science

U.S. standard clothing size

U.S. standard clothing size is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand U.S. standard clothing size rather than just read about it. In short: U.S. standard clothing sizes for women were originally developed from statistical data in the 1940s and 1950s. At that time, they were similar in concept to the EN 13402 European clothing size standard, although individual manufacturers have always deviated from them, sometimes significantly.

Key takeaways

U.S. standard clothing size belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect U.S. standard clothing size to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of U.S. standard clothing size from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

U.S. standard clothing sizes for women were originally developed from statistical data in the 1940s and 1950s. At that time, they were similar in concept to the EN 13402 European clothing size standard, although individual manufacturers have always deviated from them, sometimes significantly. However, as a result of various cultural pressures, most notably vanity sizing, North American clothing sizes have drifted substantially away from this standard over time, and now have very little connection to it. Instead, they now follow the more loosely defined standards known as U.S. catalog sizes. Body measurements below are given in inches.

History Men's standard sizes were probably developed first during the American Revolutionary War, and they were in regular use by the American army during the War of 1812 for ready-made uniforms. These were based on the chest measurement, with other measurements being assumed to be either proportional (the circumference of the neck, waist, hips, and thighs) or easily altered (length of the inseam). As this was largely successful in men, the same approach was attempted in the early 20th century for women using the bust as the sole measurement. However, this proved unsuccessful because women's bodies have far more variety in shape. The hourglass figure is frequently used as an industry standard, but only 8% of women have this body shape. A woman with an hourglass figure and a woman with an apple-shaped figure who have the same bust size will not have the same waist or hip sizes. This was a significant problem for mail-order companies, and several attempts at predictable, standard sizing were made. In the 1940s, the statisticians Ruth O'Brien and William Shelton received a Works Progress Administration grant to conduct the most ambitious effort to solve this problem. Their team measured almost 15,000 women across the US. After discovering the complex diversity of women's actual sizes, which produced five to seven body shapes, they proposed a three-part sizing system. Each size would be the combination of a single number representing an upper body measurement, plus an indicator for height (short, regular, and long) and an indication for girth (slim, regular, and stout). The various combinations of height and girth resulted in nine sizes for each numerical upper-body measurement, which was highly impractical for manufacturing. As a result, O'Brien and Shelton's work was rejected. In 1958, the National Bureau of Standards invented a new sizing system, based on the hourglass figure and using only the bust size to create an arbitrary standard of sizes ranging from 8 to 38, with an indication for height (short, regular, and tall) and lower-body girth (plus or minus). The resulting commercial standard was not widely popular, and was declared voluntary in 1970 and withdrawn entirely in 1983. In 1995, ASTM International published its own voluntary standard, which has been revised since then. It has not been widely adopted.

Women's sizes Women's sizes are divided into various types, depending on height. These charts give an indication of size only and are by no means exact as they vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, sometimes by a full inch up and down.

Overview There are multiple size types, designed to fit somewhat different body shapes. Variations include the height of the person's torso (known as back length), whether the bust, waist, and hips are straighter (characteristic of teenagers) or curvier (like many adult women), and whether the bust is higher or lower (characteristic of younger and older women, respectively). These categories include:

Misses sizes The most common size category. For women of about average height (5 ft 4 in) with an average bust height and an hourglass figure. Dress sizes may be given as girth at the bust in inches (e.g., 36), but even-numbered sizes from 2 to 16 are more common. Categorical sizes range from XS (extra-small) to XL (extra-large). Junior sizes For short women with higher busts and fairly straight bodies. Junior sizes are commonly given as odd-numbered sizes from 1 to 15, which correspond to the next number up in misses' sizes. Women's sizes or plus sizes For larger women of average height, sometimes with lower bust lines. Like misses' sizes, the sizes may be given as a dress size based on the bust measurement, but they are usually given as even-numbered sizes from 18 up. Categorical sizes usually range from 1X (similar to extra-large, but with slightly different proportions compared to the misses' size) up. Misses petite Made for short women (Usually under 5 ft 4 in) with average busts and the same shaping characteristics as Regular Misses. Sizes follow the misses' standard and are marked with a P, as in 10P. Junior petite For very short women with average busts and fairly straight bodies. Size may be denoted as "5JP" or as "5P". Women's petite For larger, shorter women, sometimes with lower bust lines. Sizes are marked the same as women's with a P, as in 20P. Young junior For short women with high busts and fairly straight bodies. Tall sizes For taller women (usually 5 ft 8 in or above), usually with a proportionately average bust height and an hourglass figure. Sizes are usually written with the corresponding misses' size and a T to indicate tall, as in "10T". Half sizes For short women with lower busts and more hourglass body shapes. Sizes are written with a 1⁄2, as in "10+1⁄2".

Details Please compare to your favorite fit charts. These measurements conflict with many other size charts. These charts are significantly smaller than many current US clothing companies.

Girls' sizes

Boys' sizes

Children's sizes

Baby sizes

Conversion from catalog sizes Companies who publish catalogs may provide the measurements for their sizes, which may vary even among different styles of the same type of garment. The sizes seen in catalogs generally have roughly the following measurements:

With the average American woman's height (20 years and older) at about 5 ft 4 in (162.1 cm) (Department of Health 2012), both standard and catalog size ranges attempt to address a variety of weights or builds as well as providing for the "shorter-than-average" height woman with "petite" and "half-sizes". However "taller-than-average" women may find their size-height addressed by manufacturers less frequently, and may often find themselves facing issues of slightly too short pant legs and sleeve cuffs, as well as waist lengths.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with U.S. standard clothing size

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what U.S. standard clothing size claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to U.S. standard clothing size before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about U.S. standard clothing size ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of U.S. standard clothing size

In research: U.S. standard clothing size appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses U.S. standard clothing size in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: U.S. standard clothing size is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Customary units of measurement in the United States, Fashion design, Sizes in clothing, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for U.S. standard clothing size outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study U.S. standard clothing size in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what U.S. standard clothing size means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain U.S. standard clothing size out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is U.S. standard clothing size in simple terms?

Why does U.S. standard clothing size matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study U.S. standard clothing size?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on U.S. standard clothing size.