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EN 13402 - A European Clothing Size Standard

February 21st, 2006 at 12:00 pm (Europe, Standards)

EN 13402 is a European standard for labeling clothes sizes. It is based on body dimensions, measured in centimetres. It aims to replace many older national dress-size systems, starting in the year 2006.

There are three approaches for size-labeling of clothes:

• body dimensions: The product label states for which range of body dimensions the product was designed. (Example: bike helmet labelled “head girth: 56–60 cm”, shoe labeled “foot length: 28 cm”)
• product dimensions: The label states characteristic measures of the product. (Example: jeans labeled with their inner-leg length in centimeters or inches, i.e. not the – several centimeters longer – inner leg length of the intended wearer)
• ad-hoc size: The label provides a size number or code with no obvious relationship to any measurement. (Example: Size 12, XL)

Traditionally, clothes have been labeled using many different ad-hoc size systems. This approach has led to a number of problems:

• Country-specific or even vendor-specific labels create additional costs.
• Ad-hoc sizes have changed with time, often due to “vanity labelling”, an inflation in body dimensions associated with a size, to avoid confronting aging customers with uncomfortable anthropometric truths.
• Mail-order purchasing requires accurate methods for predicting the best-fitting size.
• Many garments need to be selected based on two or three body dimensions to fit adequately, and not a single scalar.
• Scalar ad-hoc sizes based on 1950s anthropometric studies are no longer adequate, as changes in nutrition and life styles have shifted the distribution of body dimensions.

Therefore, the European standards body CEN started in 1996 the process of designing a new modern system of labeling clothes sizes, resulting in the standard EN 13402 “Size designation of clothes”.

It is based on:

• body-dimensions
• the metric system (SI - The International System of Units (abbreviated SI from the French language name Système International d’Unités))
• data from new anthropometric studies of the European population performed in the late 1990s
• similar existing international standards (ISO 3635, etc.)

The EN 13402 standard consists of four parts:

1. EN 13402-1: Terms, definitions and body measurement procedure
2. EN 13402-2: Primary and secondary dimensions
3. EN 13402-3: Measurements and intervals
4. EN 13402-4: Coding system

EN 13402-1: Terms, definitions and body measurement procedure

The first part of the standard defines the list of body dimensions to be used for designating clothes sizes, together with an anatomical explanation and measurement guidelines:

head girth : maximum horizontal girth of the head measured above the ears

neck girth : girth of the neck measured with the tape measure passed 2 cm below the Adam’s apple and at the level of the 7th cervical vertebra

chest girth : maximum horizontal girth measured during normal breathing with the subject standing erect and the tape-measure passed over the shoulder blades (scapulae), under the armpits (axillae), and across the chest

bust girth : maximum horizontal girth measured during normal breathing with the subject standing erect and the tape-measure passed horizontally, under the armpits (axillae), and across the bust prominence (preferably measured with moderate tension over a brassiere that shall not deform the breast in an unnatural way and shall not displace its volume)

underbust girth : horizontal girth of the body measured just below the breasts

waist girth : girth of the natural waistline between the top of the hip bones (iliac crests) and the lower ribs, measured with the subject breathing normally and standing erect with the abdomen relaxed

hip girth : horizontal girth measured round the buttocks at the level of maximum circumference

height : vertical distance between the crown of the head and the soles of the feet, measured with the subject standing erect without shoes and with the feet together (for infants not yet able to stand upright: length of the body measured in a straight line from the crown of the head to the soles of the feet)

inside leg length : distance between the crotch and the soles of the feet, measured in a straight vertical line with the subject erect, feet slightly apart, and the weight of the body equally distributed on both legs

arm length : distance, measured using the tape-measure, from the armscye/shoulder line intersection (acromion), over the elbow, to the far end of the prominent wrist bone (ulna), with the subject’s right fist clenched and placed on the hip, and with the arm bent at 90°

hand girth : maximum girth measured over the knuckles (metacarpals) of the open right hand, fingers together and thumb excluded

foot length : horizontal distance between perpendiculars in contact with the end of the most prominent toe and the most prominent part of the heel, measured with the subject standing barefoot and the weight of the body equally distributed on both feet

body mass : measured with a suitable balance in kilograms

These dimensions are meant to be measured preferably without or as few as possible clothes.

All body dimensions are measured in centimeters, except for the body mass.

The standard also defines a pictogram that can be used in language-neutral labels to indicate one or several of the above body dimensions.

EN 13402-2: Primary and secondary dimensions

The second part of the standard defines for each type of garment one “primary dimension”. This is the body measure according to which the product must be labelled.

For some types of garment, a single measure may not be sufficient to select the right product. In these cases, one or two “secondary dimensions” can be added to the label.

The following table shows the primary and secondary dimensions listed in the standard. Secondary dimensions are shown in parenthesis.

Garment	Men	Women	Boys	Girls
Jackets	chest girth (height, waist girth)	bust girth (height, hip girth)	height (chest girth)	height (bust girth)
Suits	chest girth, waist girth (height, inside leg length)	bust girth (height, hip girth)	height (chest girth)	height (bust girth)
Overcoats	chest girth (height)	bust girth (height)	height (chest girth)	height (bust girth)
Shorts	waist girth (height, inside leg length)	waist girth (height, hip girth, inside leg length)	height (waist girth)	height (waist girth)
Skirts	—	waist girth (height, hip girth)	—	height (waist girth)
Dresses	—	bust girth (height, hip girth, waist girth)	—	height (bust girth)
Cardigans, sweaters, T-shirts	chest girth (height)	bust girth (height)	height (chest girth)	height (bust girth)
Shirts	neck girth (height, arm length)	—	height (neck girth)	—
Blouses	—	bust girth (height)	—	height (bust girth)
Underpants	waist girth (height)	waist girth (height, hip girth)	height (waist girth)	height (waist girth)
Vest	chest girth (height)	bust girth (height)	height (chest girth)	height (bust girth)
Pyjamas Ladies’ nightdresses	chest girth (height, waist girth)	bust girth (height, waist girth, hip girth)	height (chest girth)	height (bust girth)
Swim-suits/wear and bodies	waist girth (height, chest girth)	bust girth (height, hip girth, underbust girth)	height (chest girth, waist girth)	height (underbust girth, bust girth)
Bras	—	underbust girth, bust girth (cup size)	—	underbust girth, bust girth (cup size)
Corsetry/upper and full body	—	underbust girth, bust girth (height, hip girth, waist girth)	—	—
Corsetry/lower body	—	waist girth, hip girth (height)	—	—
Pantyhose	—	height (waist girth, weight)	height	height
Stockings	—	foot length
Socks	foot length
Gloves	hand girth
Head wear	head girth

EN 13402-3: Measurements and intervals

The third part of the standard defines preferred numbers of primary and secondary body dimensions.

The product should not be labeled with the average body dimension for which the garment was designed (i.e., not “height: 176″). Instead, the label should show the range of body dimensions from half the step size below to half the step size above the design size (e.g., “height: 172-180″).

For heights, for example, the standard recommends generally to use the following design dimensions, with a step size of 8 cm:

Height	…	160	168	176	184	192	200	…
Range	…	156-164	164-172	172-180	180-188	188-196	196-204	…

For trousers, the recommended step size for height is 4 cm:

Height	…	156	160	164	168	172	176
Range	…	154-158	158-162	162-166	166-170	170-174	174-178

Height	180	184	188	192	196	200	…
Range	178-182	182-186	186-190	190-194	194-198	198-202	…

The standard defines similar tables for other dimensions and garments, only some of which are shown here.

Men

The standard sizes and ranges for chest and waist girth are:

Chest girth	84	88	92	96	100	104	108	112
Range	82-86	86-90	90-94	94-98	98-102	102-106	106-110	110-114
Waist girth	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	100
Range	70-74	74-78	78-82	82-86	86-90	90-94	94-98	98-102

Chest girth	116	120	126	132	138	144
Range	114-118	118-123	123-129	129-135	135-141	141-147
Waist girth	104	108	114	120	126	132
Range	102-106	106-111	111-117	117-123	123-129	129-135

The above table is for drop = -12 cm, where

drop = waist girth - chest girth.

Example: While manufacturers will typically design clothes for chest girth = 100 cm such that it fits waist girth = 88 cm, they may also want to combine that chest girth with neighboring waist girth step sizes 84 cm or 92 cm, to cover these drop types (-16 cm and -8 cm) as well.

The standard also suggests that neck girth can be associated with chest girth according to this table:

Neck girth	37	38	39	40	41	42	43
Range	36.5-37.5	37.5-38.5	38.5-39.5	39.5-40.5	40.5-41.5	41.5-42.5	42.5-43.5
Chest girth	88	92	96	100	104	108	112

Neck girth	44	45	46.5	48	49.5	51
Range	43.5-44.5	44.5-45.8	45.8-47.3	47.3-48.8	48.8-50.3	50.3-51.1
Chest girth	116	120	126	132	138	144

The standard further suggests that arm length can be associated with height according to this table:

Height	156	160	164	168	172	176
Arm length	60	61	62	63	64	65
Range	59-60	60-61	61-62	62-63	63-64	64-65

Height	180	184	188	192	196	200
Arm length	66	67	68	69	70	71
Range	65-66	66-67	67-68	68-69	69-70	70-71

Women

Dress Sizes

The standard sizes and ranges for bust, waist and hip girth are:

Bust girth	76	80	84	88	92	96	100	104	110
Range	74-78	78-82	82-86	86-90	90-94	94-98	98-102	102-107	107-113
Waist girth	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	94
Range	58-62	62-66	66-70	70-74	74-78	78-82	82-86	86-91	91-97
Hip girth	84	88	92	96	100	104	108	112	117
Range	82-86	86-90	90-94	94-98	98-102	102-106	106-110	110-115	115-120

Bust girth	116	122	128	134	140	146	152
Range	113-119	119-125	125-131	131-137	137-143	143-149	149-155
Waist girth	100	106	112	118	124	130	136
Range	97-103	103-109	109-115	115-121	121-127	127-133	133-139
Hip girth	122	127	132	137	142	147	152
Range	120-125	125-130	130-135	135-140	140-145	145-150	150-155

Bra Sizes

The standard sizes for brassiere are:

Underbust girth	60	65	70	75	80	85	90	95
Range	58-62	63-67	68-72	73-77	78-82	83-88	88-92	93-98

Underbust girth	100	105	110	115	120	125
Range	98-102	103-108	108-112	113-118	118-122	123-128

The secondary dimension cup size can be expressed in terms of the difference

cup size = bust girth - underbust girth

and can be labeled compactly using a letter code appended to the underbust girth:

Code	AA	A	B	C	D	E	F	G
Cup size range	10-12	12-14	14-16	16-18	18-20	20-22	22-24	24-26

Example: Bra size 70B is suitable for women with underbust girth 68-72 cm and bust girth 84-86 cm.

Letter codes

For clothes where a larger step size is sufficient, the standard also defines a letter code. This code represents the bust girth for women and the chest girth for men. The standard does not define such a code for children.

extra extra small	XXS	70-78	66-74
extra small	XS	78-86	74-82
small	S	86-94	82-90
medium	M	94-102	90-98
large	L	102-110	98-106
extra large	XL	110-118	107-119
extra extra large	XXL	118-129	119-131
extra extra extra large	3XL	129-141	131-143

Each range combines two adjacent size steps. The ranges could be extended below XXS or above 3XL if necessary.

EN 13402-4: Coding system

The fourth part of the standard is still under review and is expected to be published in early 2006. It describes a compact coding system for clothes sizes. It is mostly intended for industry to use in databases and as a part of stock-keeping identifiers and catalogue ordering numbers. Writing out all the centimetre figures of all the primary and secondary measures from EN 13402-2 can in some cases require up to 12 digits. The full list of centimeter figures on the pictogram contains a lot of redundancy and the same information can be squeezed into fewer digits with lookup tables. EN 13402-4 defines several such tables. They list all in-use combinations of EN 13402-3 measures and assign a short 2- or 3-digit code to each.

Tags: clothes, size, EN 13402