Average Suit, Trouser & Shirt Sizes
Q:
George, I am involved with a non-profit, workforce development program,which seeks to outfit it's graduates with interview appropriateclothing. What are the most common sizes of suits, shirts and pant inthe U.S.?
Thank You, Keith.
A:
Hello Keith,
I'm going to give you some rough numbers. Designers can create their own shapes and lengths, sometimes for a person that doesn't exist. I make suits for an actual working professional, below are measurements I have been using for years. Here we go:
SUITS
Most common (inches): 40S,40R,40L,42S,42R,42L,42XL,44R,44L,44XL
I would like to make this as uncomplicated as possible. STOCK suit sizes(meaning if you were to walk into a men's suit department at say a Nordstrom) start at 36Reg and then go 52Reg.
The "Reg" is the jacket length for regular. Length goes from the edge of the collar down to the bottom. It starts at 30 3/4 for 36Reg and increases a 1/4 for every two inch in size to 32 3/4 for a 52Reg. A small is 1 1/2 inch shorter and a long is 1 1/2 inch longer. If I lost you, don't worry it's not as complicated as it seems. I just wanted you to know (without taking into consideration big and tall sizes) suits come in Small, Reg, Long, and X-Long.
Average is 40S (5'9'') through 44L (6'3'') - meaning 40S,40R,40L,42S,42R,42L,42XL,44R,44L,44XL is were you are going to see the majority. The reason why there's no odd sizes is because that's where a tailor comes into play. Notice some are missing like 44S. Think about it, a 44S would be a broad shouldered short guy, which you don't come across often.
TROUSERS
Most common (inches): 31,32,33,34,35,36
Suits have a "drop" which is the difference between the size of the chest and the waist. So a suit that is 40 with a six inch drop will have a 34 waist (40-6=34). Using the average chest sizes above, you know have the average pant size 31,32,33,34,35,36 -- and of course they also come in short, regular, long, and x-long. Most suit trousers have to be hemmed.
SHIRT
Most common (inches): 15, 15.5, 16, 16 1/2 x 33-34 inches
Shirts are measured by the the length around the neck and the arms (from the center of back of the neck to right around the wrist). A 16 1/2 x 33 is a common size. Just give some room for shrinkage.
American shirt sizes come in 14 though 21, including 1/2 sizes: 14,14.5,15,15.5,16,16.5,etc. The average is 15 through 16 1/2. As for arm length, 33-34 is average.
As you can see it's a huge commitment for a store to sell suits, trousers and shirts! Add to that accessories like neckwear and cufflinks...
George, I am involved with a non-profit, workforce development program,which seeks to outfit it's graduates with interview appropriateclothing. What are the most common sizes of suits, shirts and pant inthe U.S.?
Thank You, Keith.
A:
Hello Keith,
I'm going to give you some rough numbers. Designers can create their own shapes and lengths, sometimes for a person that doesn't exist. I make suits for an actual working professional, below are measurements I have been using for years. Here we go:
SUITS
Most common (inches): 40S,40R,40L,42S,42R,42L,42XL,44R,44L,44XL
I would like to make this as uncomplicated as possible. STOCK suit sizes(meaning if you were to walk into a men's suit department at say a Nordstrom) start at 36Reg and then go 52Reg.
The "Reg" is the jacket length for regular. Length goes from the edge of the collar down to the bottom. It starts at 30 3/4 for 36Reg and increases a 1/4 for every two inch in size to 32 3/4 for a 52Reg. A small is 1 1/2 inch shorter and a long is 1 1/2 inch longer. If I lost you, don't worry it's not as complicated as it seems. I just wanted you to know (without taking into consideration big and tall sizes) suits come in Small, Reg, Long, and X-Long.
Average is 40S (5'9'') through 44L (6'3'') - meaning 40S,40R,40L,42S,42R,42L,42XL,44R,44L,44XL is were you are going to see the majority. The reason why there's no odd sizes is because that's where a tailor comes into play. Notice some are missing like 44S. Think about it, a 44S would be a broad shouldered short guy, which you don't come across often.
TROUSERS
Most common (inches): 31,32,33,34,35,36
Suits have a "drop" which is the difference between the size of the chest and the waist. So a suit that is 40 with a six inch drop will have a 34 waist (40-6=34). Using the average chest sizes above, you know have the average pant size 31,32,33,34,35,36 -- and of course they also come in short, regular, long, and x-long. Most suit trousers have to be hemmed.
SHIRT
Most common (inches): 15, 15.5, 16, 16 1/2 x 33-34 inches
Shirts are measured by the the length around the neck and the arms (from the center of back of the neck to right around the wrist). A 16 1/2 x 33 is a common size. Just give some room for shrinkage.
American shirt sizes come in 14 though 21, including 1/2 sizes: 14,14.5,15,15.5,16,16.5,etc. The average is 15 through 16 1/2. As for arm length, 33-34 is average.
As you can see it's a huge commitment for a store to sell suits, trousers and shirts! Add to that accessories like neckwear and cufflinks...
Posted by George Zaharoff at 5 November 2009, 9:24 PM 
Categories: AllExperts Question
Tags: suit sizes american shirt average man trousers
Categories: AllExperts Question
Tags: suit sizes american shirt average man trousers
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