How to Make a Clothing Size Chart (+ Free Templates for 11 Categories)

Returns are the quiet profit killer of fashion e-commerce. Learning how to make an accurate clothing size chart gives shoppers a reliable way to choose the right size before they buy. Most returns trace back to the same root cause: the shopper had no reliable way to know which size to pick.

 

A good size chart fixes that. Not a screenshot of your supplier's spreadsheet buried in an FAQ page a clear, accurate chart that lives right on the product page, tells shoppers exactly how to measure themselves, and matches those measurements to your sizes.

 

This guide covers everything you need to build one: the one distinction most brands get wrong, how to take the measurements, and free templates for ten product categories so you don't have to start from a blank page.

 

 

Body Measurements vs. Product Measurements for Clothing Size Charts

 

This is where most size charts go wrong before a single number is entered.

There are two fundamentally different types of size chart, and mixing them up is why shoppers order a "M" that fits like a tent or like a sausage casing.

 

A body measurement chart tells the shopper: "if your body measures this, buy this size." The numbers describe the human. A bust of 88 cm maps to size M. The shopper measures themselves and reads off their size. This is the most useful format for fitted clothing, because it answers the question shoppers are actually asking: which size fits me?

 

A product measurement chart (also called flat or garment measurements) tells the shopper: "this is how big the garment itself is." The numbers describe the item, measured flat: chest width from seam to seam, total length from collar to hem. This format works well for loose or oversized fits, and for shoppers who like to compare against a favourite garment they already own ("my best-fitting tee is 54 cm across the chest").

 

 

Which should you use? A simple rule:

• Fitted garments (dresses, fitted tops, jeans, swimwear, underwear) → body measurements
• Relaxed or oversized garments (hoodies, boxy tees, outerwear) → product measurements, or both
• When in doubt → body measurements, because they require zero interpretation from the shopper

Whichever you choose, say clearly on the chart which one it is. "All measurements are body measurements" is one sentence that prevents hundreds of support emails.

How to Take Measurements for a Clothing Size Chart

 

For a body measurement chart, these are the four measurements that matter for most garments:

1. Bust: around the fullest part of the chest, keeping the tape level.
2. Waist: around the narrowest part of the natural waist.
3. Hip: around the fullest part of the seat.
4. Shoulder: seam to seam, straight across the back.

 

For bottoms, add inseam (crotch to ankle) and consider thigh circumference for slim fits.

For a product measurement chart, lay the garment flat and measure:

1. Chest width: armpit to armpit, straight across.
2. Length: highest point of the shoulder to the bottom hem.
3. Sleeve length: shoulder seam to cuff.
4. Waist width (bottoms): straight across the waistband, unstretched.

 

Three rules that keep your numbers honest:

• Measure the middle of your production run, not the sample. Samples often differ from bulk production by 1–2 cm.
• Measure at least three units per size and use the average. Fabric and stitching vary.
• Pick one unit and stay consistent. Work in centimetres internally; you can let shoppers toggle to inches on the storefront.

 

How to Build a Clothing Size Chart Step by Step

 

1. Choose your sizes. List every size you actually sell; no aspirational rows for sizes you don't stock.

2. Choose your columns. Only include measurements that help the shopper choose. For a fitted top: bust, waist, hip, shoulder. Resist the urge to add every measurement your factory gave you; more columns means more confusion, not more clarity.

3. Fill in the numbers. Use your averaged measurements. Sanity-check that every column increases consistently from size to size; a waist that jumps 4 cm, then 2 cm, then 6 cm signals a data error shoppers will notice.

4. Add a how-to-measure guide. Numbers without instructions are half a size chart. Two or three short steps ("Bust - around the fullest part of the chest, tape level") with a simple diagram doubles the chance a shopper measures correctly.

5. State the fit rule. The classic: "Between sizes? Size up." For stretch fabrics you might advise the opposite. Either way, tell them, this is the moment of doubt where carts get abandoned.

6. Put it where shoppers can't miss it. A size chart hidden in the footer might as well not exist. It belongs on the product page, one tap away from the size selector.

11 Free Fashion Size Chart Templates

 

Every category measures differently — a ring is sized by inner diameter, a hat by head circumference, a necklace by chain length, and swimwear needs a combination of body and garment-specific measurements. To save you building each one from scratch, we've created ready-made templates for 11 common fashion categories:

1. Tops (body measurements): bust, waist, hip, shoulder
2. Tops (product measurements): chest width, length, sleeve
3. Bottoms (body measurements): waist, hip, inseam
4. Bottoms (product measurements): waist width, hip width, length
5. Dresses: bust, waist, hip, length
6. Shoes: foot length, EU/US/UK conversion
7. Necklaces: chain length with wear-position guide
8. Rings: inner diameter and circumference
9. Bracelets: wrist circumference and fit
10. Hats & headwear: head circumference
11. Swimwear: bust, waist, hip, bottom width, cup length, cup width

 

Each template comes pre-filled with standard column structures and sensible starting values, so all you change are the numbers that make your brand's fit yours.

 

How to Add a Size Chart to Shopify

You can absolutely maintain size charts in spreadsheets and paste HTML tables into product descriptions. Plenty of brands do, until they change a fit, and have to update forty product pages by hand.

All ten templates above are built directly into AI Frame's Virtual Try On & Size Chart app for Shopify. Pick a category, adjust the numbers in a live editor, add your measurement guide, and assign the chart to products; individually, by category, or storewide. It publishes to your product pages automatically, with a cm/inch toggle for shoppers and your brand colours applied. Change a number once and it updates everywhere the chart is assigned.

And because sizing and try on belong together, shoppers who use the try on widget see your size chart right inside it, and shoppers with a saved Fit Profile can get their recommended size shown automatically on body-measurement charts.

The free plan gives you access to all 11 templates and one saved size chart at a time - enough to fix sizing on your core category today (and if you ever want to switch categories, delete it and build another). Install AI Frame free on the Shopify App Store →

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AIFrame is a Virtual Try-On & Size Chart app for Shopify that helps fashion merchants cut size-related returns, shoppers see how items look on them and find their right size before they buy.