China clothing size chart: CN to US and EU explained

01Reading a Chinese size code

A CN size like 175/96A means height 175 cm, chest 96 cm, and body type A. The letter at the end is a fit category: Y for a slim frame, A for a standard frame, B for a fuller frame and C for a heavier one. Most listings you will see are A.

The height is a rough guide to who the garment is cut for, not a hard limit. Two people at 175 cm can differ by 10 cm at the chest. The number after the slash is the one that matters most for fit.

02Tops: a working conversion

The table below is the mapping most listings follow when they bother to publish one. Treat it as a starting point and always confirm against the flat measurements on the specific listing, because factories deviate by several centimetres.

The pattern is consistent: CN labels run about one size smaller than their US equivalent, and about one to two smaller than UK sizing. That is why a US medium buyer often needs CN L or XL in a slim cut.

03Trousers and shorts

Trousers are harder because two numbers matter: waist and inseam. Chinese listings usually quote a waist in centimetres and a length in centimetres, and the letter is almost useless. A CN 76 waist is about 30 inches. A CN 84 waist is about 33 inches.

Inseam is where most buyers get caught. Chinese trousers are often cut with a 98 to 102 cm outseam, which is fine for someone around 175 cm and short for someone at 188 cm. Measure the inseam of a pair you own and compare it directly.

01Measure, do not guess

Take your best fitting tee, lay it flat and measure pit to pit, then double it. That is your chest target. Do the same for length and shoulder. For trousers, measure the waistband across the top and double it, then measure the inseam.

Keep those five numbers in a note you can reach in two seconds. When a listing publishes a flat chest of 54 cm, you know instantly that it is 108 cm around and how that compares with your 104 cm tee.

• Chest target: flat pit to pit measurement doubled
• Length target: collar to hem at the back
• Shoulder target: seam to seam across the back
• Waist target: waistband across, doubled
• Inseam target: crotch seam to hem

02Fit intent changes the size you pick

The same garment can be right in two different sizes depending on the look you want. A fitted shirt is usually 4 to 6 cm larger than your body chest. An oversized hoodie is 10 to 14 cm larger. That is a choice, not a conversion error.

Write the intent into your order notes before you pick a size. Otherwise you will pick the number that matches your body and end up with a fitted fit when you wanted the oversized one.

03Verify in the warehouse

When the item arrives at the agent, ask for a chest and length measurement. If it is off by more than about 3 cm from the listing, you have a fair case for an exchange while the parcel is still in China.

That extra step is the difference between a 15 dollar exchange and a 60 dollar mistake. Log both numbers in your sheet so the next order from the same seller starts with better information.

04Reading a size chart critically

Not every chart is trustworthy. One that lists only S, M and L with a single chest figure per size is telling you almost nothing, because the same three letters cover different cuts at different factories. A chart with a measurement per garment, plus a note about the intended fit, is worth more than a longer one with fewer numbers in it.

Watch for charts copied from a template. If the numbers are identical across three listings from three different stores, they came from the same source and describe none of the garments. That is not a reason to walk away from the item, but it is a reason to ask the agent to measure the actual piece before it ships.