A size letter is shorthand for a body measurement in inches. On tops, kurtas and blouses the number behind the letter is your bust. On trousers, skirts and anything worn below the waist it is your waist, with the hip alongside. There is no one chart that every Indian brand follows, so the same letter shifts by an inch or two from label to label, and the measurement is the part you can rely on.
This page covers women's sizes.
What do S, M, L and XL mean in numbers for tops?
The number is a bust measurement in inches, and each letter is two inches bigger than the one before. Most Indian kurta and top charts use the first column below. A fair number run one step smaller, which is the second.
| Letter | Most common number | Charts that run a step smaller |
|---|---|---|
| XS | 34 | 32 |
| S | 36 | 34 |
| M | 38 | 36 |
| L | 40 | 38 |
| XL | 42 | 40 |
| XXL (2XL) | 44 | 42 |
| 3XL (XXXL) | 46 | 44 |
So an L is a 40 on most charts and a 38 on some. An M is a 38 or a 36. An XL is a 42 or a 40. When a label prints both, as in "L/40", the number is the one to trust.
Check one more thing on the chart itself: whether the numbers are body measurements or garment measurements. "To fit bust 36" means the garment suits a 36 inch bust and has ease built in. "Chest 38" with no other note may be the measurement of the garment itself, and a kurta needs some ease over the body to sit properly. Two brands can print the same number and mean different things by it.
Your own bust measurement is taken around the fullest part with the tape level. What bust size means has the method, and explains why that number is a blouse size but not a bra size.
What do the letters mean for bottoms and shapewear?
Here the letter stands for a waist range, with a hip range beside it. This is the general chart most Indian underwear and shapewear follows. The XS and 3XL rows continue the same two inch step.
| Letter | Waist (inches) | Waist (cm) | Hip (inches) | Hip (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 26 to 28 | 66 to 71 | 32 to 34 | 81 to 86 |
| S | 28 to 30 | 71 to 76 | 34 to 36 | 86 to 91 |
| M | 30 to 32 | 76 to 81 | 36 to 38 | 91 to 97 |
| L | 32 to 34 | 81 to 86 | 38 to 40 | 97 to 102 |
| XL | 34 to 36 | 86 to 91 | 40 to 42 | 102 to 107 |
| XXL (2XL) | 36 to 38 | 91 to 97 | 42 to 44 | 107 to 112 |
| 3XL | 38 to 40 | 97 to 102 | 44 to 46 | 112 to 117 |
When your waist and hip fall in different rows, the hip decides. How to measure your waist and where the hip measurement is taken cover the two readings.
Quick answers by letter
XS is a 34 bust on most top charts and a 26 to 28 inch waist on bottoms.
S is a 36 bust, or 34 on charts that run small, and a 28 to 30 waist.
M is a 38 bust, or 36, and a 30 to 32 waist.
L is a 40 bust, or 38, and a 32 to 34 waist. So an L covers both 32 and 34 at the waist.
XL is a 42 bust, or 40, and a 34 to 36 waist.
XXL and 2XL are the same size: a 44 bust, or 42, and a 36 to 38 waist.
3XL and XXXL are the same size: a 46 bust, or 44, and a 38 to 40 waist.
A 40 is therefore an L on most charts and an XL on the ones that run small. A 42 is an XL or an XXL by the same logic. The label cannot settle it, and the brand's own chart can.
Why does the same letter fit differently?
Brands choose their own starting point, their own ease and their own fabric, and a stretch garment covers a wider span than a woven one. Our own range shows how far the letters can drift. The all-in-one sculpt bodysuit groups S and M into one size for a 26 to 32 inch waist, calls 33 to 38 an L and 39 to 44 an XL. The thigh shaper shorts come in just two runs, XS to L and XL to 3XL. Neither would make sense read against the general chart above, and both fit as described once you go by the measurement.
The letters also mean something else entirely on a few products. The fabric uplift cups are Small, Medium and Large by cup: A, B to C, and D to D-plus. A woman who wears an XL kurta may well be a Medium there.
How do bra sizes fit into this?
They do not. A bra keeps two measurements separate where a letter size squashes them into one: the band number comes from your underbust and the cup letter from the gap between bust and band. No letter size converts to a 34C. The bra size chart explains the system and the bra size calculator does the sum.
How do you find your size without the letter?
Take three measurements once and write them down: bust at the fullest part, waist at the narrowest, hip at the widest. Then read each garment's own chart with those numbers and ignore what you bought last time. When two measurements point at different sizes, the larger one wins for anything that has to pull on over it.
For shapewear, the size finder takes waist and hip and returns a size in each piece we stock.
The short version
For tops, the number is the bust in inches: S 36, M 38, L 40, XL 42 and XXL 44 on most Indian charts, and one step smaller on some. For bottoms and shapewear it is the waist: S 28 to 30, M 30 to 32, L 32 to 34, XL 34 to 36 and XXL 36 to 38. 2XL is XXL and 3XL is XXXL. Letters drift between brands, so measure once and read the chart on the product page.
