01The one rule that fixes most of it
Never buy by the letter. Buy by the centimetre figure.
Chinese listings publish measurements for the garment itself: chest width, shoulder width, body length, sleeve length. Take a garment you already own and like, lay it flat, measure it, and match those numbers. Ignore S/M/L entirely.
Why "I'm a US medium" does not help you here
- Two listings both labelled XL routinely differ by 8 cm of chest width.
- A US medium is roughly a Chinese L–XL in letter terms, but that is a label comparison, not a fit guarantee.
- "Oversized" is a cut, not a size up. Buying one size larger in a regular cut gives you a badly draped garment, not an oversized one.
02Rough label conversion, for orientation only
Treat this as a sanity check, not a conversion tool. Match the centimetres, not the letters.
| Garment chest (flat, doubled) | CN | US (men) | EU |
|---|---|---|---|
| 96–100 cm | M | XS–S | 44–46 |
| 100–106 cm | L | S–M | 46–48 |
| 106–112 cm | XL | M–L | 48–50 |
| 112–118 cm | 2XL | L–XL | 50–52 |
| 118–124 cm | 3XL | XL–2XL | 52–54 |
Women's sizing in Chinese listings follows the same principle but with narrower chest intervals and different waist ratios. Again: match the centimetres.
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03How to measure a garment you already own
Lay the garment flat on a table. Do not stretch it. Use a soft tape and let it sit on the fabric, not pressed into it.
- Chest / pit to pit — from one armpit seam straight across to the other, then double it. Listings almost always quote the doubled figure. If a chest number around 100 looks impossible, you are reading a half measurement.
- Shoulder — seam to seam across the back, at the top of the shoulders. For jackets this is the measurement that decides whether the garment works at all.
- Body length — from the highest point of the shoulder straight down to the hem.
- Sleeve — from the shoulder seam to the cuff, following the outside of the sleeve.
- Waist — across the top of the waistband, doubled, with the fly closed.
- Inseam — from the crotch seam down the inside of the leg to the hem.
Layering arithmetic
If you intend to wear a coat over a thick knit, the coat's chest needs to be roughly 10–14 cm larger than the knit's chest, or it will pull across the back and restrict your arms.
04Shoes: ignore the size number
Chinese shoe listings usually publish foot length in millimetres. That is the only figure worth using. EU and US conversions vary by brand and by last shape, and sports shoes and boots of the same nominal size are frequently different lengths.
- Stand on a sheet of paper with your heel against a wall.
- Mark the tip of your longest toe — not necessarily the big toe.
- Measure heel to mark in millimetres.
- Add 5 mm of clearance for walking, more if you wear thick socks.
- Match that number against the listing's foot length column.
Measure both feet. Most people differ by a few millimetres, and you should size to the longer one.
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05Cut language: what the listing is promising you
Chinese listings describe the cut in their own vocabulary, and it usually appears before any measurement table. Misreading it is the second most common reason a correctly-sized garment still looks wrong.
| Term | Means | What it changes in practice |
|---|---|---|
| 修身 xiūshēn | Slim fit | Cut close through the body. Sized to your measurement with almost no ease — if you are between sizes, this is where you take the larger one |
| 常规 / 标准 | Regular fit | The default. Roughly 8–12 cm of ease through the chest |
| 宽松 kuānsōng | Loose | Generous through the body, but shoulders still sit close. Not the same as oversized |
| 廓形 kuòxíng | Oversized silhouette | Deliberately wide and boxy, with a dropped shoulder line and a longer body |
| 落肩 luòjiān | Drop shoulder | The shoulder seam sits down the arm, not on the shoulder point. Shoulder width stops being meaningful — read the chest and sleeve instead |
| 正肩 zhèngjiān | Set-in shoulder | The seam sits on your shoulder point. Here the shoulder measurement is the one that decides fit |
| 加绒 jiāróng | Fleece lined | An extra layer inside. Size as normal, but the garment will be warmer and less drapey than the photos suggest |
| 薄款 / 加厚 | Thin version / thickened | Same pattern, different fabric weight. Two listings, one cut — the measurements may be identical while the feel is not |
06Bottoms: the three numbers listings leave out
Waist alone is not enough for trousers, and this is where most buyers who have mastered tops still get burned. Four figures govern whether a pair of bottoms works, and listings routinely publish only the first.
| Measurement | Chinese label | What goes wrong without it |
|---|---|---|
| Waist | 腰围 | Usually published. Necessary, not sufficient |
| Front rise | 前立裆 | Too low and the waistband will not sit where you expect, whatever the waist size says. This is the number behind "the size was right but they sit wrong" |
| Inseam | 内长 | Decides whether they are cropped, full length or pooled at the ankle. Varies by 12 cm between two pairs of the same nominal size |
| Thigh width | 大腿围 | The one people never check and the one that stops a pair going on. Measure around your fullest thigh point and add 4–6 cm |
A worked comparison
Two listings, both labelled CN 30, both a 78 cm waist:
- Pair A: front rise 24 cm, inseam 76 cm, thigh 58 cm — a straight-leg cut that sits at the natural waist
- Pair B: front rise 20 cm, inseam 68 cm, thigh 52 cm — a low-rise, cropped cut that will not fasten on the same leg
Same waist, two different garments. If you only compared the waist you had a coin flip.
07Stretch and shrinkage: the size you should actually buy
The measurement table describes the garment as it arrives. What matters is the garment after a wash and after it has been worn for an hour. Two fabric properties change the answer.
Elastane content
| Elastane | Behaviour | How to size |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | Rigid. Will not forgive a tight measurement | Buy to the measurements exactly, with the ease the cut intends |
| 1–5% | Comfort stretch. Recovers its shape | Normal sizing. A centimetre tight will relax |
| 6–12% | Athletic stretch. Snug on purpose | Size to your measurement, not above it — these are cut close deliberately |
| Above 12% | Compression. Needs exact fit | Ask for the flat measurements and compare against an item you own |
Shrinkage
- Cotton, not pre-shrunk: expect 3–5% off the length. On a 70 cm body that is up to 3.5 cm — visible.
- Viscose / rayon: can lose 5–8% and will not come back. Treat the listed measurements as an upper bound.
- Wool: does not shrink evenly, it felts. One hot wash can take a jumper down two sizes with no recovery at all.
- Pre-shrunk or garment-washed cotton: under 2%. If a listing claims it, hold them to it.
- Synthetics: effectively stable. Polyester and nylon hold their measurements.
08Sizing questions worth asking your agent
The size chart is missing or unreadable. What now?
Ask the agent's support to request measurements from the seller, or to have the warehouse tape the garment once it arrives. Most agents will lay a tape measure on the item for a QC photo if you ask — before you pay for shipping.
What does 宽松 mean on a Chinese listing?
Loose fit — generous through the body, but with shoulders that still sit close. It is not the same as oversized, which listings usually mark as 廓形.
Should I size up if a listing says oversized?
No. An oversized or 廓形 garment is already cut two sizes wider, with a dropped shoulder and a longer body. Sizing up as well gives you something unwearable. Buy your measured size and let the cut do the work.
Why do trousers fit badly when the waist is correct?
Because waist is only one of four numbers. Front rise (前立裆) decides where the waistband sits, inseam (内长) decides the length, and thigh width (大腿围) decides whether they go on at all. Two pairs labelled the same size can differ by 8 cm of rise and still be honest about the waist.
How much will a Chinese cotton garment shrink?
Unwashed cotton loses 3–5% of its length on a first hot wash — up to 3.5 cm on a 70 cm body, which is visible. Pre-shrunk or garment-washed cotton loses under 2%, synthetics are effectively stable, viscose can lose 5–8%, and wool felts irreversibly rather than shrinking evenly.
Do I need to worry about elastane content?
Only at the extremes. Under 10% is comfort stretch that recovers — size normally, and a centimetre tight will relax. Above 12% is compression, cut deliberately close, and needs an exact fit. Rigid 0% fabric will not forgive a tight measurement at all.
The listing only gives a height and weight recommendation.
That is a weak signal — it ignores build. Use it only as a tie-breaker between two adjacent centimetre sizes, never as the primary choice.
Will naturally dyed or handmade fabric fit differently?
Often, yes. Handmade garments are frequently cut to the maker's own pattern rather than a standard block, and natural dyeing can shrink cloth slightly. Always ask for measured dimensions before ordering, and treat the specification as your guide — see how to judge quality.
I still bought the wrong size. Can I return it?
Yes, if you catch it at QC while the item is still in China. Domestic returns are cheap and quick; once it ships internationally, returning usually costs more than the item. Ask the agent to open a dispute before you submit the parcel.
Got your four numbers written down? That is the whole skill. Next, check what the freight will actually cost you.
What shipping really costs →