Jeans size chart for women and men: W32 L32, US, UK, EU sizes and cm

A jeans size chart turns two numbers, waist and length, into something you can buy in another brand or country. W32 L32 means a 32 in (81 cm) waist and a 32 in (81 cm) inseam. Women's jeans add a second layer, a denim size such as 27 that also has a US number (4), a UK number and an EU number.

Below are men's and women's tables, length and rise tables, how to measure your body and a pair of jeans you already own, and where brands disagree. The last part is for Shopify denim stores.

Men's jeans size chart: waist and EU sizes

Men's jeans are sold by waist in inches. The cm column follows Levi's UK chart, which converts the label straight to centimetres (a 32 is 81.3 cm). The body waist column is Levi's US chart, which fits each label to a slightly bigger waist. Letters follow Gap's men's jeans chart.

Odd waist sizes (29, 31, 33) sit between the rows. Levi's lists a 31 at 78.7 cm and a 31.5 to 32 in body waist.

EU jeans size to US for men

The EU/IT column uses the rule in Wikipedia's trouser table, where an Italian 44 is a 28 waist and a 50 is a 34 (waist plus 16). From 36 up, it follows a Craghoppers trouser chart on a UK retailer, which gives 36 as EU 52 and 42 as EU 58.

European men's numbers are the least reliable column in any jeans size conversion chart. The same Craghoppers chart calls a 32 an EU 46, two numbers lower than Wikipedia. Nike's men's bottoms chart goes the other way, with a 30 as EU 48 and FR/IT 50. If a shopper gives you an EU number, ask for the waist in cm.

Women's jeans size chart: denim 24 to 34, US, UK and EU

Women's denim sizes run roughly with the waist in inches, but not exactly. Waist and hip follow Levi's (inches from the US guide, cm from the UK chart). US, UK and EU follow Gap's UK size guide, which is the only official denim chart we found that prints all three.

Levi's US guide pairs the same denim sizes with two US numbers each (a 27 is 4/5, a 28 is 6/7). The first number matches Gap in every row.

Notice the UK column. For dresses, the usual rule is UK = US plus 4, and our clothing size conversion chart uses it. Gap's denim chart follows the waist instead, so a US 2 is a UK 8 and a US 14 is a UK 16. Don't apply a dress formula to jeans.

Levi's also gives letters by denim size: XS is 25 to 26, S is 27 to 28, M is 29 to 30 and L is 31 to 32. Gap's letters differ in three rows. It calls a 26 an S (not XS), a 31 an M (not L) and a 34 an XXL (not XL).

Jeans length chart: inseam L30, L32, L34

The L number is the inseam in inches, measured from the crotch seam to the hem, so together with the men's table above this is a full men's pants size chart for waist and length. Height ranges come from Levi's US guide (in feet) and Levi's UK chart (in cm).

Gap uses the same names for men (Short 30, Regular 32, Long 34), but its UK size guide lists shorter women's lengths: Short is 29 in (74 cm), Regular 30 in (76 cm) and Tall 34 in (86 cm). A woman who wears a Levi's Regular may find a Gap Regular two inches short. Gap's own how to measure jeans page gives 30, 32 and 34 in as average women's lengths, so check the inseam on each product.

Rise: low, mid and high

Rise is the distance from the crotch seam to the top of the waistband at the front. It decides where the waistband sits, so it changes which waist you should measure. Gap's how to measure jeans guide defines the three types like this:

If you wear low rise, measure your waist where the waistband will sit, not at your natural waist.

How to measure for jeans

Levi's and Gap give the same three body measurements, with one difference in where the waist is:

1. Waist. Levi's US guide says the smallest part of your waist. Levi's help centre says the natural waistline just above the belly button. Gap UK says about an inch below it. Keep the tape snug, not tight.
2. Hips. Feet together, around the fullest part, tape parallel to the floor.
3. Inseam. Shoes off, from the top of the inner thigh down to the ankle bone.

For an exact jeans size chart match, measuring a pair you already like is more reliable than measuring your body.

How to measure a pair of jeans laid flat

Button the jeans and lay them flat on a table with the front facing up. Smooth them out without stretching.

• Waist: straight across the top of the waistband, edge to edge. Double it for the round waist.
• Front rise: from the crotch seam up to the top of the waistband.
• Inseam: from the crotch seam along the inside leg to the hem.
• Thigh: across one leg, just below the crotch.
• Leg opening: across the hem. Double it for the full opening.

This is a garment measurement, not a body measurement, and a chart should never mix the two. Our guide to garment measurements and pit to pit charts explains how to label each one.

Stretch, shrinkage and why brands differ

Three things move the fit more than the label:

• Stretch. Levi's size guide groups denim into low stretch (1 to 2% elastane), mid stretch (2 to 4%) and high stretch (5% or more). Between sizes, it says to choose by how snug you want them.
• Raw denim. Most Levi's jeans are preshrunk, but Shrink-to-Fit jeans are not. If you plan to machine wash and dry them, Levi's says to add 1 in to the waist for sizes 27 to 36 and 3 in to the inseam for sizes 27 to 34.
• The brand's own idea of a 27. Levi's US puts a women's 27 at a 28.25 in waist. Gap puts it at 27.5 in (69 cm). The ASTM misses standard puts a US 4 at a 27⅝ in waist (straight figure). Levi's even disagrees with itself. Its help centre lists a men's 32 at 32 to 33 in, while the US guide says 32.5 to 33.

For Shopify denim stores: sizes that don't come back

We build Shopify apps, including a size chart app. This is what we would set up first for jeans.

Two options or one combined size

Shopify allows three options and 2,048 variants per product, so 11 waists by 4 lengths (44 variants) fits easily.

Use W and L, or Waist and Length, consistently across products. A "32" with no context could be a waist, an inseam or a European women's size.

Show cm by country, plus garment measurements

A shopper in Germany thinks in cm. Shopify themes can read the storefront country from the Liquid localization.country object, which lets a chart put the shopper's own sizes first. Add a garment table with leg opening, because that is what tells a shopper whether a jean is skinny or straight. This is the example from our jeans garment template, in cm, measured flat:

These are starting values. Replace them with your own pattern or a measured sample of each size.

Plainfee Size ChartsSize charts that show every shopper their own country's sizes, with how-to-measure steps in 31 languages.See how it works

Plainfee Size Charts has a ready-made jeans and trousers chart and a jeans garment chart with a drawing of trousers laid flat. Measurements show in inches in the US and cm elsewhere, with one tap to switch. On charts with several countries' sizes, shoppers see their own system first (44 countries), and "Find your size" lights up the row that matches the size they usually wear. The chart can sit on the product page, open or in a collapsible row, with a per-product fit note such as "Runs small, size up". Rules by product, collection and type are free; tag, vendor and SKU prefix rules are Pro. The free plan covers 3 live charts and Pro is a flat $14.99 a month with no fees per order. Kiwi Size Chart has a fit recommender, which we do not; our list of Shopify size chart apps compares it with others.

Cut denim returns

• Say how it fits. "Runs small, size up" or "Rigid denim, no stretch" next to the picker saves more returns than a perfect table.
• Give the stretch. The elastane percentage helps a shopper choose between two sizes.
• Say which length is Regular. Levi's and Gap disagree for women, so print the inseam in inches and cm.
• Set return rules. Shopify's return rules set the return window, return shipping fee, restocking fee and final sale items. Our comparison of Shopify return fees shows what each option costs. For footwear, see the shoe size chart.

Checklist before you publish a pair of jeans

• Variants say what each number is (Waist 32, Length 32, or 32/32).
• Women's denim sizes show the US number too.
• Waist and inseam appear in cm and inches.
• There is a garment table with rise and leg opening, labelled as measured flat.
• Stretch level and a fit note are on the product page.
• Measuring steps for body and for a pair laid flat are next to the size picker.

A W32 is a label. Give shoppers the centimetres behind it, the length that matches their height and a way to check against jeans they already own, and most denim size questions end before they turn into returns.

Frequently asked questions