How to read a measurement chart
The measurement chart is the one page that turns a style into numbers. Read it carefully once, and fit stops being a matter of opinion.
Measurement chart
Specimen| Point of measure | XS | S | M | L | XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Shoulder | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 |
| B | Waist | 62 | 66 | 70 | 74 | 78 |
| C | Length from HPS | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 |
| D | Sweep | 142 | 146 | 150 | 154 | 158 |
What the chart shows
Each row is a point of measure: one specific place on the garment, measured in one specific way. Each column is a size. The specimen above is the wrap dress from our home page: four points — A shoulder, B waist, C length from the high point shoulder, D sweep — in five sizes.
Real charts usually have more rows: bust, hip, armhole, sleeve length, neck width and so on. Which ones depends on the style.
Garment, not body
The numbers are taken from the finished garment laid flat, not from a person. A waist of 70 cm on the chart is the waist of the dress, and it already includes the ease the style needs. Comparing it directly with a body measurement will mislead you.
Circumferences can be written in full or as half measurements across the flat garment. The chart should say which; the specimen uses full measurements.
How each point is measured
A number is only useful if everyone measures it the same way. Length can start at the shoulder seam, the high point shoulder or the centre back neck; a waist can be taken at the narrowest point or at a fixed distance from the shoulder. A good chart says where each measurement starts and ends — that is what the letters on the flat drawing are for.
Base size and grading
The pattern is made in one size first: the base size, M in the specimen. The other sizes are graded from it in steps. In the specimen, the waist and sweep step 4 cm per size, the shoulder and length 1 cm.
Check that the steps suit your customers. A range that should run smaller or larger, or longer lengths in the bigger sizes, is settled here, not after the sample.
Tolerance
No two garments come out identical to the millimetre. The tolerance is how far a measurement may differ from the chart and still count as correct. It is agreed in writing for your order, together with the chart, and the bulk order is checked against both. See How quality control works on a bulk order.
Before you confirm
- the points of measure cover what matters to you — bust and hip for a fitted dress, for example
- the base size matches your reference garment or the fit you want
- the size steps suit your customers
- circumferences are clearly marked as full or half
We cut the sample only after you confirm the chart.
Questions
Are these garment measurements or body measurements?
Garment measurements, taken flat. A body size chart for your customers is a separate thing, although it is worked out from the same numbers.
Do I have to write the chart myself?
No. Our pattern room drafts it from your sketch, photo or reference garment. You check it and confirm it.
What if my reference garment measures differently from the chart?
Tell us which one is right. We correct the chart or the pattern before the sample is cut.