What is a European size 50 jacket in US sizes?

A European or Italian 50 is a US and UK 40. Subtract 10 from the European number.

What does 40R mean on a suit?

40 is the chest size in inches and R means Regular length. S and L are short and long; some brands also use XL for extra long.

Is a 15.5 collar a medium?

Usually yes. Most brands call 15 to 15.5 a medium and 16 to 16.5 a large, but letter sizes vary, so check the brand chart if you are close to a boundary.

What is W32 in European sizes?

W32 is usually a European 48. European trouser sizes run about 16 above the inch waist.

Men's Size Chart: Suits, Shirts and Trousers

Suit and jacket sizes

In the US and UK a jacket size is your chest measurement in inches: a man with a 40-inch chest wears a 40. European and Italian sizes add ten, so that same jacket is a 50. The letter after the number (40S, 40R, 40L) is length, not width.

Men's suits and jackets: chest size by country
US / UK (chest in)	EU / IT	Letter	Chest cm
34	44	S	86
36	46	S	91
38	48	M	97
40	50	M	102
42	52	L	107
44	54	L	112
46	56	XL	117
48	58	XL	122
50	60	XXL	127
52	62	XXL	132

Based on: Jacket size in the US and UK is the chest measurement in inches; European and Italian sizes add 10 (US 40 = EU 50). Length is a separate letter: Short, Regular, Long. Cuts vary, so a slim jacket in your usual number can feel a size smaller.

Jacket length: short, regular, long

As a rough guide, Short tends to suit men up to about 5'7" (170 cm), Regular about 5'8" to 6'0" (173 to 183 cm), and Long about 6'1" (185 cm) and up. Arm length and torso length matter more than height alone; a jacket should cover your seat and the sleeve should leave a little shirt cuff showing.

Drop: the gap between jacket and trousers

Suits sold as a set are usually cut with a 6-inch "drop": a 40 jacket comes with 34-inch trousers. Athletic or slim cuts often use a 7- or 8-inch drop. If your chest and waist are further apart or closer together than that, look for suits sold as separates.

Dress shirt collar sizes

A dress shirt is sized by the collar: your neck measurement, in inches in the US and UK and in centimeters across Europe and Asia. The pairs in the collar table are the ones shops print. They are rounded labels, not exact arithmetic, which is why 15.5 is sold as 39 even though 15.5 inches is 39.4 cm.

Men's dress shirts: collar size in inches and centimeters
US / UK neck (in)	EU neck (cm)	Letter
14	36	S
14.5	37	S
15	38	M
15.5	39	M
15.75	40	M / L
16	41	L
16.5	42	L
17	43	XL
17.5	44	XL
18	45 / 46	XXL
18.5	47	XXL

Based on: Collar sizes are the neck measurement: inches in the US and UK, centimeters in Europe and Asia. The inch-to-cm pairs are the ones shops print, not exact arithmetic (15.5 in is 39.4 cm). Letter sizes are a loose fit guide; a brand's M can span two collar sizes.

Sleeve length

US dress shirts often print two numbers, such as 15.5 32/33: the collar, then the sleeve. Sleeve length is measured from the center of the back of the neck, over the shoulder, down to the wrist. A shirt marked 32/33 is cut to fit either length. European shirts sometimes skip sleeve length and offer a long-sleeve variant instead.

Letter sizes for tops and knitwear

T-shirts, polos and sweaters use letters tied loosely to chest measurement. In most US ranges, S fits a 34 to 36 inch chest, M a 38 to 40, L a 42 to 44, XL a 46 to 48 and XXL a 50 to 52. In centimeters that is roughly 86 to 91 for S, 97 to 102 for M, 107 to 112 for L, 117 to 122 for XL and 127 to 132 for XXL. European and Asian brands often cut a letter one size smaller, so check the chart when buying from abroad.

Trouser and jeans waist sizes

Trousers in the US and UK are labeled by waist and inside leg in inches: W32 L32. Many European brands use a single number instead, which runs about 16 above the inch waist, so W32 is a 48 and W34 is a 50.

Men's trousers: waist in inches, EU sizes and letters
Waist (W, in)	EU / DE	Letter	Waist cm
28	44	S	71
29	44 / 46	S	74
30	46	S	76
31	46 / 48	M	79
32	48	M	81
33	48 / 50	M	84
34	50	L	86
35	50 / 52	L	89
36	52	L	91
37	52 / 54	XL	94
38	54	XL	97
39	54 / 56	XL	99
40	56	XXL	102
41	56 / 58	XXL	104
42	58	XXL	107

Based on: German and many European trouser sizes run about 16 above the inch waist (W32 = 48). Odd inch sizes fall between two European numbers. Jeans labels are often an inch or two more generous than the real waistband, so measure a pair that fits.

Two caveats. First, the W on jeans is a label, and many brands cut it an inch or two roomier than the number suggests, so measure the waistband of a pair that fits rather than your body if you want a close match. Second, European single-number sizes also assume a typical leg length for that size; if you are tall or short for your waist, look for the brand's long or short variants (often a different number series). There is more on denim on the jeans size chart.

Between sizes

For jackets, fit the shoulders: they are the one part a tailor can't really change. If you're between two chest sizes, a structured jacket is usually easier in the larger size. Shirts should be chosen by collar, then by sleeve, then by cut (classic, slim or extra slim) for the body. For trousers, round up to the next whole inch; taking in a waist is a quick job, letting it out is limited by the seam allowance.

Not sure your numbers are right? How to measure yourself covers chest, neck, waist, sleeve and inseam, and the international guide explains Asian sizes such as 100 or 175/92A.