Dress Size Chart: US, UK and EU Sizes and How to Measure

To find your dress size, measure your bust, waist and hips with a soft tape and compare them to the brand's size chart, choosing the size that fits your largest measurement for fitted dresses. As a rough guide, a US size converts to a UK size by adding 4 and to an EU size by adding 32 (US 8 is about UK 12 and EU 40), but every brand cuts differently.

That last part matters most. There's no single size chart every brand follows, so the numbers here are a starting point, not a promise. This page shows you how to measure, an example US chart, a conversion chart for UK, EU, Italian and Australian sizes, how to choose between two sizes, and why your size moves from brand to brand.

How to measure for a dress

Here's how to measure for a dress at home. You need a soft tape measure, a mirror and about five minutes. Measure over your underwear or a thin layer, and wear the bra you'll wear with the dress, because bra style changes your bust measurement. If you're not sure which bra suits a neckline, the right bra style helps.

1. Bust: put the tape under your arms and around the fullest part of your bust. Keep it level across your back.
2. Waist: measure around your natural waist, the narrowest part of your torso. Bend to one side; the crease that forms is your natural waist. Breathe out normally and don't suck in.
3. Hips: stand with your feet together and measure around the fullest part of your hips and seat. Check in the mirror that the tape is level all the way round.
4. Hollow to hem (for long and formal dresses): stand straight in the shoes you'll wear and measure from the hollow at the base of your neck down to where you want the hem to fall. Gown makers often ask for this.

A few tips make the numbers more reliable. Keep the tape snug but not tight; you should be able to slip a finger under it. Don't measure over jeans or a thick sweater. And measure twice, because it's easy to let the tape slip at the back.

To measure your dress size, write the three numbers down in inches and in centimeters, since some charts use only one. Then compare them to the brand's chart for the dress you want. That's the whole method.

Women's dress size chart (US)

This women's dress size chart is one example, taken from a dress brand's published chart (Jovani, an evening-wear label). It sits beside the brand's how-to-measure steps, so read the numbers as body measurements, not the size of the dress itself. Other brands will differ by an inch or more in places, so treat it as a guide to the general pattern.

• US 0: bust 32 in (81 cm), waist 25.5 in (65 cm), hips 36 in (91 cm)
• US 2: bust 33 in (84 cm), waist 26.5 in (67 cm), hips 36.5 in (93 cm)
• US 4: bust 34 in (86 cm), waist 27.5 in (70 cm), hips 37.5 in (95 cm)
• US 6: bust 35 in (89 cm), waist 28.5 in (72 cm), hips 38.5 in (98 cm)
• US 8: bust 36 in (91 cm), waist 29.5 in (75 cm), hips 39.5 in (100 cm)
• US 10: bust 37 in (94 cm), waist 30.5 in (78 cm), hips 40.5 in (103 cm)
• US 12: bust 38.5 in (98 cm), waist 31.5 in (80 cm), hips 41.5 in (105 cm)
• US 14: bust 40 in (102 cm), waist 33.5 in (85 cm), hips 43.5 in (110 cm)
• US 16: bust 42 in (107 cm), waist 35 in (89 cm), hips 46 in (117 cm)
• US 18: bust 44 in (112 cm), waist 37 in (94 cm), hips 48 in (122 cm)
• US 20: bust 46 in (117 cm), waist 39.5 in (100 cm), hips 50 in (127 cm)

Notice the steps. Between small sizes, each size adds about an inch at bust, waist and hips. From size 12 up, the steps get bigger, closer to two inches. That's typical of how size charts are built, and it's why being "between sizes" feels different at different points on the chart.

Letter sizes don't line up neatly with numbers. One brand's medium is another's large, so always check the letter-to-number line on the chart for the dress you're buying.

UK to US and EU dress size conversion

To convert a UK size to a US size, subtract 4. To go from US to EU (French and most of continental Europe), add 32. Italian sizes usually run about 4 higher than the EU number, and Australian sizes match UK sizes. Here's the conversion, from a published international size chart. The Italian column follows that chart's note that Italian brands usually number about two sizes higher than the French scale, so treat it as rough.

• US 0 = UK 4 = EU 32 = IT 36 = AU 4
• US 2 = UK 6 = EU 34 = IT 38 = AU 6
• US 4 = UK 8 = EU 36 = IT 40 = AU 8
• US 6 = UK 10 = EU 38 = IT 42 = AU 10
• US 8 = UK 12 = EU 40 = IT 44 = AU 12
• US 10 = UK 14 = EU 42 = IT 46 = AU 14
• US 12 = UK 16 = EU 44 = IT 48 = AU 16
• US 14 = UK 18 = EU 46 = IT 50 = AU 18
• US 16 = UK 20 = EU 48 = IT 52 = AU 20
• US 18 = UK 22 = EU 50 = IT 54 = AU 22
• US 20 = UK 24 = EU 52 = IT 56 = AU 24

These conversions are approximate. A UK brand's size 12 and a US brand's size 8 aren't cut from the same pattern, so the conversion tells you where to start, not exactly how the dress will fit. When a brand publishes measurements, trust those over the conversion.

Your dress size: choosing between two sizes

Your dress size is the one whose measurements match yours on that brand's chart. When your bust, waist and hips land in three different sizes, which is very normal, the cut of the dress decides which number wins.

• Sheath and bodycon dresses: fitted everywhere, so choose the size that fits your largest measurement. A tailor can take in the rest.
• Wrap dresses: the wrap adjusts at the waist, so go by your bust and hips.
• A-line and fit-and-flare: fitted at the top and loose below, so go by your bust and waist. The skirt will usually have room for your hips.
• Shift and swing dresses: loose through the waist, so go by your bust and hips.
• Empire waist: fitted under the bust, so the bust measurement matters most.

Fabric changes the answer too. A stretch jersey or a knit with spandex in it gives you room, so you can often take the smaller size when you're between two. A woven fabric with no stretch, like crepe, satin or linen, doesn't give at all, so take the larger size and plan to tailor it. Adjustable straps help with fit through the bust and length on slip dresses.

If a dress needs taking up at the hem as well, it's an easy job to do yourself; see how to hem a dress.

Why your size changes from brand to brand

Owning clothes in two or three different sizes is normal, and it's not you, it's the industry. US dress sizes aren't fixed by law. There are voluntary industry tables of body measurements, such as ASTM D5585 for misses sizes 00 to 20, which designers can use as a baseline, but brands cut their own patterns and add their own ease.

A few things explain the differences:

• Fit model: each brand cuts its patterns on its own fit model's body, so its sizes follow her proportions.
• Target customer: a brand for younger shoppers may cut narrower through the hip than a brand for an older customer.
• Vanity sizing: a common explanation for why a size 8 today is often roomier than a size 8 from decades ago. Brands may label larger measurements with smaller numbers.
• Fabric and stretch: a stretch knit dress and a structured woven dress from the same brand can fit very differently in the same size. Fitted knit winter dresses are a good example: the stretch makes the size forgiving.

So read the brand's own chart every time, even for a brand you know. And check whether the chart lists body measurements or garment measurements. A garment measurement is the dress itself, laid flat, and will be larger than your body measurement by the ease the designer built in.

Petite, tall and plus size charts

Standard US sizing is cut for an average height range. If you're shorter, taller or wear a larger size, the specialty charts fit better than the standard one.

• Petite: petite sizes keep the same width but shorten the torso, the sleeves and the hem, and raise the waist. See petite dresses for cuts and lengths that work.
• Tall: tall sizes lengthen the torso, sleeves and hem without adding width. Dresses for tall women covers which lengths to look for.
• Plus: plus sizes, labeled with numbers such as 14W and up, are cut on a different pattern with more room through the bust, tummy and hips, not just a scaled-up misses size. For gowns, see plus size formal dresses.

Whichever chart you use, measure yourself first and keep the numbers in your phone. It saves a return every time you shop online.