Jeans and trouser size converter, men and women
Levi’s says W27 or W29, the shop says EU 38, the US site says 6. Pick women or men under the result, then choose a size: on most charts a woman’s EU 38 is a W28, and a man’s W32 is an EU 48 or a French 40.
That is a waist of about 71.12 cm (28 in). Labels run from W27 to W29 between brands.
Quick reference
Jeans size chart for men and women: W, EU, French, US, UK, Italian and waist in cm
| EU | W | US | UK | IT | cm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | 25 | 0 | 4 | 36 | 64 |
| 34 | 26 | 2 | 6 | 38 | 66 |
| 36 | 27 | 4 | 8 | 40 | 69 |
| 38 | 28 | 6 | 10 | 42 | 71 |
| 40 | 29 | 8 | 12 | 44 | 74 |
| 42 | 30 | 10 | 14 | 46 | 76 |
| 44 | 31 | 12 | 16 | 48 | 79 |
| 46 | 32 | 14 | 18 | 50 | 81 |
| 48 | 33 | 16 | 20 | 52 | 84 |
| 50 | 34 | 18 | 22 | 54 | 86 |
| W | EU | US | UK | cm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 30 | — | 2 | 61 |
| 25 | 32 | 0 | 4 | 64 |
| 26 | 34 | 2 | 6 | 66 |
| 27 | 36 | 4 | 8 | 69 |
| 28 | 38 | 6 | 10 | 71 |
| 29 | 40 | 8 | 12 | 74 |
| 30 | 42 | 10 | 14 | 76 |
| 31 | 44 | 12 | 16 | 79 |
| 32 | 46 | 14 | 18 | 81 |
| 33 | 48 | 16 | 20 | 84 |
| 34 | 50 | 18 | 22 | 86 |
| W | EU | FR | cm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | 44 | 36 | 71 |
| 29 | 45 | 37 | 74 |
| 30 | 46 | 38 | 76 |
| 31 | 47 | 39 | 79 |
| 32 | 48 | 40 | 81 |
| 33 | 49 | 41 | 84 |
| 34 | 50 | 42 | 86 |
| 36 | 52 | 44 | 91 |
| 38 | 54 | 46 | 97 |
| 40 | 56 | 48 | 102 |
| 42 | 58 | 50 | 107 |
| 44 | 60 | 52 | 112 |
What it means
Where does that waist sit?
Sizes are a convention and brands vary by a size or two. Measure your waist in centimeters and check the brand’s own chart.
Every unit
That size in every system
Good to know
Why a woman’s EU 38 can be W27, W28 or W29
On paper, a woman’s EU 38 is a W28, a waist of 71 cm. In the shop it is often labelled W27 or W29, because brands and cuts differ: a retailer’s Levi’s table puts EU 38 at 27, a generic chart at 28, others at 29.
Check three things: the waist in centimeters on the brand’s chart; whether the denim stretches (stretch denim forgives about half a size, rigid denim can shrink on the first wash); and the rise, since a high-rise jean sits on the waist and a low-rise one on the hips. For men, some French charts put a 40 at W30 rather than W32. The inseam, the L after the W, is separate: L30 is 76 cm, L32 81 cm, L34 86 cm.
Learn
Three things worth knowing
-
Women EU = 2 × W − 18, men EU = W + 16
A woman’s W27 is EU 36 and W29 is EU 40; a man’s W32 is EU 48. For women US is EU − 32 and UK is EU − 28; for men US and UK are the W.
-
Why jeans use inches
American denim makers measure the waist and the inseam in inches and print both on the label, W and L. European and British shops adopted those labels for jeans while keeping their own numbers for other trousers.
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A W27 is not 27 cm
W27 is a 27-inch waist, about 69 cm. Typing 27 in a centimeter box gives a child’s size, and a 70 cm waist is not a W70.
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Background
About jeans sizes for men and women
Jeans are sized by waist in inches: the W on a Levi’s, Wrangler or Lee label (W28 for a 28-inch waist, L30 for a 30-inch inseam). For women, Europe numbers trousers in steps of two, so every inch of waist adds two EU numbers: EU 36 is W27, EU 38 is W28, EU 40 is W29. The US number is the EU number minus 32, the UK number minus 28 and the Italian number plus 4.
For men, US and UK sizes are the waist itself. Europe adds 16, so W32 is a 48, and France adds 8, so W32 is a 40. The switch at the top of the converter changes every column at once.