How to Measure Your Dress Shirt Size at Home
You need a soft tape measure, a mirror, and ideally a second person. If you don’t have a tape, a phone charging cable and a ruler work in a pinch.
Already measured? Enter your numbers in the dress shirt size calculator and get your collar and sleeve size in seconds.
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1. Neck (collar size)
- Stand straight and look ahead, not down.
- Wrap the tape around the base of your neck, about where the top button of a collar sits, usually just below the Adam’s apple.
- Slide one finger between the tape and your neck. That finger is the breathing room a collar needs.
- Read the number and round up to the next half inch. 15.3 inches becomes 15.5.
2. Sleeve length
This is the measurement most people get wrong. A dress shirt sleeve is measured from the center of your back, not from the shoulder seam.
- Stand with your arm relaxed at your side, slightly bent.
- Start at the bone at the center back of your neck.
- Run the tape across the top of your shoulder, down the outside of your arm, past the elbow, to your wrist bone.
- Round to the nearest inch.
3. Chest and waist (for choosing a fit)
- Chest: around the fullest part, under your arms, with arms down.
- Waist: around your natural waist, usually at the belly button, without sucking in.
- The gap between the two helps decide between slim, athletic and classic cuts. See the fit guide.
Measuring a shirt you already own
If a shirt fits you well, it’s the best tape measure you have. Lay it flat and buttoned. For the collar, open it flat and measure from the center of the button to the far end of the buttonhole. For the sleeve, measure from the center of the back of the collar to the shoulder seam, then down to the end of the cuff, and add the two.
Four mistakes that make shirts fit wrong
- Measuring the sleeve from the shoulder seam. You’ll come up several inches short.
- Pulling the neck tape tight. The collar will choke.
- Measuring over a thick sweater.
- Assuming your letter size (M, L) means the same thing at every brand.
Turn your numbers into a size
Enter neck and sleeve in the calculator, then shop brands that sell those exact numbers.
Quick answers
How do I measure my sleeve length by myself?
Measure a shirt that already fits you instead. Lay it flat, and measure from the center of the back of the collar, across the shoulder seam, down to the end of the cuff. That number is your sleeve length.
Should the tape be tight around my neck?
No. Keep it flat and snug, with one finger under it. A collar measured tight will feel choking once it’s buttoned.
Do I measure in inches or centimeters?
US and UK shirts use inches. European brands label collars in centimeters. Our conversion table covers both.
Will a cotton shirt shrink?
Some cotton shirts shrink a little after the first washes, mostly in the collar and sleeves. Check the brand’s care notes, and if you’re between collar sizes in a 100% cotton shirt, round up.
Related: Size chart · Fit guide · Size conversion