Do you know where you fall in the men's clothing size charts? Or perhaps you're shopping for a man and have a vague idea of his measurements, but you're not sure exactly what size to choose. Whether you're buying for yourself or someone else, size charts help you make a purchase you won't have to exchange.
If You're a Woman Shopping for Men
The first thing you can do is breathe a sigh of relief because men's sizes are so much more straightforward than women's overall. Men's sizes are in inches, and then they don't convert to sizes like 2, 4, 18, and so on. The measurement is the size except in the case of casual clothing like t-shirts, hoodies, and sweatpants; then you'll be looking at S, M, L, XL, XXL, and so on. You'll need to know some, if not all, of the following measurements for other items of clothing:
- Neck size
- Arm length
- Chest size
- Inseam
- Waist size
In some cases, though very rare, you may have to use a conversion chart to convert one country's sizes to another, but that is standard in women's sizes as well.
Overview of Men's Clothing Size Charts
The great thing about men's clothing sizes is that they're usually fairly universal from store to store.
Shirts
With shirts, look at the neck size and sleeve length. On dress shirts, you generally see both measurements listed. But t-shirts and sweatshirts don't fall into this category. You need to choose from XS, S, M, L, XL, and so on.
Pants
For pants, look at the waist size and inseam to get the right fit. This goes for khakis, blue jeans, and dress pants. There are, however, two exceptions: suit pants and sweatpants. Suit pant sizes require a bit of additional math based on the regular pant size, and sweatpants are available in S, M, L, etc.
Suits
When shopping for a suit, the jacket is based on chest size. For pants, the sizing is a little different from regular pants. According to Overstock.com's US sizing chart, subtract 6 from sizes 36-42, 5 from 44-46, and 4 from 48+, to get the correct pant size in suits.
Blazers
Blazer size, too, is dependent on the chest size. Generally, a suit coat and a blazer are the same size.
Socks
Sock sizes correspond with shoe sizes. They aren't generally extremely specific, and a pair of socks work for a range of shoe sizes.
Tall Sizes
Tall sizes are typically for men 5'11" to 6'3" in height. The shirts are about two inches longer in the body, 1.5 inches longer in long sleeves, or .75 inches longer in short sleeves.
Sample Chart
If you know measurements but you're purchasing something that doesn't come in numbered sizes, consult this chart:
| US Sizes | XS | S | M | L | XL | 2XL | 3XL | 4XL |
| Neck | 13-13.5" | 14-14.5" | 15-15.5" | 16-16.5" | 17-17.5" | 18-18.5" | 19-19.5" | 20-20.5" |
| Chest | 33-34" | 35-37" | 38-40" | 42-44" | 46-48" | 50-52" | 54-56" | 58-60" |
| Sleeve | 31.5-32" | 32.5-33" | 33.5-34" | 34.5-35" | 35.5-36" | 36-36.5" | 36.5-37" | 37-37.5" |
| Waist | 27-28" | 29-31" | 32-34" | 36-38" | 40-42" | 44-48" | 50-52" | 53-54" |
You can also use this chart to shop for dressier clothing when you know that you -- or the man you're shopping for -- wears an XL T-shirt, for example. It's harder to get an exact fit right away because of the slight variations of measurements within sizes, but you will have a good idea of where to start.
If you're shopping online, be sure to reference the chart on the site to check that you are getting the right size by their standards. Men's clothing size charts generally don't change from store to store but if the resource is there, save yourself the hassle of a potential exchange by checking their site's chart, too.
Conversion Charts
Are you buying something in another country's measurements? No problem. You just need a conversion chart. You don't necessarily even have to know the ins and outs of how one country's measurements relate to another country's measurements if you visit the Online Conversion tool for men's clothing. Enter your size by your country's guidelines and the conversion tool displays the correlating sizes.
Final Thoughts
Shopping for men's clothing is not as complicated as you may have thought. A sizing chart is a valuable tool if you already know your measurements or you're trying to convert a general size, like L, to measurements you can use to shop for button-up shirts, coats, and more.
