Free Women's Clothing Size Converter
Convert women's clothing sizes across US/CA, UK, EU, IT, FR, AU, and JP systems. Full size table with bust measurements. Free, no sign-up.
Exact Conversion Formula & Multipliers
Women’s clothing sizes are conventions, not formulas. In US misses sizing the bust is roughly the size number + 28 inches (size 8 ≈ 36 in, as in ASTM D5585). The widely used comparison chart summarised in Wikipedia’s “Clothing sizes” article then gives UK = US + 4, German = US + 30, French/Spanish = US + 32 and Italian = US + 36, so a US 8 is a UK 12, DE 38, FR 40 and IT 44. Japanese numbered sizes (JIS L 4005) are defined by bust girth (9 = 83 cm, 11 = 86 cm, 13 = 89 cm, 15 = 92 cm), and the JP column shows the size nearest to the US bust. Vanity sizing and brand differences mean real garments vary, so compare your bust measurement with the brand’s chart.
Practical Real-World Scenarios
- International online shopping: converting a known US or UK size to European or Asian sizing is essential before ordering, since return shipping for ill-fitting imported clothing is often costly.
- Vintage and secondhand shopping: older garments may be labeled according to sizing conventions that no longer match a current size chart in the same country, requiring measurement-based conversion instead.
- Cross-brand shopping: because sizing isn't standardized even within one country, shoppers often need a size 'up' or 'down' when switching brands, using body measurements as the more reliable reference.
Historical & Technical Background
Standardized women's clothing sizing in the US began in the 1940s and 50s based on government-sponsored body-measurement surveys, but retailers gradually drifted from those original standards over subsequent decades in a widely documented trend called vanity sizing, where labeled sizes shrank relative to actual garment measurements to flatter customers. Because no single global authority enforces clothing size standards, national systems evolved independently, and even the same numbered size varies meaningfully between two brands in the same country today.
Precision & Accuracy Statement
Clothing sizes are national conventions, not physical constants. This chart follows the body-measurement rules summarised in the Wikipedia “Clothing sizes” article and is meant as a starting point: women’s US size ≈ bust (in) − 28, UK = US + 4, DE = US + 30, FR/ES = US + 32, IT = US + 36, JP = the JIS L 4005 size with the nearest bust girth; men’s US/UK suit size = chest (in), EU/IT/FR = US/UK + 10 (≈ chest cm ÷ 2). Letter sizes (S, M, L…) are not standardised and vary by brand. Only 1 inch = 2.54 cm is an exact constant; measure yourself and check the brand’s chart.
How This Converter Works
Women’s clothing sizes vary across regions: for a bust of about 86 cm (34 in), US 6 = UK 10 = DE 36 = FR 38 = IT 42 = JP 11. The lookup table covers all major regions with bust measurement as the reference point.
Common Conversions
| Int'l | US / CA | UK / AU | EU (DE) | EU (FR / ES) | IT | JP (JIS) | Bust (in) | Bust (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 2 | 6 | 32 | 34 | 38 | 5 | 30 | 76 |
| S | 4 | 8 | 34 | 36 | 40 | 7 | 32 | 81 |
| S | 6 | 10 | 36 | 38 | 42 | 11 | 34 | 86 |
| M | 8 | 12 | 38 | 40 | 44 | 15 | 36 | 91 |
| M | 10 | 14 | 40 | 42 | 46 | 17 | 38 | 97 |
| L | 12 | 16 | 42 | 44 | 48 | 19 | 40 | 102 |
| L | 14 | 18 | 44 | 46 | 50 | 23 | 42 | 107 |
| XL | 16 | 20 | 46 | 48 | 52 | 25 | 44 | 112 |