Dress Size Converter

Wear thin clothing or just underwear, and use a soft tape measure. Bust is the fullest part of your chest with the tape parallel to the floor. Waist is the narrowest part of your torso, usually just above the belly button. Hip is the fullest part of your seat, with feet together. The calculator anchors on bust because that is the canonical measurement on every published chart, and uses waist and hip to break ties when your bust sits between two sizes.

The numbers are not measurements, they are scale labels. US sizing renumbered the scale in the 1970s and 1980s to soften the perceived size, a practice called vanity sizing. UK sizes stayed closer to the older scale, so a UK 12 lines up with what a US 8 dress would have been called in 1965. EU sizes are based on the bust measurement in centimeters, so EU 40 means a roughly 40 cm half-bust, which translates to a 36.5 in or 93 cm full bust. All three labels describe the same garment.

Italian sizing (IT) typically runs 4 numbers higher than French sizing (FR) for the same garment because the two systems use different starting points. An IT 44 and an FR 40 both map to roughly a US 8. Designer Italian labels like Prada and Dolce & Gabbana also tend to cut smaller than the chart, so an IT 44 in those labels can fit closer to a US 6 than a US 8. Check each brand's own size chart when ordering.

Japan uses an odd-number scale (5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15) where the number roughly tracks the bust measurement in jou, a traditional unit. A JP 9 lines up with a US 4, and a JP 13 with a US 8. Japanese clothing is also typically cut narrower in the shoulders and bust than US or European clothing, so even after the size conversion the fit can run snugger. International labels sold in Japan often print both JP and US or EU sizes on the tag.

The calculator selects the smallest row that accommodates every measurement you supply. If your bust fits US 8 but your waist or hip needs US 14, the result is US 14. This avoids recommending a garment that is already too small in one area. Fabric stretch, garment cut, and brand-specific grading still matter, so check the seller's own chart before ordering.