How to measure jeans: Secret finally revealed

Jeans have been a fashion staple for decades. It won’t be an exaggeration to say they’ll always remain iconic and en vogue.

However, there’s a darker side to them: jeans are one of the most frequently returned garments.

Why?

Well, measuring jeans is a bit specific and requires extra attention. Plus, jeans really look awful if they don’t fit you well.

In this post, we’ll help you out with the former so you (hopefully) never get to experience the latter.

Deciphering jean sizes

Before anything else, remember that jean size tags differ between men and women.

For men, you’ll see a double numbering system such as 30-32, 34-36, etc. The first number here is the waist size, while the second designates the inseam measurement.

Women’s jeans don’t follow the same system. Instead, you’ll see a single number based on the waist-to-inseam measurement – 4, 6, 8, etc.

Converting sizes between the two systems is hard and relies on estimations. For example, a woman’s size 4 would roughly equal a pair of 30-32 men’s jeans.

How to measure a pair of jeans

Some people go through a very elaborate way to measure jeans.

We believe that for general purposes, you only need 4 factors to consider. Namely:

Waist

First, measure your waistband in a relaxed state.

Lay your jeans flat on the floor (or table). The waistband should be buttoned and zipped. Grab a measuring tape and start from one end of the waistband up to the other. Double this measurement to get the waist circumference.

Second, measure your jeans’ waistband in its stretched state. Fabrics – especially those with stretch, expand to accommodate your body. Thus, measuring the waistband when stretched gives a more accurate idea of whether the jeans will fit you.

To measure the waistband in its stretched state, do the following:

• Grab a measuring tape.
• Pull both sides of the waistband to stretch it properly.
• Measure across one end to the other while keeping the jeans stretched.
• Double the measurement to end up with the full circumference of the stretched waistband.

Rise

The rise is divided into front rise and back rise. In general, the back rise is larger than the front rise. Once again, the jeans should lay flat and be fastened. 

For the front rise, measure from the crotch seam to the very top of the jeans. For the back rise, measure from the crotch seam again to the very back of the jeans.

Hip

First, measure the jeans’ hips in a relaxed state.

Make sure your jeans have no wrinkles when measuring. Identify the widest part of the hip area and draw a straight line. Your jeans’ hipline is usually located around 2 inches (5 cm) below the zipper. Measure from one end of the hipline to the other. As usual, double the measurement to get the total circumference.

Similar to what we discussed in the waist section, you should measure the jeans’ hipline in a stretched state.

To do this, simply:

• Pull the pants from both sides at the hip area – you want to emulate how the fit will change when worn.
• Don’t overdo it. You should stretch just enough to see how the fabric will behave when somebody slips into the pair of jeans.
• With the material stretched, place the measuring tape across the widest part of the hip area. Make sure you go from one side seam to the other. Doubling this measurement will yield you the full circumference in its stretched state.

Inseam

Use a soft measuring tape. Run it from the starting point – where the inner seams meet at the bottom of the crotch. Carefully measure the distance from the bottom of the crotch to the hem of the jeans. We discussed how to measure jeans’ inseam in another article!

Don’t forget to measure along the inside of the leg!

How to find the right jeans:
Aligning jeans’ measurements with your body measurements

We assume you already know some of your main measurements such as the waist or hips. If you have trouble getting them right, we have a waist measurement guide (link) and a post on measuring your hips (link).

Here’s how to end up with proper-fitting jeans.

Waist

You should always compare your waist measurements to a jeans’ waist in their stretched state. 

To give an example: 

Jeans made of high-elasticity materials can have an elasticity range of 5.5-7 inches (14-18 cm). So, there’s a huge difference between the jeans’ waist measurements in their relaxed and stretched state.

When you compare a stretched waistband to your own waist, keep in mind that it all hinges on how elastic the fabric is.

For low-elasticity materials: Stick to a waistband that’s no more than 0.4 inches (1 cm) larger than your waist circumference.

For elastic materials: Match your circumference to the circumference of the fully stretched waistband for optimal comfort.

Hips

Two factors play a role here – fabric elasticity and the design of the particular pair of jeans.

With slim-fit jeans, make sure the hip measurement of your jeans in a stretched state is equal to or slightly bigger than your hip circumference.

Jeans that come in a looser design and lack elastic materials follow a different pattern.

Here you want to give yourself some leeway. Add at least 0.8-1.1 inches (2-3 cm) on top of your hip measurement to get a proper-fitting jeans size. If you want an even more relaxed style, add a few more inches or centimeters.

Inseam

The inseam of a pair of jeans can vary wildly depending on their style and your own style preferences.

You can refer to our detailed article on measuring jeans inseam (link) to identify what inseam length works for you.

4 reasons why jeans get returned so often

Earlier, we mentioned how jeans are a leader in garment returns.

It wasn’t a lie.

And there are a few very particular reasons why this happens.

SizeSense is here to help out

We know that hard measurements aren’t enough when it comes to jeans. Neither for customers nor for the brands.

Even if two pairs of jeans share identical measurements, fabric elasticity, and other factors would lead to a different fit. 

It’s frustrating for online shoppers, and it leads to problematic returns for the merchants. 

Nobody enjoys this.

Our goal is to make this better. We provide Shopify ecommerce fashion stores with SizeSense – a size recommendation tool more accurate than legacy solutions. Through a tailored 1:1 match between customer and product with material elasticity in mind, we ensure clothing that simply fits.