“Do you have a size chart?” is the factory question that most exposes a new brand. It is also the one where a good answer prevents the most returns. So: what sizing actually is between a brand and a factory, and what to send.
Sizing is a chart, not a letter
“M” has no fixed meaning, a European fashion M, a US promo M, and a Japanese M differ by several centimetres. What production runs on is a measurement chart: points of measure down the side, sizes across the top, numbers in the grid, tolerances attached. When customers say a brand “fits true,” they mean the brand defined its chart deliberately and its factory hit it consistently.
What to send, three acceptable answers
- <strong>A full measurement chart</strong> — every point of measure, every size, with tolerances. The professional standard; lives inside your <a href="/blog/what-is-a-tech-pack/">tech pack</a>.
- <strong>A base size + grade rules</strong> — one fully-specced size (usually M or L) plus the increments per step. The factory grades and returns the full chart for approval.
- <strong>A reference garment</strong> — the fit you want, in the mail. We measure it, spec it, grade it, and you approve the chart. Perfectly respectable for a first order.
The traps that cause returns
- <strong>“Unisex” is a men’s block.</strong> If women are half your customers, a women’s cut is a size run, not a marketing label.
- <strong>Market conventions differ:</strong> a UK women’s 12 ≈ US 8; EU sizes run on different scales entirely. Label for your market, spec in centimetres.
- <strong>Kids’ sizes run on height</strong> (e.g. 122, 134 cm), and safety rules change at 134 cm, so kids’ grading is a compliance matter too. <a href="/blog/childrens-clothing-manufacturing-safety-standards/">The kidswear rules.</a>
- <strong>Tolerances left unstated</strong> become disputes: ±1.5 cm on chest is normal; agree the numbers before bulk, then <a href="/blog/garment-sample-approval-checklist/">measure the sample against them</a>.
We grade in-house on Optitex CAD from any of the three starting points above — send a chart or a garment and you’ll get the full graded spec back for approval before sampling.