How to measure jeans

Clothing measurements, Resources

To reduce returns and increase conversion rates in your fashion ecommerce, you want to make sure that your customers get the right fit, every time.

To do so, you can add Sizefox to your store to create sleek size charts for your product pages, or you can use the full capabilities of the Sizefox size recommender.

But first things first: how to measure jeans to create a size chart? Which measurements shall you take into consideration, and which sizing system should you use in your fashion ecommerce?

When it comes to jeans sizes, things can get complicated. The typical way to define sizes for jeans are the following:

Waist/Length: expressed through a combination of waist circumference and inseam (length of the inner leg). This is always defined in inches, even in countries that use the metric system.

Alpha sizing: expressed in letters, usually from XS to XL.

But with jeans, you need more than just two measurements. Especially when it comes to women’s jeans, you might need to specify front rise, bottom width and several other measurements to assure your shopper gets a clear picture of how the jeans are going to fit them.

For detailed indications on how to take measurements on a model, please refer to this body measurement guide. While if you want to take the finished garment measurements, make sure you place the jeans on a flat surface and that any wrinkles present on the garment are smoothened out. To proceed with the measurement, you can use both a soft measuring tape or a ruler. For more details on how to measure clothes, please refer to this guide.

In this article, we will explain how to measure jeans and which are the basic measurements to take into consideration.

How to measure waist for jeans

If you are taking body measurements on a model, you can measure the circumference around the narrowest part of the trunk, usually above the belly button, always keeping the measurement tape perfectly parallel to the floor.

While if you are measuring a pair of jeans you own, first of all make sure they are placed on a flat surface, and smoothen them out. Allow the waistband to have a natural curve, then with the tape take the measurement from side to side. Multiply x2 to get the circumference.

How to measure rise on jeans

Front rise on jeans is the measurement from the middle of the crotch until the top of the front waistband, and the back rise is the same measurement, but from the middle of the crotch to the top of the back waistband.

The corresponding body measurement is the front/back crotch length, to be taken from the middle of the crotch until the desired front/back height.

How to measure inseam on jeans

Both inseam and outseam are quite straightforward measurements. The inseam is the measurement of the internal side of the leg, taken from the crotch down until the hem of the jeans. The outseam instead, is the length of the external part of the leg, from the waistband until the hem.

How to measure hip on jeans

Follow the same procedure as explained above, flattening the jeans on a hard, flat surface and smoothening the pants out. Then find the point of maximum width of the jeans, and measure a parallel line side to side. Multiply x 2 to get the circumference. This finished garment measurement corresponds to the hip circumference taken from a model, measured at the point of maximum projection of the buttocks.

How to measure yourself for jeans

If you want to measure yourself for jeans, you will need a friend to help. The measurements illustrated above are quite straightforward, nevertheless the help of a second person is always helpful.

When measuring the projected length of the jeans, always try to wear the pair of shoes you are most likely to wear with the new item.

When measuring hips and waist size, try to not keep the tape too close to the body. If you want to feel comfortable in your new jeans, always leave the tape slightly loose.