European Clothing Sizes and Size Conversions

Planning on shopping for clothes in Europe? Find the difference in size between the U.S. (or Canada) and European sizes.

Size conversion isn't an exact science. The numbers below are general and come from a variety of sources. Note that there is no real standard for sizing women's clothing in the US; more expensive vendors are more generous in sizing so customers will feel thinner. You really have to try clothes on in the store.

Most stores in Europe will have salespeople who can speak enough English to provide assistance about sizing. A good salesperson can look at you and tell you what size you need because they are intimately aware of the sizes they sell. The more expensive the store, the greater likelihood of English fluency. On the other hand, hand signals work fine when shopping for clothes. For sizes that depend on measurements, remember that one inch = 2.54 centimeters (although 2 1/2 is probably close enough to start).

Below the clothing size charts you'll find some tips on shopping for clothes in Europe.

Women's Sizing

Women's Clothing: Dresses and Blouses*

US	UK	Europe	Italy	France
4	6	34	40	36
6	8	36	42	38
8	10	38	44	40
10	12	40	46	42
12	14	42	48	44
14	16	44	-	-
16	18	46	-	-
18	20	48	-	-

*Note: You may need to add 2 to the UK sizes in the chart above. The "European sizes" shown apply mostly to Germany and the Scandinavian countries, and don't apply to Italy and France.

I've added his recommendations for those country's clothing sizes.

Women's Shoes

US	UK	Europe
4	2 1/2	35
5	3 1/2	37
6	4 1/2	38
7	5 1/2	39
8	6 1/2	40
9	7 1/2	41

Men's Sizing

Men's Clothes: Shirt Sizes

US General	US / UK	Europe
Small	34	87
Medium	36	91
	38	97
Large	40	102
X-Large	42	107
	44	112
	46	117

Men's Clothing: Suit Sizes

US/UK	Europe
32	42
34	44
36	46
38	48
40	50
42	52
44	54

Men's Clothing: Shoe Sizes

US	UK	Europe
7	5 1/2	39
8	6 1/2	41
9	7 1/2	42
10	8 1/2	43
11	9 1/2	45
12	10 1/2	46
13	11 1/2	47

Men's Clothing: Men's Hats

US	UK	Europe
5 3/4	5 3/4	54
6	5 5/8	55
7	6	56
7	7	57
7 1/4	7	58
7 1/2	7	60

Notes on Shopping for Clothes in Europe

As with any shop, it's best to greet the European shopkeeper with a hearty "Good morning" (or day, or evening) in the local language, as shopkeepers consider their shops an extension of their homes, and will treat you better if you use the polite words and greetings. You might even catch a break on prices.

A good source of inexpensive clothing is at an open air market. Weekly markets in smaller towns and daily in larger usually have an increasing number of vendors for clothing. You might be amazed at what you find and prices are usually better than you'll find in the US.

Have a happy adventure buying clothes in a foreign country!