International Clothing Size Conversion Chart: US, UK, EU (2026 Guide)

Q: How do I convert my US clothing size to UK or EU?

For women's clothing, add 4 to your US size to estimate the UK size (a US 8 is roughly a UK 12), and add 30-32 to estimate the EU size (a US 8 is roughly an EU 40). For men's tops and jackets, EU sizes run about 10 higher than US (a US 38 is roughly an EU 48), while UK sizes usually match US directly. These are starting points, not guarantees - the same conversion applied to two different brands can land on two different real-world fits.

A US 8 dress is supposed to be a UK 12 and an EU 40. A US 9 shoe is supposed to be a UK 7 and an EU 40-41. Every retailer selling across borders publishes some version of the same conversion table, and every one of those tables is right in theory and only approximately right in practice - because there's no enforced international standard behind any of it. Two EU 38s from two different brands can differ by an inch or more through the bust or waist, and the conversion chart alone has no way of telling you that.

That gap is what most size-conversion guides gloss over: they hand you the numbers and a one-line disclaimer to "check the brand's own chart," then leave you to figure out what to actually do with that advice. Below are full US-UK-EU conversion tables for women's clothing, men's clothing, and shoes, followed by why the numbers shift between brands and how to actually confirm a specific item will fit before you order it from a store you've never bought from.

Women's Clothing Size Conversion Chart

Dress, top, and general clothing sizes across the three most-shopped regions. Treat these as a starting point - always cross-check against the specific brand's own chart before ordering.

US	UK	EU	Bust (in)	Waist (in)
0	4	32	31-32	23-24
2	6	34	32-33	24-25
4	8	36	33-34	25-26
6	10	38	34-35	26-27
8	12	40	35-36	27-28
10	14	42	36-37	28-29
12	16	44	38-39	30-31
14	18	46	40-41	32-33
16	20	48	42-43	34-35

Men's Clothing Size Conversion Chart

For jackets and tops, UK sizes track US directly, while EU sizes run about 10 points higher. Pants follow a different rule: an EU pant size runs roughly 16 higher than a US waist measurement in inches.

US / UK	EU	Chest (in)	US pant waist	EU pant size
34	44	34-36	28	44
36	46	36-38	30	46
38	48	38-40	32	48
40	50	40-42	34	50
42	52	42-44	36	52
44	54	44-46	38	54
46	56	46-48	40	56

Jeans have enough additional variables - rise, stretch, wash shrinkage - that size number alone rarely settles it. How to buy jeans online that actually fit covers those on top of the size conversion.

Shoe Size Conversion Chart

Shoe sizing is based on a physical foot-length measurement, which makes it more consistent across brands than clothing - but "the last" (the foot-shaped mold a shoe is built on) still varies enough that the same size can run differently between a sneaker and a dress shoe from the same label.

US Women's	US Men's	UK	EU
6	4.5	4	36-37
7	5.5	5	37-38
8	6.5	6	38-39
9	7.5	7	40-41
10	8.5	8	41-42
11	9.5	9	42-43
12	10.5	10	43-44

Why the Same Size Label Still Fits Differently

None of these tables are wrong, exactly - they're accurate as an average, built from surveying how retailers in each region tend to size things. The problem is that "tend to" is doing a lot of work. There's no government or industry body enforcing a shared standard, so a EU 40 at one label reflects that brand's own fit model and target customer, not a fixed measurement everyone agrees on.

Vanity sizing

Some brands, especially fast fashion, label garments smaller than their actual measurements to flatter the shopper - so a US 6 at one store can be a US 8 at another with identical measurements.

Different fit models

A brand aimed at an athletic build and one aimed at a curvier build can both call a garment "medium" while cutting it for completely different proportions.

Fabric and stretch

A size chart lists flat measurements, not how a fabric actually behaves - a rigid woven and a 4-way stretch knit in the "same" size can fit noticeably differently.

Regional target markets

Brands sizing primarily for one region's average body shape don't always translate cleanly when they expand to sell internationally, even after publishing a conversion chart.

For a full breakdown of how much a labeled size can actually shift between two stores, see why clothing sizes are different between brands.

What a Conversion Chart Can't Tell You

Say a UK shopper finds a top on a US site, converts UK 12 to US 8 using the table above, and orders it with confidence. The conversion itself was correct - but it says nothing about whether that particular brand runs small, whether the fabric has stretch, or whether the cut suits her actual proportions. That's the gap every generic size chart leaves open, and it's the same gap regardless of which two countries' sizing you're translating between.

Roughly 70% of online clothing returns are size-related. Cross-border orders carry extra risk on top of that baseline, since there's no in-person reference and often a longer, costlier return process.

Two things close that gap better than a table of numbers alone: the specific listing's own measurement chart (not a size number you remember from another brand), and an actual visual preview of that exact product on your body.

Confirms fit on the specific item, not just the size number

Spree

Save it, preview it with AI, then decide

Save any item you're comparing sizes for - from any of 1,000+ stores, in any region - into one cross-store wishlist. Run AI Virtual Try-On using a photo of yourself to preview how that specific product's cut and proportions actually look on you, instead of trusting a converted size number alone. When you're weighing a UK 12 from one store against a EU 38 from another, both sit in the same place, previewed the same way.

Strengths

Saves items from any store or region into one wishlist
AI Try-On previews the actual product on your own photo
Compares candidates in different regional sizes side by side
Free, no ads, no data selling

Limitations

Doesn't replace checking the brand's own measurement chart
iOS only in 2026
AI Try-On requires Pro ($7.99/month)

Any store, any region AI Try-On Side-by-side compare Free

A Workflow for Shopping Across Regions Without Guessing

A routine that pairs the conversion chart with the two things it can't cover on its own.

Use the chart to get to the right neighborhood

Start from the conversion tables above to narrow down which size to even consider - treat the result as a starting point, not a final answer.

Take your own measurements once

A tape measure gives you a reference that holds up across every region and every brand's chart - see how to measure yourself for online shopping for the five numbers that matter most.

Check the specific listing's own size chart

Compare your measurements against that item's chart, not a size number you remember converting correctly on a different piece from a different brand.

Save every candidate into one wishlist

When you're comparing options across regions and stores, a cross-store wishlist keeps a UK 12 from one site and a EU 38 from another in the same place instead of scattered across tabs.

Preview with AI try-on before you order

A visual check on your own photo catches proportion and drape issues the numbers alone miss, especially useful the first time you're buying from an unfamiliar region's brand.

If a size guess still turns out wrong despite all of this, how to reduce online clothing returns covers what to do next and how to avoid repeating the same mismatch.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert my US clothing size to UK or EU? +

For women's clothing, add roughly 4 to your US size for the UK equivalent (a US 8 is roughly a UK 12), and add 30-32 for the EU equivalent (a US 8 is roughly an EU 40). For men's tops and jackets, EU sizes run about 10 higher than US (a US 38 is roughly an EU 48), while UK sizes usually match US directly. These are starting points, not guarantees - the same conversion applied to two different brands can land on two different real-world fits.

Are international clothing size charts accurate? +

They're accurate as an estimate, not as a guarantee. There's no legally enforced international sizing standard, so a EU 38 at one retailer and a EU 38 at another can differ by an inch or more through the bust, waist, or shoulders depending on each brand's own fit model and cut. A conversion chart gets you to the right neighborhood; the brand's own measurement chart for that specific item is what actually confirms fit.

Do shoe sizes convert the same way as clothing sizes? +

Shoe size conversion is more consistent than clothing because it's based on a physical foot-length measurement rather than a brand's cut, but it still isn't perfectly uniform - a US 9 runs close to a UK 7 and an EU 40-41 across most brands, with roughly half a size of wiggle room depending on the shoe's last (the mold it's built on). Running shoes and dress shoes from the same brand can even fit differently from each other.

Why does the same labeled size fit differently between brands? +

Every clothing brand designs around its own fit model and target customer, and there's no requirement to follow a shared standard - one label's medium is cut for a different set of measurements than another's. Fast-fashion and budget brands also tend toward vanity sizing, labeling garments smaller than their actual measurements. See why clothing sizes differ by brand for the full breakdown of why this happens and how much the number can shift.

How can I check if a specific item will actually fit before I buy it? +

Start with that listing's own size chart rather than a size you remember from a different brand, and compare it against your own measurements. Beyond the numbers, saving the item into Spree and running AI Virtual Try-On previews how that exact product looks on your own photo, which catches proportion and drape issues a measurement chart alone won't show - especially useful when you're comparing candidates from several unfamiliar stores at once.

The Bottom Line

The conversion tables above are a genuinely useful starting point - they'll get a US shopper into the right range on a UK site and vice versa, and they're worth bookmarking. What they can't do, and what no conversion chart ever will, is account for one specific brand's fit model, fabric, or cut.

Closing that last gap takes two things: the actual listing's own measurements, and a way to preview the real item on your own body before it ships from a store you've never ordered from. That's what turns a size conversion from an educated guess into an actual answer.