Jeans Size Calculator: Get Waist, Hip & Inseam Right

Jeans sizing at a glance

• W is the waist in inches and L is the inseam in inches.
• Measure your waist where the jeans will sit, which depends on the rise.
• Check your hips and thighs for slim and skinny cuts, not just the waist.
• Rigid denim: buy it to fit. Stretch denim: it will loosen, so start snug.
• Raw denim can shrink on the first wash; follow the brand's sizing advice.
• Buy the longest inseam you might need; hemming is easy, adding length isn't.

How the jeans size calculator works

Jeans are sized by two numbers: waist (W) and inseam length (L), both in inches. A pair labelled W30 L32 is made for a 30-inch waist and a 32-inch inseam. Women's jeans are also often sold in US numeric sizes (2, 4, 6) or letter sizes, which map back to a waist measurement.

Enter your waist, hips and inseam, and the calculator gives you the W and L to look for. Hips matter more than people expect, especially in slim and skinny cuts: a pair can button at the waist and still be too tight through the seat and thighs. The rest of this page covers how to measure properly, how cuts and rise change the fit, and what to do when you're between sizes.

How to measure for jeans

You need a soft tape measure and, for the inseam, a pair of jeans that fit you well.

1. Waist. Measure where you actually wear your jeans, not necessarily your natural waist. For mid-rise jeans that's usually at or just below the belly button. Keep the tape level and snug. Our guide on how to measure your waist explains the difference between natural, low and pant waist.
2. Hips. Stand with your feet together and measure around the fullest part of your seat. See how to measure your hips.
3. Inseam. Lay a pair of well-fitting jeans flat and measure from the crotch seam down the inside leg to the hem. Or measure yourself from crotch to floor, barefoot. See how to measure your inseam.
4. Thigh (optional). For slim and skinny cuts, measure around the fullest part of one thigh. See how to measure your thigh for jeans.

Waist sizes: W numbers and US numeric sizes

For men's jeans, the W number is simply the waist in inches. For women's jeans, brands also use numeric sizes. Typical conversions:

These are typical; brands differ, and vanity sizing means a "W28" from one brand might measure closer to 29 inches. Our explainer on what W30 L32 means and the full women's jeans size chart and men's jeans size chart go further.

Inseam lengths

Remember that the cut changes where the hem falls. Skinny and cropped jeans are designed to sit above the ankle; bootcut and flare jeans are designed to be longer so they cover the top of the shoe.

Rise: where the waistband sits

The rise is the distance from the crotch seam to the top of the waistband. It decides where the jeans sit on your body.

The rise also changes which waist measurement you need. For high-rise jeans, measure closer to your natural waist; for low-rise, measure lower on the hips. That's why the same person can be a W28 in high-rise jeans and a W30 in low-rise ones.

Cuts and how they fit

Our guide to what skinny, straight, bootcut and flare mean has diagrams of each.

Stretch and denim weight

Denim fabric makes a real difference to sizing:

• Rigid denim (100% cotton) has little or no stretch. It softens with wear and moulds to your body, but it won't give at the waist. Buy it to fit.
• Stretch denim (cotton with a little elastane) gives with you. Many people size down in high-stretch styles, because they loosen over a day's wear.
• Raw or unsanforised denim hasn't been pre-shrunk and can shrink noticeably on its first wash. Brands selling it usually say so and give advice on sizing up. Most everyday jeans are sanforised (pre-shrunk), so they shrink much less.

If a product page lists the fabric content, use it: a pair that's 98% cotton and 2% elastane is comfort stretch; 90% cotton and 10% stretch fibres will feel very different.

Between two sizes?

• Rigid denim: size up. You can't stretch the waist, but you can wear a belt or have the waist taken in.
• Stretch denim: size down if you like a close fit; the jeans will relax.
• Curvy hips: if the waist fits but the hips don't, look for "curvy" fits, which add room through the seat and thigh relative to the waist. See what curvy means in denim.
• Long legs: buy the waist that fits and the longest inseam available; hemming is easy, adding length isn't.

How jeans should fit: a quick check

Try them on and check these, standing and sitting:

1. Waist: buttons comfortably, with no gap at the back when you sit. A small back gap is common on curvy figures and can be taken in by a tailor.
2. Seat: smooth, without pulling horizontal lines across the front or sagging at the back.
3. Thighs: you can pinch a little fabric on slim cuts; skinny cuts hug but shouldn't leave marks.
4. Rise: the front doesn't dig in when you sit, and the back doesn't slide down.
5. Length: the hem falls where the cut is designed to: just above the ankle for cropped and skinny, on the top of the shoe for straight and bootcut.

New rigid denim will feel tight and loosen with wear; new stretch denim will feel right and loosen further, so start a little snug.

Men's vs women's jeans

Men's jeans are cut straighter through the hip with a longer rise at the back, and they're almost always sold in W and L. Women's jeans have more room at the hip relative to the waist, are often sold in numeric sizes, and come in a wider range of rises. If you're crossing over, compare waist, hip and inseam measurements rather than the label. A women's 10 is not a men's W30 in fit, even if the waist measurement is similar.

Body shape and jeans

Fit isn't just about numbers. Different cuts flatter different builds, and our body-shape guides cover it in detail: jeans for pear-shaped bodies, apple-shaped bodies and hourglass bodies.

Jeans sizes around the world

Our worldwide men's jeans conversion and women's jeans conversion, plus the European W26, W28, W30 explainer, cover the details.

If you sell jeans online

Denim has some of the highest fit-return rates in apparel. On your product pages:

• Show garment measurements for each size: waist laid flat, front rise, hip, thigh, inseam and leg opening.
• State the fabric and stretch content and whether it's pre-shrunk.
• Give a sizing tip ("rigid denim, take your usual size" or "high stretch, size down").
• Show the model's height, waist and size worn.

A fit recommender for jeans can do the matching for shoppers, and the free jeans size chart generator makes a chart image for your listings.