Printable chart

Standard body measurement tables for knitting & sewing

Last verified: 2026-11-16 · 5 min read · print-ready

Key takeaways

Knitting standards here are the Craft Yarn Council sizing charts (women XS–5X, men S–5X, head circumferences) — the industry reference garment patterns are graded against.
The sewing table is Simplicity's official Misses' chart (sizes 6–26) — pattern size is chosen by body measurement, never by ready-to-wear size.
Knitting tables give actual body measurements; the pattern adds ease on top. Sewing charts are likewise body measurements.
Measure the person, not the garment — and write the numbers down next to the printed tables.

All figures below are quoted from published standards, verified 2026-11-16: the CYC woman size chart, man size chart and head circumference chart, plus the Simplicity size chart. Print with Ctrl/Cmd-P — only the tables survive the print layout.

Knitting — CYC women's sizes (inches)

Measurement	XS	S	M	L	XL	2X	3X	4X	5X
Bust / chest	28–30	32–34	36–38	40–42	44–46	48–50	52–54	56–58	60–62
Waist	23–24	25–26½	28–30	32–34	36–38	40–42	44–45	46–47	49–50
Hips	33–34	35–36	38–40	42–44	46–48	52–53	54–55	56–57	61–62
Cross back	14–14½	14½–15	15½–16	16½–17	17½	18	18	18½	18½
Arm length to underarm	16½	17	17	17½	17½	18	18	18½	18½
Back waist length	16½	17	17¼	17½	17¾	18	18	18½	18½
Upper arm	9¾	10¼	11	12	13½	15½	17	18½	18½
Armhole depth	6–6½	6½–7	7–7½	7½–8	8–8½	8½–9	9–9½	9½–10	10–10½

Knitting — CYC men's sizes (inches)

Measurement	S	M	L	XL	2X	3X	4X	5X
Chest	34–36	38–40	42–44	46–48	50–52	54–56	58–60	62–64
Waist	28–30	32–34	36–38	42–44	46–48	50–52	54–56	58–60
Hips	35–37	39–41	43–45	47–49	51–53	54–56	56–58	58–60
Cross back	15½–16	16½–17	17½–18	18–18½	19–20	20–21	21–21½	22–22½
Arm length to underarm	18	18½	19½	20	20½	20½	21	21½
Back waist length	23–24	25–26	26–27	28	29	30	30	31
Upper arm	12	13	15	15½	16½	17½	18½	20
Armhole depth	8½–9	9–9½	9½–10	10–10½	11	11½	12	12½

Head circumferences for hats (CYC)

Size	Inches	cm
Preemie	9–12	23–30.5
Baby	14–16	35.5–40.5
Toddler	16–18	40.5–46
Child	18–20	45.5–51
Tween	20–22	51–56
Woman	21–23	53–58.5
Man	22–24	56–61

Sewing — Simplicity Misses' sizes 6–26 (body inches)

Size	Bust	Waist	Hip	Back waist
6	30½	23	32½	15½
8	31½	24	33½	15¾
10	32½	25	34½	16
12	34	26½	36	16¼
14	36	28	38	16½
16	38	30	40	16¾
18	40	32	42	17
20	42	34	44	17¼
22	44	37	46	17½
24	46	39	48	17¾
26	48	41½	50	18

Simplicity notes these Misses' sizes are drafted for a B cup; their guidance: match the bust, and if hips are two sizes larger than the waist, choose by the hip and grade — which is exactly what the grade calculator computes.

Sources: Craft Yarn Council woman/man/head charts & Simplicity size chart — full links at craftcalc.example/a/standard-body-measurements.html — verified 2026-11-16.

How to use these tables without fooling yourself

Measure the body, then choose ease. The knitting tables list actual body measurements, so a "44-inch man's chest" sweater means 44 inches of body, and the pattern's finished chest will be larger by its intended ease. If you measure a favorite sweater instead of the person, you are measuring body-plus-ease — fine, but know which number you hold. A tape, a friend, and the table beat guesswork; the standard measuring spots are bust/chest at the fullest point, natural waist, and hips at the fullest point.

Sewing sizes are not store sizes. Ready-to-wear vanity sizing has drifted for decades; pattern sizing has not moved much. A person who wears a shop "small" can easily be a pattern 14 or 16 — there is nothing wrong with either number, only with mixing the systems. Match bust for tops (Simplicity drafts for a B cup; full-bust adjustments are their own technique), match hip for skirts and pants, and blend between sizes when the body disagrees with one column.

Where the two crafts differ: knitting patterns usually publish finished dimensions plus a size named for the body measurement, and knitters add or remove ease by choosing a size; sewing patterns cut to the body measurement plus built-in design ease. That is why the resize and grade calculator keeps the sewing side in raw per-measurement differences — the distribution across the pattern is the patternmaker's craft, explained in sewing grade rules.

For hats, the head circumference table above is the whole story: knit the hat 2–5 cm (1–2") smaller than the head for a snug fit, because knit fabric stretches. The worked example on the yarn calculator page uses a 56 cm adult head exactly this way.

Needle & hook size chart — the companion printable
Adjusting a knitting pattern larger or smaller — what to do when the size you need is not in the pattern
Gauge swatching — the other half of fit math