Women's clothing size conversion: UK, US, EU
A UK 10 is a US 6, a German 36, a French 38 and an Italian 42. These numbers are a retail convention, not a measurement: the garment behind the number differs from brand to brand.
Enter a measurement or a size to highlight the matching row of the chart.
| UK | US | Australia | Germany | France | Italy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 2 | 6 | 32 | 34 | 38 |
| 8 | 4 | 8 | 34 | 36 | 40 |
| 10 | 6 | 10 | 36 | 38 | 42 |
| 12 | 8 | 12 | 38 | 40 | 44 |
| 14 | 10 | 14 | 40 | 42 | 46 |
| 16 | 12 | 16 | 42 | 44 | 48 |
| 18 | 14 | 18 | 44 | 46 | 50 |
| 20 | 16 | 20 | 46 | 48 | 52 |
| 22 | 18 | 22 | 48 | 50 | 54 |
| 24 | 20 | 24 | 50 | 52 | 56 |
Read this first: a number is not a fit
No law or standard ties these numbers to body measurements. For UK 10, one retailer we checked states a bust of 88 cm and hips of 93.5 cm; another states a bust of about 87 cm and hips of about 95 cm. Both call it size 10.
Use the chart to translate a label. To choose a size, take your body measurements and compare them with the chart of the brand.
How to use the chart
- Choose the country of the size you know and enter the number.
- The highlighted row shows the same size in the other countries.
- If a label says EU, find out which number is meant. See the next section.
Without JavaScript the finder is unavailable, but the chart is complete.
What does EU mean on a label?
There is no single European number. Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Sweden use one scale; France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal use a scale that is two numbers higher; Italy uses a scale that is six numbers higher than the German one.
Retailers print different numbers under the label EU. For UK 10 the charts we checked show 38 at two retailers, 36 at a third and 40 at a fourth. A dress labelled EU 38 can therefore be a UK 10 or a UK 12.
When in doubt, look for a second number on the label, such as UK, US or IT, and convert from that.
How the numbers are derived
The chart applies fixed offsets to the UK number. They are the offsets on which the retailer charts we checked agree.
- US: UK minus 4
- Australia: the same as UK
- Germany: UK plus 26
- France: UK plus 28
- Italy: UK plus 32
One of the retailer charts prints every row from UK 6 to UK 24; the calculated chart equals it row by row.
Worked example
You wear UK 14 and want to order from an Italian shop.
- 14 plus 32 is 46: look for Italian size 46.
- The same garment is German 40, French 42 and US 10.
- Open the size chart of the shop and compare its bust, waist and hip measurements for size 46 with your own.
Common mistakes
- Trusting the number across brands. The same number is cut differently by different brands.
- Reading EU as one scale. It can be the German or the French number.
- Converting US sizes of US brands with this chart and expecting the fit of a UK brand. The chart translates labels; it does not compare cuts.
- Assuming a number stands for the same body measurements in two shops.
Sources and checks
The values in the chart are calculated from the definitions in the sources below. They are not copied from another chart. Last checked against the sources on September 28, 2026.
These numbers are retail conventions, not a standard. Brands cut differently, and the same number is cut larger by some brands than by others. Use the size chart of the brand and its body measurements when you buy.
The chart applies the offsets on which the checked retailer charts agree: US is UK minus 4, Australia equals UK, Germany is UK plus 26, France is UK plus 28, Italy is UK plus 32. The Marks & Spencer chart shows every row from UK 6 to UK 24.
A label that says EU is ambiguous. For UK 10 the checked charts print 36, 38 or 40 under EU. Find out whether the German or the French number is meant.
Japanese numbers are left out because no source for them was checked.
Used for: UK sizes 6 to 24 with the German, French, Italian and US numbers; the body measurements it states for UK 10.
Used for: UK sizes 6 to 24 with the Italian, US and French numbers.
Used for: UK 10 and UK 12 with the US, Italian and Australian numbers, the use of the French number under the label EU, and the body measurements it states for UK 10.
Used for: UK 10 and UK 12 with the US and Australian numbers, and the use of the German number under the label EU.
Used for: Example of a chart that prints a third number under the label EU: 40 for UK 10.
Used for: The international system designates clothes by body dimensions in centimetres, not by garment measurements or arbitrary numbers. A newer edition of 2025 exists and was not read.
Used for: A voluntary US standard with body measurements exists. Its tables were not read.
Frequently asked questions
- What is UK size 12 in US size?
- By the usual retail convention UK 12 is US 8. The fit depends on the brand, so compare body measurements in the size chart of the brand.
- What is EU 38 in UK size?
- It depends on which scale the label uses. French 38 is UK 10; German 38 is UK 12. Look for another number on the label or ask the seller.
- What is Italian size 42?
- Italian 42 is UK 10, US 6, German 36 and French 38 by the usual convention.
- Are Australian sizes the same as UK sizes?
- The numbers are the same in the retailer charts we checked: UK 10 is Australian 10. Cuts can still differ between brands.
- Why do I have a different size in every shop?
- Because each brand decides which body measurements its size numbers stand for. Standards with body measurements exist, but they are voluntary.
Last updated: September 28, 2026