US size guide
American (US) clothing sizes are no strangers to us, because in Europe there are two clothing numbering systems: standard and American. It is slightly different in the case of shoes.
American size
The basis of the American standard are: S (small - small), M (medium - medium) and L (large - large). In addition, they have the symbols X, XX or XXX meaning "extra" - that is, the reduction or enlargement of a given size, e.g. XS (very small), XL (very large). What's more, next to such a size, there is also an American numbering somewhat similar to English.
Sizes according to Brannock
In the US, the spreader is used according to the well-known Brannock system (from the originator: Charles Brannock). In other systems there are no major changes when it comes to the size of women's and men's shoes. However, it is different in the US system. The differences between the feet are taken into account and, above all, the sizes of shoes for children are different. Charles Brannock invented an interesting device for measuring the foot, which differentiates the children's, women's and men's foot.
Below are the tables with the sizes of clothes and shoes in the United States and Europe (or at least some European countries). Unfortunately, sizes often vary from one to another depending on the store, the brand, etc. Therefore it is very difficult to find exact equivalents.
Women's sizes
| EU | 34 | 36 | 38 | 40 | 42 | 44 | 46 | 48 | 50 |
| US | XS | S | S | M | M | L | L | XL | XL |
| Numeric US | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 |
Men's sizes
| EU | 42 | 44 | 46 | 48 | 50 | 52 | 54 | 56 | 58 | 60 |
| US | S | M | M | L | L | XL | XL | XXL | XXL | XXXL |
| Numeric US | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 38 | 40 | 42 | 44 | 46 |
When it comes to footwear, women's American sizes have the numbering from 5 to 9.5, which corresponds to the European from 35.5 to 41. The sizes of men's shoes are numbered from 6 to 14. See also: shoe size conversion.
Sizes of women's shoes
| EU | 35,5 | 36 | 36,5 | 37,5 | 38 | 38,5 | 39 | 40 | 40,5 | 41 |
| US | 5 | 5,5 | 6 | 6,5 | 7 | 7,5 | 8 | 8,5 | 9 | 9,5 |
Sizes of men's shoes
| EU | 39 | 40 | 40,5 | 41 | 42 | 42,5 | 43 | 44 | 44,5 | 45 | 45,5 | 46 | 47 | 47,5 | 48 | 48,5 | 49 |
| US | 6,5 | 7 | 7,5 | 8 | 8,5 | 9 | 9,5 | 10 | 10,5 | 11 | 11,5 | 12 | 12,5 | 13 | 13,5 | 14 | 14,5 |
American (US) sizes of children's clothes are usually marked with the age of the child, i.e. 8 years. Children's shoes are numbered according to American standards from 1.
Sizes of children's shoes
| EU | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 |
| US | 1 | 2 | 2,5 | 3,5 | 4,5 | 5 | 6 | 6,5 | 7,5 | 8 | 9,5 | 10,5 | 11 | 12 | 12,5 | 13 | 1,5 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
US size chart to UK
As you probably know all too well, American standard is predominantly based on letters, ranging from XS (extra small) to XXL (extra extra large). However, US clothing size chart may turn out not to be informative or sufficient while we decide to make purchases from online or brick-and-mortar shops located within the borders of United Kingdom. In such a case, a proper US size chart to UK may be needed to decode the numbers provided by the producers and then juxtapose them with typically American labels and tags. Do not hesitate to ask a professional while making purchases in a traditional manner and while ordering some items of apparel from UK-based shops, make sure that you check their us clothing size chart to be able to compare your traditional labels that can be found on typically purchased items of clothing with those number-oriented ones that are so popular in England.
We recommend
As always, we would like to strongly recommend to proceed to shopping only after taking down measurements that may turn out to be crucial while looking for a particular product and writing such pieces of information down. While equipped with them, we may even not be required to consult an US size chart to UK, as many clothing companies specify their sizes not only in traditional forms, but also - by going by bust, waist, hip, or foot size as well, which may make shopping remarkably easier. Properly checking items of clothing before buying them may save us the necessity of returning them if they turn out to be too loose or too tights, which is something that we would like to avoid if at all possible!
US size to EU
How to translate US size to EU? It is an issue that many customers purchasing clothes in Europe have been struggling with. American system is based on letter-oriented specification, ranging from XS to XXL, whereas in Europe - numbers are utilized to refer to sizes of items of clothing. However, juxtaposing US size to EU can become much easier if we have certain values of reference at our disposal.
Example
For example, when it comes to women, XS size in US standard is equal to 34 in Europe, and the largest, XL size translates directly into size 50. The case with men is a bit different, as in their case sizes start from S that corresponds to size 42 in EU, with the biggest, XXL-sized clothes being tagged as 56-58 in Europe. After memorizing the method of converting US size to EU, we will surely have much easier time making apparel-related purchases, as the risk of buying a wrong or improperly matching one will be remarkably lowered. If we want to completely eliminate such a probability, a sensible idea would be to opt for the support of the representative of a particular shop while shopping in a traditional manner. We are more than sure that experts in the field will be able to provide us with useful pieces of information and dispel our doubts, which will in turn result in buying an item of clothing that we will be more than satisfied with! Online shoppers should browse the webpage of the store of their choosing in search of comprehensive pieces of information as to how to convert US size to EU in an efficient and reliable manner.