Leather Jacket Size Chart: How to Read It and Choose Your Size

To read a leather jacket size chart, take your neck, sleeve, chest and waist measurements, then find the row on the maker's table where those numbers sit. On Leather Collection's own chart, a men's jacket in US size 40 (EU 50, medium) lines up with a chest of 100 cm (39.4 in) and a waist of 88 cm (34.6 in), while a women's US size 10 (EU 42, small) lines up with 82 cm (32.3 in) under the breasts.

This guide reproduces the jacket columns of the shop's size guide, explains how the shop asks customers to measure, and shows how to choose when the numbers fall between two rows.

The measurements you need before opening a size chart

A jacket chart needs only a handful of numbers. Use a soft, flexible tape, keep it level, and ask a second person to help, because the sleeve and neck are hard to measure alone. The instructions below paraphrase the shop's own guidance.

Neck

Measure around the neck about 2 cm below the Adam's apple at the front and around the 7th cervical vertebra, the bony bump at the base of the neck, at the back.

Sleeve

Let the arm hang relaxed at your side with the elbow slightly bent. Measure from the point of the shoulder down the outside of the arm to the wrist.

Chest and breast

For men, measure around the chest at its widest point, standing straight and breathing normally. For women, the chest figure is taken under the breasts, and a separate breast figure is taken at the fullest part of the chest, across the nipples and under the arms, closely around the body.

Waist and height

Measure around the waistline about 5 cm below the navel while breathing normally, with a relaxed abdomen. For height, stand upright without shoes, feet together, and measure from the top of the head to the soles of the feet.

Men's leather jacket size chart

The table shows the jacket columns of the shop's men's chart, with each measurement in centimetres and inches (cm / in). The same page lists the full set of columns, including hip and inseam, for trousers and suits. When browsing men's leather jackets and clothing , compare your numbers with this table.

Letter sizes are only a shorthand. Both a size 38 and a size 40 are labelled M, and sizes 34 and 36 are both S, so read the chest and waist figures rather than the letter.

Women's leather jacket size chart

The women's jacket table adds the breast measurement. Note the difference between the two: the chest column is taken under the breasts, and the breast column at the fullest part of the chest. A fitted style such as a women's cafe racer jacket follows the body closely, so both figures matter. When browsing women's leather clothing , match your numbers to this chart.

Sizes 12 and 14 are both labelled M, and sizes 18 and 20 are both XL, so again the numbers matter more than the letter.

How to choose your size from the chart

Compare each of your measurements with the chart. If they all sit close to one row, choose that row. If they point to two rows, work through the checks below.

When you stand between two sizes

If your measurements fall between two rows, compare the chest and sleeve rows first, since these decide how a jacket sits across the back and arms. Then consider the layers you plan to wear underneath, or use made to measure. The shop's advice to consider the bigger size applies to its boots and gloves charts, not to jackets.

Think about the layers underneath

A style with a hood, such as a leather hooded jacket , tends to be worn over a sweatshirt, and a slim cut leaves less room than a relaxed one. Compare the measurements with the chart of the exact cut instead of carrying one size across every style, whether that is a quilted biker jacket for men or a black shirt-style leather jacket .

When one number does not match the others

A broad chest with a slim waist, or a sleeve longer than the table row, is common. In that case a standard size may fit one measurement and not another, and made to measure lets you give all your measurements instead of choosing one standard row. The shop's made-to-measure page explains how the process works.

Common sizing mistakes to avoid

• Measuring over a thick jacket or sweater and then ordering by that number alone.
• Pulling the tape too tight, which gives a chest figure that is smaller than the real one.
• Confusing the women's chest (under the breasts) with the breast (fullest part).
• Choosing by the letter on the label instead of the measurements.
• Measuring alone, which makes the sleeve and neck figures unreliable.

When made to measure makes sense

The size chart covers standard sizes. When your numbers fall between rows, or outside the table, the shop makes jackets to individual measurements. Its made-to-measure page asks customers to have a second person take the measurements on bare skin, standing with the muscles relaxed and the feet together, using a flexible tape with constant pressure that does not pinch the skin. All measurements should be written down, following the diagrams provided.

Measurements can be submitted through the online measurement form, and a downloadable form is also offered. Check the size guide before you choose.

Written by the Leather Collection Editorial Team.