Women's clothing sizes: UK, US, EU, Italian and measurements
Women's clothing sizes have no anchor: a UK 12 is a US 8, a European 40 and an Italian 44, and each of those numbers has drifted over the decades as brands relabelled larger garments with smaller sizes (vanity sizing). Letter sizes are looser still: ASOS labels a UK 12 to 14 garment M on its UK site and S on its US site. The body measurements in the last three columns are what decide fit; the size numbers are labels that each brand maps to them differently.
| Letter | UK | US | EU | IT | Bust (cm / in) | Waist (cm / in) | Hips (cm / in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 4 | 1 | 32 | — | 76 / 30 | 56 / 22 | 81 / 32 |
| XS | 6 | 2 | 34 | 38 | 79 / 31 | 58 / 23 | 84 / 33 |
| S | 8 | 4 | 36 | 40 | 81 / 32 | 61 / 24 | 86 / 34 |
| S | 10 | 6 | 38 | 42 | 86 / 34 | 66 / 26 | 91 / 36 |
| M | 12 | 8 | 40 | 44 | 91 / 36 | 71 / 28 | 97 / 38 |
| M | 14 | 10 | 42 | 46 | 97 / 38 | 76 / 30 | 102 / 40 |
| L | 16 | 12 | 44 | — | 102 / 40 | 81 / 32 | 107 / 42 |
| L | 18 | 14 | 46 | — | 109 / 43 | 89 / 35 | 114 / 45 |
| XL | 20 | 16 | 48 | — | 114 / 45 | 97 / 38 | 122 / 48 |
| — | 22 | 18 | 50 | — | 122 / 48 | 104 / 41 | 130 / 51 |
| — | 24 | 20 | 52 | — | 127 / 50 | 109 / 43 | 135 / 53 |
| — | 26 | 22 | 54 | — | 135 / 53 | 117 / 46 | 142 / 56 |
How to measure
Bust: around the fullest part, tape level, not pulled tight. Waist: around the natural waist, the narrowest point above the navel. Hips: around the fullest part of the seat, feet together. Measure over underwear and compare with the brand’s own chart; if you fall between sizes, the cut of the garment (stretch, fitted, oversized) decides which way to go.
The table is a conversion between labels, not a measurement standard: brands differ by up to a full size. When a garment or shoe matters, use the centimeter column and the brand’s own chart. Centimeters to inches, if needed: cm to inches.
Sources
UK, US and EU sizes, letters and measurements are from the ASOS chart. ASOS publishes each measurement twice, in centimeters and in inches, and the two disagree at several sizes (UK 10: bust 91 cm against 34 in, which is 86 cm). We used the inch figures, which progress regularly, and converted them to centimeters. Italian sizes are from Mulberry, which gives them for UK 6 to 14 only; we do not extend them by guesswork. Australian sizes equal UK sizes on the ASOS chart.
Checked against the sources on 30 October 2026. Found a difference with a current chart? The methodology page keeps the corrections log.
Other size charts
Frequently asked questions
UK 12, EU 40 and Italian 44, for a bust of about 91 cm (36 in), waist 71 cm (28 in) and hips 97 cm (38 in), according to the ASOS and Mulberry charts.
At ASOS, UK 12 to 14, which is US 8 to 10 and EU 40 to 42. The same garment is labelled S on the ASOS US site, so letter sizes are not comparable between countries even within one shop.
There is no standard; each brand defines its own measurements for each label. The European standard EN 13402 proposes labelling clothes by body measurements in centimeters, which few brands print on the label.