Hoodie-maattabel: hoe meten en publiceren op Shopify

Quick answer: A hoodie size chart is usually a garment chart with three measurements per size, in centimetres: chest width laid flat 2.5 cm below the armholes (double it for chest around), body length from the high point of the shoulder to the hem, and sleeve length from the centre back of the neck to the cuff. A regular-fit unisex blank such as the Gildan 18500 grows about 5 cm of flat chest and 2.5 cm of length per size. Say whether the hoodie is regular or oversized, and tell shoppers to compare against a hoodie they already own.

Hoodies are the most common first product for new Shopify clothing brands, merch stores and print-on-demand shops. They are also where “runs small” reviews come from, because a hoodie chart is usually a body chart someone copied from a T-shirt.

Here is how to do it properly.

 

The three measurements every hoodie chart needs

Measurement	How to measure the hoodie	Why it matters
Chest width (flat)	Lay flat, measure straight across 2.5 cm below the armholes, side seam to side seam	The number that decides fit. Doubled, it is the chest around
Body length	From the high point of the shoulder (where the hood meets the shoulder seam) straight down to the bottom of the rib	Cropped vs regular vs long
Sleeve length	From the centre back of the neck, over the shoulder, down to the cuff	Works for raglan and dropped shoulders, where a shoulder seam would mislead

 

Measuring technique for other garments is in How to take garment measurements. For hoodies, these three are enough.

Optional: hood height, shoulder width for set-in sleeves, cuff and hem rib height. Most shoppers only use the first three.

Allow a tolerance. Blank manufacturers publish ±1 inch (±2.5 cm). If two hoodies of the same size on your rail differ by 2 cm, your chart is still right.

Example: a regular-fit unisex hoodie chart (garment, cm)

These are the Gildan 18500 Heavy Blend hoodie’s published finished measurements, converted from inches and rounded. If you print on this blank, this is your chart. If you do not, measure your own sample.

Size	Chest width, flat (cm)	Chest around (cm)	Body length (cm)
S	51	102	69
M	56	112	71
L	61	122	74
XL	66	132	76
XXL	71	142	79
3XL	76	152	81

 

Gildan’s own body chart for the same hoodie puts a size M at a 97–102 cm body chest. The garment is 112 cm around. That difference, about 10–15 cm, is ease: the room that makes a hoodie a hoodie. Publish a body chart and a garment chart side by side without labels, and a shopper will compare their 100 cm chest to “112” and size down. Then they return it.

Regular, relaxed or oversized: say it once

The same chest width reads differently on different styles. One sentence on the product page fixes it:

• Regular: “Classic fit. Take your usual size.”
  
  
• Relaxed: “Roomy through the body. Take your usual size for a relaxed look.”
  
  
• Oversized: “Oversized on purpose, with dropped shoulders. Take your usual size for the intended look, or size down for a closer fit.”

Oversized hoodies need their own chart: wider chest, longer sleeve from centre back, often a shorter body. Plus-size and oversized Size Charts covers this.

Unisex hoodies: men’s and women’s sizes

“Unisex” usually means a men’s block. Women who normally wear M often find a unisex M long and wide. The kind fix is one line under the chart: “Unisex sizing. Women: for a regular fit, consider one size down from your usual.” Only write that if you tested it on people. Otherwise, let the centimetres speak.

“Hoodie size chart by height”

Shoppers search this because they do not own a tape measure. Height alone is a weak guide to chest width. Height and weight together are better: public anthropometric data (ANSUR II) estimates chest, waist and hip from height and weight with typical errors of about 2.5–4.8 cm. That is how AI Frame’s Estimate my size works, on Starter and above: it reads your hoodie chart, respects your fit intent, and shows “Your size” next to the picker. How shoppers get a size from height and weight.

Sweaters and sweatshirts: same chart, two warnings

A sweater or crewneck sweatshirt chart uses the same three measurements. Two differences:

1. Knit stretch. Rib-knit and merino stretch more than fleece. Note it (“stretchy knit”) so shoppers do not size down twice.
   
   
2. Shrinkage. Cotton fleece can shrink a few percent in a hot wash. Put the care line next to the chart, not three tabs away.

Publish it

Publish it as a garment table next to Size, with rows spelled exactly like your size options. The general rules for building and placing any chart are in How to make a size chart for your clothing brand. AI Frame can import a chart from a photo of the blank’s spec sheet and assign it to every hoodie by tag, vendor or collection; the free plan publishes 10 charts.

Questions, answered

How do you measure a hoodie for a size chart?
Lay it flat. Chest width straight across 2.5 cm below the armholes; body length from high point of shoulder to hem; sleeve from centre back of neck to cuff. In centimetres.

Is a hoodie size chart body or garment measurements?
Usually garment. If you use body measurements, label them clearly; mixing the two is the main cause of hoodie size returns.

How much bigger is a hoodie than the body?
A regular-fit hoodie is typically 10–15 cm bigger around the chest than the wearer. Oversized styles add more.

Do unisex hoodies run big for women?
Often, because unisex usually means a men’s block. Show centimetres and let shoppers compare to a hoodie they own.

Can I use the blank manufacturer’s size chart?
Yes, if you sell that blank unchanged. Convert to centimetres, keep their tolerance, and label it garment.

Sources

• Gildan 18500 Heavy Blend hooded sweatshirt spec sheet: finished measurements and body size chart, ±1 in tolerance.
• ANSUR II (US Army anthropometric survey), public data; AI Frame estimate errors ~2.5–4.8 cm RMSE.
• Google Autocomplete (US), 20 October 2026: “hoodie size chart unisex”, “hoodie size chart cm”, “hoodie size chart by height”.