Joint European standard for size labelling of clothes

The joint European standard for size labelling of clothes, formally known as the EN 13402 Size designation of clothes, is a European standard for labelling clothes sizes. The standard is based on body dimensions measured in centimetres and its aim is to make it easier for people to find clothes in sizes that fit them.
The standard aims to replace older clothing size systems that were in popular use before the year 2007, but the degree of its adoption has varied between countries. For bras, gloves and children's clothing it is already the de facto standard in most of Europe. Few countries are known to have followed suit.
The Spanish Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs has commissioned a study to categorize female body types with a view to harmonising Spanish clothing sizes with EN-13402.

Background

There are three approaches towards size-based labelling of clothes:
; Body dimensions: The label states the range of body measurements for which the product was designed.
; Product dimensions: The label states characteristic dimensions of the product.
; Ad hoc sizes or vanity sizes: The label states a size number or code with no obvious relationship to any measurement.
Traditionally, clothes have been labelled using many different ad hoc size systems.
This approach has led to a number of problems:

For many types of garments, size cannot be adequately described by a single number, because a good fit requires a match between two independent body dimensions. This is a common issue in sizing jeans.
Ad hoc sizes have changed with time, due to changing demographics and increasing rates of obesity. This has been characterised in media as vanity sizing.
Scalar ad hoc sizes based on 1950s anthropometric studies are no longer adequate, as changes in nutrition and lifestyle have shifted the distribution of body dimensions.
Mail order requires accurate methods for predicting the best-fitting size.
Country-specific and vendor-specific labels incur additional costs.

Therefore, in 1996, the European standards committee CEN/TC 248/WG 10 started the process of designing a new, modern system of labelling clothes sizes, resulting in the standard EN 13402 "Size designation of clothes".
It is based on:

body dimensions
the metric system
data from new anthropometric studies of the European population performed in the late 1990s
similar existing international standards
EN 13402-1: Terms, definitions and body measurement procedure

The first part of the standard defines the list of body dimensions to be used for designating clothing sizes, together with an anatomical explanations and measurement guidelines. All body dimensions are measured in centimetres, preferably without clothes on, or with the underwear the wearer expects to be wearing underneath the garment.
The standard also defines a pictogram that can be used in language-neutral labels to indicate one or several of the following body dimensions.
; Head girth : Maximum horizontal girth of the head, measured above the ears
; Neck girth : Girth of the neck measured with the tape measure passed 2 cm below the Adam's apple, and at the level of the 7th cervical vertebra
; Chest girth : Maximum horizontal girth measured during normal breathing, with the subject standing erect and the tape measure passed over the shoulder blades, under the armpits, and across the chest
; Bust girth : Maximum horizontal girth measured during normal breathing with the subject standing erect and the tape measure passed horizontally under the armpits and across the bust prominence
; Underbust girth : Horizontal girth of the body measured just below the breasts
; Waist girth : Girth of the natural waistline between the top of the hip bones and the lower ribs, measured with the subject breathing normally and standing erect with the abdomen relaxed
; Hip girth : Horizontal girth measured round the buttocks at the level of maximum circumference
; Height : Vertical distance between the crown of the head and the soles of the feet, measured with the subject standing erect, without shoes and with the feet together
; Inside leg length : Distance between the crotch and the soles of the feet, measured in a straight vertical line with the subject erect, feet slightly apart, and the weight of the body equally distributed on both legs
; Arm length: Distance, measured using the tape measure, from the armscye/shoulder line intersection, over the elbow, to the far end of the prominent wrist bone, with the subject's right fist clenched and placed on the hip, and with the arm bent at 90°
; Hand girth: Maximum girth measured over the knuckles of the open right hand, fingers together and thumb excluded
; Foot length: Horizontal distance between perpendiculars, in contact, with the end of the most prominent toe and the most prominent part of the heel, measured with the subject standing barefoot and the weight of the body equally distributed on both feet
; Body mass: Measured with a suitable balance in kilograms.

EN 13402-2: Primary and secondary dimensions

The second part of the standard defines for each type of garment one "primary dimension". This is the body measure according to which the product must be labelled. Where men's garments use the chest girth, women's clothes are designed for a certain bust girth.
For some types of garment, a single measure may not be sufficient to select the right product. In these cases, one or two "secondary dimensions" can be added to the label.
The following table shows the primary and secondary dimensions listed in the standard, leaving out the redundant words girth, length and size for better overview.

EN 13402–3: Measurements and intervals

The third part of the standard defines preferred numbers of primary and secondary body dimensions.
The product should not be labelled with the average body dimension for which the garment was designed. Instead, the label should show the range of body dimensions from half the step size below to half the step size above the design size.
For heights, for example, the standard recommends generally to use the following design dimensions, with a step size of 8 cm:

Height	...	160	168	176	184	192	200	...
Range	...	156–164	164–172	172–180	180–188	188–196	196–204	...

For trousers, the recommended step size for height is 4 cm:

Height	...	156	160	164	168	172	176	180	184	188	192	196	200	...
Range	...	154–158	158–162	162–166	166–170	170–174	174–178	178–182	182–186	186–190	190–194	194–198	198–202	...

The standard defines similar tables for other dimensions and garments, only some of which are shown here.

Men

The standard sizes and ranges for chest and waist girth are defined in steps of 4 cm:

Chest girth	84	88	92	96	100	104	108	112	116	120	126	132	138	144
Range	82–86	86–90	90–94	94–98	98–102	102–106	106–110	110–114	114–118	118–123	123–129	129–135	135–141	141–147
Waist girth	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	100	104	108	114	120	126	132
Range	70–74	74–78	78–82	82–86	86–90	90–94	94–98	98–102	102–106	106–111	111–117	117–123	123–129	129–135

Example: While manufacturers will typically design clothes for chest girth = 100 cm such that it fits waist girth = 88 cm, they may also want to combine that chest girth with neighbouring waist girth step sizes 84 cm or 92 cm, to cover these drop types as well.
The standard also suggests that neck girth can be associated with chest girth:

Neck girth	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46.5	48	49.5	51
Range	36.5–37.5	37.5–38.5	38.5–39.5	39.5–40.5	40.5–41.5	41.5–42.5	42.5–43.5	43.5–44.5	44.5–45.8	45.8–47.3	47.3–48.8	48.8–50.3	50.3–51.1
Chest girth	88	92	96	100	104	108	112	116	120	126	132	138	144

The standard further suggests that arm length can be associated with height:

Height	156	160	164	168	172	176	180	184	188	192	196	200
Arm length	60	61	62	63	64	65	66	67	68	69	70	71
Range	59–60	60–61	61–62	62–63	63–64	64–65	65–66	66–67	67–68	68–69	69–70	70–71

Women

Dress sizes

The standard sizes and ranges for bust, waist and hip girth are mostly based on a step of 4 cm, for larger sizes 5 cm or 6 cm :

Bust girth	76	80	84	88	92	96	100	104	110	116	122	128	134	140	146	152
Range	74–78	78–82	82–86	86–90	90–94	94–98	98–102	102–107	107–113	113–119	119–125	125–131	131–137	137–143	143–149	149–155
Waist girth	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	94	100	106	112	118	124	130	136
Range	58–62	62–66	66–70	70–74	74–78	78–82	82–86	86–91	91–97	97–103	103–109	109–115	115–121	121–127	127–133	133–139
Hip girth	84	88	92	96	100	104	108	112	117	122	127	132	137	142	147	152
Range	82–86	86–90	90–94	94–98	98–102	102–106	106–110	110–115	115–120	120–125	125–130	130–135	135–140	140–145	145–150	150–155