Chinese Size Chart for Pakistani Buyers: Clothes and Shoes

Why do Chinese sizes seem to run small?

Because the labels mean different things. A UK or US letter size is whatever a brand decides M or L should be. Chinese sizing under the national standard GB/T 1335 is built from body measurements: height and chest (or waist) in centimetres, plus a body-shape letter. Many Chinese sellers then attach S, M, L and XL to those codes, and their L is often cut for a body that a UK brand would call S or M.

The fix is simple. Ignore the letter, measure yourself in centimetres, and compare those numbers with the seller's chart.

What does a size like 170/88A mean?

It has three parts:

• 170 is height in cm. It sets the garment length.
• 88 is chest girth in cm for tops (or waist girth for trousers). It sets the width.
• A is the body type. The standard uses four types, Y, A, B and C, set by the difference between chest girth and waist girth.

Adult sizes step in fixed increments: 5 cm for height, 4 cm for chest and 2 cm for waist. So 175/92A is one step up from 170/88A in both length and width.

Men's tops: Chinese codes compared with a UK chart

The chest in the Chinese code is a body measurement, so you can compare it straight against a UK brand's body chest chart. The UK column uses Dubarry's published men's chart (XS 84 to 90 cm, S 91 to 98, M 99 to 104, L 107 to 112). Other UK brands differ by a few centimetres.

The letter column is a common pattern, not a rule. Some sellers label 175/92A as XL. That is exactly why the cm figure matters more than the letter.

Women's tops: Chinese codes compared with UK, EU and US

The right-hand columns use Nike's women's numeric chart, which lists bust measurements against UK, EU and US sizes (converted from inches to cm).

Because each Chinese step falls between two Western sizes, check the waist and hip figures on the seller's chart too, and go with the larger size if you are between.

Shoe sizes: foot length against UK, EU and US

Chinese shoe listings usually show EU-style numbers (39, 40, 41) or a length in millimetres such as 250. The length is the number to trust. These rows come from Nike's charts, with Nike's foot length converted from inches to cm. Brands differ by up to half a size, so treat this as a starting point.

A blank cell means that length is not a row on that chart. If a Chinese listing gives 脚长 (jiǎo cháng), foot length, in its chart, match your measured length to it directly.

Trousers and jeans: what do the waist numbers mean?

Trousers from Chinese sellers usually come in one of two styles. Some use the GB/T style code, where the second number is the waist in cm, such as 170/74A. Others use waist numbers like 28, 30 or 32, which follow the inch sizes used on jeans worldwide. One inch is 2.54 cm, so:

Check the seller's chart for 腰围 (waist) and 臀围 (hips) in cm as well, because the number on the label does not tell you the cut. For fitted trousers, the hip figure matters as much as the waist.

Chinese shoe listings sometimes give a length in millimetres instead of a size, such as 240 or 250. That is roughly 24 or 25 cm. Some sellers mean the foot, others the inside of the shoe, so if a listing does not say, allow a few millimetres extra or ask.

How do you measure yourself in cm?

1. Chest or bust: over thin clothing, arms relaxed at your sides, tape around the fullest part of the chest and level all the way round.
2. Waist: around your natural waist, the narrowest part, without pulling the tape tight.
3. Hips: around the widest part of the hips and seat.
4. Height: barefoot against a wall.
5. Foot length: tape paper to a hard floor, stand on it with your weight even, mark the heel and the tip of the longest toe, and measure between the marks. Do both feet and use the longer one. Measuring later in the day gives a more realistic figure.
6. Garment check: lay a shirt that fits you well flat, measure across the chest from armpit to armpit, and double it. Compare that with a seller chart that lists garment measurements.

Save all of these in your phone's notes. You will use them for every order.

How do you read the seller's own size chart?

Most Chinese clothing listings include a size chart image in the details section. Translate it with Google Lens. The columns use these words:

The most important question is whether the chart shows body measurements or garment measurements. A garment that measures 胸围 100 cm fits a body chest smaller than 100 cm, because clothes need room to move, and how much smaller depends on the cut. Compare a garment chart with your flat-lay shirt measurement, not your body. If the chart does not say which it is, ask the seller.

Should you size up?

If you fall between two sizes, size up. Nike's own chart says the same for shoes. For Chinese clothing, read the negative reviews too. If several buyers write that it runs small (偏小), go up one more. Loose fits and oversized cuts are the exception, so check whether the listing describes the style as oversized before sizing up.

Common sizing mistakes

• Ordering your UK letter size. A Chinese M is often a UK XS or S.
• Matching body measurements to a garment chart without allowing for ease.
• Using the shoe number instead of the foot length. CN 40 is not guaranteed to fit like every EU 40.
• Measuring over a jumper or pulling the tape tight.
• Assuming you can swap sizes. Returning to China from Pakistan is rarely worth the cost, so get it right first time.

Ordering one piece of clothing or one pair of shoes

Pick the size using your cm measurements, then send us the link with the size and colour written out. We buy that one item and reply within 24 hours with one rupee price covering the item, shipping, customs and our stated fee. Our guide to reading a Taobao or 1688 listing shows how to pick the right variant, and refunds and returns when importing from China explains why the size choice matters so much. For shopping on the big platforms, see how to buy from Taobao in Pakistan.

Sources

• Nike: men's shoe size chart
• Nike: women's shoe size chart
• Nike: women's numeric clothing size chart
• Dubarry: men's clothing size guide
• Travel of China: size chart for China clothes
• MDBG Chinese-English dictionary