How to take measurements from a man for tailoring clothes and trousers: step-by-step instructions

When buying men's clothing of European manufacture, it can be difficult for buyers who are accustomed to focusing on Russian sizes to determine whether the item they like will fit. An additional difficulty is created by the fact that sometimes manufacturers create their own sizing system that does not correspond to the standards.

Content

European Men's Clothing Size Charts
Shirts and chemises
Jeans, trousers, shorts
Cardigans, hoodies, sweaters, jumpers
T-shirts, tank tops
Blazers and jackets
Outerwear (coats, jackets) and suits
How to measure yourself to determine your clothing size
Inside Leg Length (Step Length)
Waist circumference at belt level
Waist length front first
Back length
Back width
Neck circumference
Hip circumference
Chest circumference
Armhole width
Chest width
Hip height
Sleeve length
Armhole height at the back
Length of trousers on the side
Neck width at the back
Calf circumference
Knee circumference
Shoulder girth
Bicep girth
Chest height
Wrist circumference
Ankle circumference
Foot circumference
Seat height
Upper hip circumference

European Men's Clothing Size Charts

However, special tables that indicate the correspondence between Russian sizes and standard European sizes can help in choosing suitable clothing.

When choosing the right item, you need to take into account that the following types of men's clothing have their own size system:

shirts, dress shirts;
jeans, trousers, shorts;
cardigans, hoodies, sweaters, jumpers;
T-shirts, tank tops;
blazers and jackets;
outerwear (coats, jackets) and suits.

Each of these types has its own parameters that are used to determine the size.

Shirts and chemises

The main figures for determining the size are men's measurements of chest and neck circumference. Based on this data, a table has been compiled indicating the Russian, international, European and English sizes.

Chest circumference	Neck circumference	Russia	International	Europe	England
cm	cm	EN	INT	EU	UK
81–86	36	42	XS	36	14
86–91	37	44	S	37	14.5
91–96	38	44–46	S	38	15
96–101	39	46	M	39	15.5
96–101	40	48	M	40	15.75
101–106	41	48–50	L	41	16
101–106	42	50	L	42	16.5
106–111	43	50–52	XL	43	17
106–111	44	52	XL	44	17.5
111–116	45	52–54	XXL	45	17.5
111–116	46	54	XXL	46	18
118–122	47	54–56	XXXL	46	18.5
118–122	48	56	XXXL	48	19
124–130	49	56–58	4XL	50	19.5
132–140	50	58	4XL	52	20
142–146	51	58–60	5XL	54	20.5
148–154	52	60	5XL	54	21
156–162	54	62	6XL	56	21.5

Jeans, trousers, shorts

To avoid making a mistake with the size, measurements for men's trousers are taken based on the waist and hip circumference.

This type of clothing from English manufacturers is distinguished by the system of measurement in inches. They often indicate height in addition to the size of trousers.

Important! When selecting the English size of trousers, an additional 2 cm should be added to all measurements.

Waist circumference	Hip circumference	Waist circumference	Russia	Europe	Italy	England
cm	cm	inches	EN	EU	IT	UK
73–78	94–97	29–30	44	38	42	34
79–82	98–101	31–32	46	40	44	36
83–86	102–105	33–34	48	42	46	38
87–90	106–108	35–36	50	44	48	40
91–94	109–112	38–40	52	46	50	42
95–98	112–116	40–41	54	48	52	44
99–102	116–120	42–44	56	50	54	46
103–106	121–124	45–46	58	52	56	48
107–110	124–128	47–48	60	54	58	50
111–114	129–133	48–49	62	56	60	52
115–118	129–133	50–51	64	58	62	54

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Cardigans, hoodies, sweaters, jumpers

When choosing the size of sweaters, it is important to pay attention to the sleeve length so that it is not too short.

Important! Keep in mind that many fabrics tend to shrink after washing, so it's best to choose a sweater that's slightly larger than your actual chest size.

Chest circumference	Waist circumference	Sleeve length	Russia	International	Europe	England
cm	cm	cm	EN	INT	EU	UK
86–89	73–78	59–60	44	XS	38	34
90–93	79–82	60–61	46	S	40	36
94–97	83–86	61–63	48	M	42	38
98–101	87–90	62–63	50	L	44	40
102–105	91–94	64–65	52	XL	46	42
106–109	95–98	64–65	54	XXL	48	44
110–113	99–102	64–67	56	XXXL	50	46
114–117	103–106	64–67	58	XXXL	52	48
118–121	107–110	65–68	60	XXXL	54	50
122–125	111–114	65–68	62	4XL	56	52
126–129	115–118	65–68	64	4XL	58	54
130–133	119–122	65–69	66	5XL	60	56
134–137	123–126	65–69	68	5XL	62	58

T-shirts, tank tops

It is difficult to make a mistake with the size of these things if you measure your chest correctly. For this, you can use an existing T-shirt if the question is how to take measurements from a man when the item is intended as a gift.

Bust volume	Waist size	Russia	International	Europe	England
cm	cm	EN	INT	EU	UK
86–89	73–78	44	XS	38	34
90–93	79–82	46	S	40	36
94–97	83–86	48	M	42	38
98–101	87–90	50	L	44	40
102–105	91–94	52	XL	46	42
106–109	95–98	54	XXL	48	44
110–113	99–102	56	XXXL	50	46
114–117	103–106	58	XXXL	52	48
118–121	107–110	60	XXXL	54	50
122–125	111–114	62	4XL	56	52
126–129	115–118	64	4XL	58	54
130–133	119–122	66	5XL	60	56
134–137	123–126	68	5XL	62	58

Blazers and jackets

This type of clothing has always been determined by the chest circumference.

Bust volume	Waist size	Sleeve length	Russia	International	Europe	England
cm	cm	cm	EN	INT	EU	UK
90–93	73–78	59–60	44	XS	38	34
94–97	79–82	60–61	46	S	40	36
98–101	83–86	61–63	48	M	42	38
102–105	87–90	62–63	50	L	44	40
106–109	91–94	64–65	52	XL	46	42
110–113	95–98	64–65	54	XXL	48	44
114–117	99–102	64–67	56	XXXL	50	46
118–121	103–106	64–67	58	XXXL	52	48
122–125	107–110	65–68	60	XXXL	54	50
126–129	111–114	65–68	62	4XL	56	52
130–133	115–118	65–68	64	4XL	58	54
134–137	119–122	65–69	66	5XL	60	56
138–140	123–126	65–69	68	5XL	62	58

Outerwear (coats, jackets) and suits

Jackets, coats, and suits are also selected based on chest size.

Bust volume	Waist size	Sleeve length	Russia	International	Europe	England
cm	cm	cm	EN	INT	EU	UK
86–89	73–78	59–60	44	XS	38	34
90–93	79–82	60–61	46	S	40	36
94–97	83–86	61–63	48	M	42	38
98–101	87–90	62–63	50	L	44	40
102–105	91–94	64–65	52	XL	46	42
106–109	95–98	64–65	54	XXL	48	44
110–113	99–102	64–67	56	XXXL	50	46
114–117	103–106	64–67	58	XXXL	52	48
118–121	107–110	65–68	60	XXXL	54	50
122–125	111–114	65–68	62	4XL	56	52
126–129	115–118	65–68	64	4XL	58	54
130–133	119–122	65–69	66	5XL	60	56
134–137	123–126	65–69	68	5XL	62	58

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How to measure yourself to determine your clothing size

It is impossible to do this procedure on your own. You will definitely need an assistant who will actually take the measurements. Before taking measurements from a man, you need to prepare a measuring tape, a cloth belt and, for more accurate measurements, two wooden rulers or thick cardboard.

It is best to take measurements in underwear or a tight-fitting T-shirt and tight-fitting sports pants.

The pose when taking measurements should be relaxed and familiar. Attempts to correct posture, pull in the stomach will lead to the fact that the clothes will fit poorly.

Before you start taking measurements, you need to decide what measurements you need to take for a specific item, for example, sewing trousers. You shouldn't do them for the future. Although your body type doesn't change, your shape will still be different over time.

Inside Leg Length (Step Length)

This measurement is taken along the inside of the leg from the groin to the floor with the legs slightly apart. You can also measure it on pants that fit along the inside seam.

Waist circumference at belt level

The waist in a man's figure is not as clearly defined as in a woman's, however, everyone has a waistline, and the natural hollow on the back will help determine it accurately. To measure, tie a thin cloth belt around the waist in a strictly horizontal position and then take the measurement. There is no need to remove the belt, it will also be useful for other measurements.

Waist length front first

Measure from the base of the neck on the side (where the shoulder seam on clothing usually goes) through the nipple point to the waist line. The measuring tape should be positioned vertically. Only then will the measurement be accurate.

Back length

This measurement is taken from the seventh cervical vertebra to the waist line, that is, to the tied belt strictly vertically.

Back width

The back width is one of the most difficult measurements. To get the right measurement, you need to hold two rulers under your armpits at the maximum height. This way, it is easier to determine the armpit. To take the measurement, determine the points above the rulers, the distance between them will be the back width.

Neck circumference

The neck circumference is measured at the base of the neck, where the lower part of the collar stand passes. For a loose fit, place a finger between the tape measure and the neck. If you need a looser collar, you can add another half a centimeter.

Hip circumference

If the measurements are taken in trousers, then everything must be removed from the pockets. The centimeter is placed horizontally along the most protruding points of the buttocks and is not pulled tightly. It is better to put two fingers under it so as not to make a mistake with the size.

Chest circumference

Take the measurements at the protruding points of the chest and back through the armpits. The measuring tape should be horizontal. That is, it should be the largest value that can be measured by moving the tape slightly higher or lower.

Armhole width

The armhole is the opening where the sleeve will be sewn in later. Its width can be measured with a ruler at the level of the back corners of the armpits with the arm hanging freely. That is, this is the distance between the verticals, mentally drawn down from the front and back corners of the armpits. You can check the correctness of the clothing measurement by subtracting the width of the back and the width of the chest from the chest circumference.

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Chest width

This measurement is also often subject to error, so it should be taken with care. Measurements are taken using rulers that are held high under the armpits. The shortest distance between the top points, above the rulers where they touch the chest, will be the correct measurement.

Hip height

To take this measurement, you can tie a narrow strip of fabric or a string at the hip line (at the most prominent points of the buttocks). The distance from the waist to the hip line from the side in a vertical position will be the hip height.

Sleeve length

There are two ways to measure sleeve length.

Sleeve length taking into account the shoulder width. When taking this measurement, the arm should be slightly bent. The centimeter is placed at the base of the neck and led through the elbow to the beginning of the phalanx of the thumb.

Sleeve length taking into account shoulder width

The second option is from the place where the arm connects to the shoulder also to the beginning of the thumb. You can check the measurement by adding the shoulder width to it. The sum should be equal to the length of the sleeve taking into account the shoulder width.

For short sleeve lengths, measurements are taken up to the expected level.

Sleeve length to the phalanx of the thumb

Armhole height at the back

To take this measurement, you need to mentally imagine a line for measuring the width of the back. The height of the armhole at the back is measured from the junction of the neck and shoulder on the side to the back width line.

Length of trousers on the side

The length of men's trousers is very important. Therefore, it is better to take measurements in the shoes in which they are supposed to be worn. The measurement is taken from the waistline on the side to the desired length. To avoid mistakes, you can measure to the floor, adjusting the length is easy.

Neck width at the back

It is 1/4 of the neck circumference size. It is measured from the seventh cervical vertebra to the junction of the neck and shoulder.

Calf circumference

Measured at the widest point of the calf muscles.

Knee circumference

To take the measurement correctly, the leg should be bent at an angle of 90 degrees. In this position, the knee circumference is measured.

Shoulder girth

It is taken from the inner point of the shoulder through the armpit to the starting point.

Bicep girth

Measure in a bent position, arms and biceps should be tense. Measurements are taken at the most protruding points.

Chest height

To take measurements, place the tape at the base of the neck on the side and lower the tape measure to the protruding point of the chest.

Wrist circumference

The circumference is measured at the wrist level. The desired width of the sleeve at the bottom in finished form is taken into account.

Ankle circumference

This measurement is needed to determine the width of the trousers at the bottom.

Foot circumference

They do it mostly in the evening, because the feet swell during the day. They measure from the big toe bone to the little toe bone at the widest part.

Seat height

The measurement is taken while sitting on a chair or stool. The measurement is taken from the waist line to the surface of the seat along the side.

Upper hip circumference

This additional measurement is used if there is a protruding belly below the waist. It is measured horizontally at a level located in the middle between the waist line and the hip measurement.

Knowing how to correctly take measurements of a man's figure will help you avoid unpleasant surprises when choosing clothes. And the measurements given above will also help you in constructing patterns for men's clothing yourself.