How to Measure Shirt Size: Chest, Shoulder, Sleeve and Collar
Wrap a soft tape around the fullest part of your chest, under the arms, level and relaxed. That body chest number decides your size. Then check shoulder (bone to bone across the back), sleeve (shoulder to wrist bone), collar (base of neck plus one finger) and length. Or measure a well-fitting shirt laid flat.
To measure your shirt size, you need a soft tape and two minutes. Measure your chest at the fullest point, then shoulder, sleeve, collar and length. Or lay a shirt that fits you flat and measure it. Chest decides the size; the rest confirms it.
What you need
- A soft tailor's tape. No tape? A piece of string and a steel ruler work.
- A thin T-shirt or bare chest. Do not measure over a jumper.
- A mirror, or a second person for shoulder and sleeve.
1. Chest
Wrap the tape around the fullest part of your chest, under the arms and across the shoulder blades. Keep it level all the way round. Breathe normally and keep one finger under the tape. This is your body chest, the number size charts mean by "fits chest".
2. Shoulder
Measure across your back from the edge of one shoulder bone to the other, following the curve. On a shirt, this is where the sleeve seam should sit.
3. Sleeve
With your arm relaxed and slightly bent, measure from the shoulder edge, over the elbow, to the wrist bone. A shirt cuff should end at the wrist bone and show a little below a jacket sleeve.
4. Collar (neck)
Measure around the base of your neck where a collar sits, just above the Adam's apple. Keep one finger between the tape and your neck. That number, in cm or inches, is your collar size: 39, 40, 42 or 44 in Indian formal shirts.
5. Length
Measure from the base of the back of your neck, where the collar seam sits, down to where you want the hem: about mid-seat for a shirt you will wear untucked or tucked.
The flat-shirt method (easiest)
Take a shirt that fits you well. Button it and lay it flat on a table.
| Measure | How on a flat shirt |
|---|---|
| Chest | Armpit seam to armpit seam, 2 cm below the armhole, then double it |
| Shoulder | Shoulder seam to shoulder seam across the back |
| Sleeve | Shoulder seam to cuff edge |
| Length | Collar seam at the back to the hem |
| Collar | Centre of the collar button to the far end of the buttonhole, laid flat |
This gives you garment chest, which you can compare directly with the garment column of any size chart.
Body chest vs garment chest
Body chest is you; garment chest is the shirt. The difference is ease. A slim fit leaves about 3 to 4 inches, a regular fit about 4 to 6. mtsya shirts are regular fit: L fits a 42½ in body chest and measures 46½ in across the garment.
| mtsya size | S | M | L | XL | XXL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body chest (in) | 38½ | 40¼ | 42½ | 45 | 47¾ |
| Garment chest (in) | 42½ | 44 | 46½ | 48¾ | 51½ |
Common mistakes
- Pulling the tape tight. Size charts assume a relaxed tape.
- Choosing by height or weight. Chest and shoulders decide shirt size.
- Comparing your body chest with a garment chest. Match like with like.
Next step
Take your chest number to the size guide, or look up your letter size: M, L, XL. For collar numbers across countries, see the shirt size conversion chart. Then choose a shirt: Manu White, Deep Water or Deluge, each with the Matsya fish stitched small at the left chest, for the fish that guided Manu's boat through the flood.
Shop the shirts
Questions, answered
How do I measure my chest for a shirt?
Wrap a soft tape around the fullest part of your chest, under the arms and across the shoulder blades. Keep it level, breathe normally and leave one finger of room. That number is your body chest.
How do I measure a shirt laid flat?
Button the shirt and lay it flat. Measure armpit seam to armpit seam just below the armhole and double it for the chest. Measure shoulder seam to seam, shoulder seam to cuff for sleeve, and collar seam to hem for length.
How do I find my collar size?
Measure around the base of your neck, just above the Adam's apple, with one finger under the tape. The number in cm, such as 39, 40 or 42, is your collar size in Indian formal shirts.
Can I measure my shirt size without a tape?
Yes. Use a piece of string or a charger cable around your chest, mark where it meets, and lay it along a steel ruler. Or measure a shirt that fits you flat.
Should I measure over clothes?
Measure over a thin T-shirt at most. A jumper or thick shirt adds an inch or more and can push you into the wrong size.
The fitting room
Read next:Shirt size conversion chart ·L size shirt chest size ·M size shirt chest size