≈ US 10). Always verify actual charts.
• Letter grades (XS–XL) combine several numeric sizes. Check the bust/waist/hip ranges printed on the chart.