From Korean 44/55/66 to US 4 and EU 36 — Clothing Size Systems by Country Explained
Which body measurements Korean KS sizes and 44/55/66, US ASTM numeric sizes, European, French and Italian sizes, and Japanese JIS sizes each come from, and how to convert between them.
Clothing sizes look more complicated than shoe sizes, but the principle is the same. Most size numbers come from chest, waist and hip circumference. Countries simply use different rules to turn those circumferences into numbers.
Korea: chest circumference is the size
The Korean Industrial Standards KS K 0050 (menswear) and KS K 0051 (womenswear) recommend labeling garments with the body measurements themselves. A men's top labeled ‘95’ is for a chest of about 95 cm, and trousers labeled ‘81’ are for a waist of about 81 cm. Womenswear also uses chest measurements of 85, 90, 95 together with letters such as S, M, L.
The Korean sizes 44, 55 and 66 are customary labels used since before this system. They are commonly said to originate from taking the average body of adult women in the early 1980s (height around 155 cm, chest around 85 cm) as size 55. Today, shops generally match 44 = XS, 55 = S, 66 = M, 77 = L and 88 = XL, but brands vary widely.
United States: numeric sizes (0, 2, 4, 6 …) and letter sizes
US women's numeric sizes follow the body measurement tables of the private standard ASTM D5585. In the 2011 edition (D5585-11e1), size 4 is a bust of about 34⅛ inches (86.7 cm) and size 8 is 36¼ inches (92 cm). Over time the measurements for the same number have grown (so-called ‘vanity sizing’), so older and newer charts may differ.
Men's suits use numbers close to the chest circumference in inches (38, 40, 42), and casual wear uses S, M, L letter sizes. US letter sizes tend to run larger than Korean ones, so someone who wears Korean 95 (M) often fits an S from a US brand.
United Kingdom: US + 4
UK women's sizes are commonly matched by adding 4 to the US size (US 6 ≈ UK 10). For men, the UK uses the chest circumference in inches, the same as the US.
Europe, France, Italy: same body, different numbers
| System | Women's size formula | For an 88 cm bust |
|---|---|---|
| Germany/EU | Bust ÷ 2 − 6 | 38 |
| France | Bust ÷ 2 − 4 | 40 |
| Italy | Bust ÷ 2 | 44 |
So an Italian brand's 44 and a German brand's 38 are made for the same body. For men's suits, Europe, Italy and France all use half the chest circumference (48 = chest of about 96–100 cm).
Japan: size numbers (号) and body-type codes
Japan's JIS L 4005 divides womenswear into odd-numbered sizes such as 5, 7, 9 and 11号, with bust measurements 3–4 cm apart (9号 83 cm, 11号 86 cm). Codes for height (P, R, T) and hip type (Y, A, AB, B) are sometimes added, as in ‘9AR’.
Tips for converting between countries
- Rather than converting number to number, it is most accurate to measure your own chest, waist and hips first and find those values in each brand's size chart.
- Systems use different steps (Korea 5 cm, Europe 4 cm, Japan 3–4 cm), so they don't line up exactly on one row. If you fall on a boundary, choose the larger size.
- Even at the same size, the actual dimensions vary with the design, such as ‘slim fit’ or ‘oversized fit’. If a garment measurement chart is available, compare it with clothes you own.
The full correspondence for each system is in the clothing and bra size chart.
Size systems are approximate correspondences based on national standards and industry practice, and can differ by half to one size depending on brand, product and fabric. Always check the brand's own size chart before buying.