What 32R Actually Means: Reading a Menswear Size Label

A size label is a compressed instruction. Two numbers and a letter, sometimes only a letter, standing in for measurements a tailor would once have taken with a tape and a stick of chalk. Most of the confusion in menswear sizing starts with people assuming those numbers describe the garment in front of them. They describe the body that is supposed to go inside it, and even then only sometimes.

We field this one every week in Driffield. Somebody orders a 32R, it does not fit, and the assumption is that the brand has made a mistake. Occasionally that is true. More often the label was telling the truth about something other than what the customer thought it measured.

Waist Then Leg, in That Order

On a pair of trousers, 32R means a 32 inch waist with a regular inside leg. The first number is always the waist and it always comes first, whether the label prints it as 32R, 32/32 or W32 L32. The second figure, where there is one, is the inside leg measured from the crotch seam straight down the inner seam to the bottom of the hem. Nothing there says a word about your hips, your thigh or the rise. Which is why two pairs both marked 32R can fit like different garments.

Rise is the variable nobody mentions. A mid rise pair sits an inch or two below the natural waist, so the labelled 32 is being measured at a point on your body that is not 32 inches around. Sta Press sit higher than most modern trousers do, and that alone changes which number you need.

What R, L and S Actually Map To

S is short, R is regular, L is long, and all three refer only to the inside leg. Most British and European brands work to roughly 29 to 30 inches for short, 31 to 32 for regular, and 33 to 34 for long. The word regular is doing a lot of unearned work there, because it assumes a leg length that fits maybe half the men who order a pair.

• Short covers an inside leg of about 29 to 30 inches, and it sells out fastest because shops order the least of it.
• Regular covers roughly 31 to 32 inches, and it is what an unlabelled pair almost always turns out to be.
• Long runs about 33 to 34 inches, and a few makers add an extra long at 36 in the same waist sizes.
• On a jacket the same three letters describe back length rather than leg length, which catches people out constantly.

A Jacket Marked 40 Is Not 40 Inches Round

Chest sizing on a jacket describes your chest, not the finished garment. A 40 is cut for a man who measures 40 inches round the fullest part of the chest, and the jacket itself will come out four to six inches larger once the maker has allowed for a shirt underneath, the lining and enough room to lift your arms. Measure it flat, double the pit to pit figure, and a 40 comes out at 44 or 45. That is the pattern working correctly.

So do not size up because the jacket felt tight across the shoulders. Shoulder width is a separate measurement and going up a chest size rarely fixes it, it just adds room in the places you did not want any. Our mod suits and jackets list chest sizes as body measurements throughout, and the Mazeys size guide sets out how each brand cuts.

Collars in Inches, Bodies in Letters

Formal shirts are sized by collar circumference in inches or centimetres. Casual shirts are sized small, medium, large and up, and the crossover between the two systems is where people lose an afternoon. A 15 and a half inch collar is broadly a medium, but broadly is the operative word, and the chest figure attached to that medium varies between brands far more than the collar does.

Measure the collar with the tape flat against the neck and two fingers slid underneath it. Buy to the exact number with no allowance at all and you will have the top button undone by lunchtime. Our shirts carry one system or the other, so read the page.

The 32 That Is Really a 34

Vanity sizing is real and it is not a conspiracy theory got up by tailors. We have put a tape round enough waistbands over the years to know that a labelled 32 from a large high street chain frequently measures 33 or 34 inches flat. Brands drift upward because a man who fits comfortably into a 32 buys again, and over three decades the printed number has slid from a measurement into a compliment.

Heritage brands drift less. In our experience Lambretta and the older cut Sta Press lines sit much closer to the printed figure, which is why somebody who wears a 34 from a chain shop can find himself needing a 36 here. Check the Lambretta size guide before you order, and the Trojan size guide for anything carrying that label.

Measuring Yourself, Then Measuring the Garment

1. Waist. Tape round the narrowest part of the torso, usually just above the navel, breathing out normally and not holding it in.
2. Chest. Tape under the arms and across the fullest part of the chest, level all the way round, arms down.
3. Inside leg. From the crotch seam of a pair that already fits you, straight down the inner seam to the bottom of the hem.
4. Collar. Round the base of the neck where a collar naturally sits, with two fingers underneath the tape.
5. Sleeve. From the centre back of the neck, over the shoulder and down to the wrist bone.

Measuring a garment flat is the tie breaker in every argument. Lay it on a table, smooth it out without stretching anything, then take pit to pit across the chest, waistband end to end, and hem to hem across the leg opening. Double the pit to pit and the waistband figures to get the circumference. Compare those against a garment you already own and like, because a pair that fits beats any printed chart.

Which Brands Run Small, and Why

Different pattern blocks, different decades, different assumptions about the body underneath. Italian influenced cuts and anything sold as slim fit run narrow through the chest and the thigh. American workwear derived cuts run generous. Anything described as original or vintage fit usually means a higher rise and a fuller leg, and anything described as tailored means take the next size up unless you are already lean.

• Slim and skinny lines commonly run a full size small through the chest and the seat, so order accordingly.
• Knitwear and jersey vary most of all, because the fabric itself does part of the sizing work for you.
• Older stock from any brand may still follow a superseded chart, so read the current product page instead of trusting your memory.
• Unwashed cotton can lose half an inch of length in the first hot wash, so buy the leg accordingly.

Sizing FAQ

The five sizing questions that land in our inbox more than any others.

• What does 32R mean on a pair of trousers? A 32 inch waist with a regular inside leg, which for most brands falls between 31 and 32 inches. The R never refers to the waist or the seat. On a jacket the same letter means a regular back length instead.
• Is jacket chest size the garment measurement or my chest? Your chest. A jacket marked 40 is cut for a 40 inch chest, and the finished garment will measure four to six inches larger to allow for layers and movement. Measure it flat and double the pit to pit and you will always get a bigger number than the label.
• How do I convert a collar size to small, medium or large? As a rough guide, 15 inches is a small, 15 and a half is a medium, 16 is a large and 17 is an extra large. Brands attach different chest figures to those letters, so check the maker's chart. Our size guide pages list the conversions we work to.
• Why does a 32 waist measure more than 32 inches? Vanity sizing. Many high street brands have gradually cut waistbands larger while keeping the printed number the same, so a labelled 32 can measure 33 or 34 inches flat. Heritage and mod brands tend to stay much closer to the stated figure.
• Should I size up if a jacket is tight across the shoulders? Usually not. Shoulder width and chest circumference are separate measurements, and going up a chest size adds room everywhere except the place that is pinching. Look for a different cut instead.