A complete decoding of the Chinese national size code. Three pieces, one sentence — and then you'll never be confused by a Chinese label again.
Quick answer: 160/84A means the garment is designed for a person about 160 cm tall with an 84 cm bust or chest and a standard A body type.
The leading figure is always the target wearer's height in centimetres.
For women's tops and dresses, this is the bust in cm. For men's tops, the chest. For trousers, it's replaced with the waist.
So 165/72A on a pair of pants is drafted for a 165 cm wearer with a 72 cm waist.
The letter encodes the difference between bust and waist — in effect, your body shape.
| Letter | Bust − waist drop | Build |
|---|---|---|
| Y | ≥ 19 cm | Slim |
| A | 14–18 cm | Standard (most common) |
| B | 9–13 cm | Fuller |
| C | 4–8 cm | Curvy |
| Chinese code | Letter | US | EU |
|---|---|---|---|
| 155/80A | XS | 0 | 32 |
| 160/84A | S | 2–4 | 34 |
| 165/88A | M | 6 | 36 |
| 170/92A | L | 8 | 38 |
| 175/96A | XL | 10 | 40 |
| 180/100A | XXL | 12–14 | 42 |
Designed for a person around 165 cm tall with an 88 cm bust or chest and standard A body type. For women's tops, it is usually close to Chinese M.
Designed around 170 cm height and 92 cm bust or chest. For women's tops and dresses, it maps roughly to Chinese L and US 8.
Often seen on men's pants: 175 cm height, 76 cm waist and standard A build. The second number changes meaning depending on garment type.
Men's codes use the same grammar:
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