Shirt Size Chart: Neck, Sleeve and Letter Sizes for Men and Women

Men's shirt size chart: neck, sleeve and letter size

Collared shirts are cut around the neck first. The table shows the collar sizes that each letter size covers, with the usual sleeve range and the chest the body of the shirt is cut for. Sizes vary by about half a collar size between brands.

Sleeve length does not scale neatly with collar size, because it depends on arm length and shoulder width rather than neck girth. A tall, slim man can need a 15 in collar with a 35 in sleeve. That is why dress shirts carry two numbers, and why letter-sized shirts fit some people's arms poorly.

How to read a dress shirt size

A label such as 16 34/35 means a 16 in collar and a sleeve that suits arms measuring 34 to 35 in. Paired sleeve sizes (32/33, 34/35, 36/37) let shops stock fewer variations; the shirt is cut close to the larger number, and the cuff button holds it at the wrist. Shirts sold with a single sleeve number (16 / 34) are cut to that exact length and usually fit more precisely.

• Collar: in 0.5 in steps in the US and UK, 1 cm steps in Europe.
• Sleeve: measured on the shirt from the center back of the collar, along the shoulder seam and down the sleeve to the edge of the cuff. It is not the length of the sleeve piece alone.
• Fit name: slim, classic (or regular) and athletic share the same collar and sleeve but differ in the body, so a 15.5 / 33 slim fit is narrower at the waist than a 15.5 / 33 classic.

How to measure for a shirt

1. Neck. Wrap the tape around the base of the neck, just below the Adam's apple, where a collar sits. Keep one finger under the tape. Add 0.5 in (1.3 cm) to a snug reading and round up to the next half inch. A snug 15.2 in reading plus 0.5 in is 15.7 in, so buy a 16 collar.
2. Sleeve. Stand with your arm relaxed and slightly bent. Measure from the center of the back of your neck, across the top of the shoulder, past the elbow, to the wrist bone. Ask someone else to do this; measuring your own sleeve usually comes out short.
3. Chest. Around the fullest part of the chest, under the armpits, with the tape level across the back.
4. Waist. Around the natural waist at the navel. This tells you whether slim fit (narrow waist), classic fit (straight body) or athletic fit (wide chest, narrower waist) will suit you.

Collar sizes in centimeters

European, British-made and Asian dress shirts often give the collar in centimeters only. One inch is 2.54 cm, so each half-inch step is about 1.3 cm, and some centimeter sizes fall between inch sizes.

European size 40 has no exact inch twin. It sits between 15.5 and 16, and US retailers usually list it as 15.75. If you wear a 15.5 with a little room, 40 will feel generous; if you wear a snug 16, it will feel tight.

Shirts labeled 38, 40, 42 or 44 without a unit can also mean chest in inches, which some Asian and Indian casual ranges use. A 42 collar (16.5 in) and a 42 in chest both point to a men's large, but the two systems drift apart at other sizes: a 44 collar (17.5 in) is an XL, while a 44 in chest is still a large. The brand's chart settles it.

Women's shirt and blouse sizes

Women's shirts use dress sizes or letters, not collar sizes. The bust decides the size: buttons gaping between the breasts is the most common fit problem, and it means the shirt is too small at the bust even if it fits elsewhere.

If the bust and waist point to different sizes, buy for the bust and have the waist taken in with darts; letting out a shirt at the bust is rarely possible. European, Italian and Japanese equivalents of these sizes are in the clothing size conversion chart.

A man buying a women's shirt, or the reverse, should convert by chest measurement, not by letter. A women's M is cut for a 35-37 in bust, which is a men's S in chest terms, with narrower shoulders and shorter sleeves.

Slim, classic, athletic and tall fits

To check a fit before buying, compare the garment chest measurement (flat width × 2) with your chest. A buttoned dress shirt needs at least 4 in (10 cm) more than your chest to let you reach forward without the buttons pulling.

Signs that a shirt fits

• Collar: two fingers slide in flat when buttoned. If it pinches or the collar points lift, go up half a size.
• Shoulders: the shoulder seam sits on the outer edge of the shoulder bone. A seam hanging down the arm means the shirt is too big; no tailor can fix that cheaply.
• Sleeves: the cuff reaches the base of the thumb with arms at your sides, and shows about 0.25 to 0.5 in (6 to 13 mm) below a jacket sleeve. See the suit size guide for jacket sleeve length.
• Body: no pull lines radiating from the buttons, and no more than a fist's width of spare fabric at the waist when tucked.
• Length: a shirt meant for tucking stays in when you raise your arms. An untucked shirt should end around the middle of the trouser fly, covering the belt but not the seat.

Knit polos and tees are sized by chest only; see the t-shirt size chart for garment measurements. For layering a shirt under knitwear, the sweater size guide explains how much room a sweater needs, and the tie size guide covers tie length for your height.

Frequently asked questions