Quick answer

US, EU and Asia size labels do not mean the same garment. A “Large” jersey cut to an Asia-market grade typically measures one to two sizes smaller than the same label cut to a US grade, and EU sizes sit between the two. The labels are not the problem — the measurements underneath them are. So order bulk uniforms by finished chest measurements in inches or centimetres, confirm them against the physical sample, and collect your roster’s sizes with one measured method instead of 30 guesses. This post gives the typical comparison ranges and the roster-collection method that stops size errors before they are cut into 200 kits.

The comparison chart (typical jersey sizes)

These are typical finished chest measurements for adult men’s team jerseys across the three grading systems. Treat them as the standard pattern, not a universal law — individual factories vary, which is exactly why the sample check below matters.

Label	US grade — chest (in)	EU grade — chest (in)	Asia grade — chest (in)
S	35–37	34–36	33–35
M	38–40	37–39	36–38
L	41–43	40–42	39–41
XL	44–46	43–45	42–44
2XL	47–49	46–48	45–47

Read the table by the diagonal: an Asia-grade L (39–41 in) measures roughly a US-grade M. If your players have been wearing Asia-market kits and you order the same labels from a US-grade run, every player ends up a size up. Youth sizes follow the same pattern at smaller measurements, and women’s ranges are graded separately — our fitness wear post covers how women’s runs are weighted and confirmed.

Why the three systems differ

The labels are local conventions, not global standards. Each market’s grade was built around its own average build and fit preference: US teamwear is traditionally cut generous, Asia-market teamwear is traditionally cut closer, and EU sizing follows its own numbered tradition (an EU 50 is roughly a US M–L chest, for orientation). None of them is wrong. All of them are different — and a factory produces whichever grade your order specifies, which means an order that just says “100 × Large” has silently left the most important decision to chance.

The safe way to order: measurements, not labels

1. Ask for the size spec in measurements. A professional quote includes the finished chest (and length) per size for the style you are ordering. If a factory cannot produce one, that is information about the factory — our manufacturer checklist covers what else to probe.
2. Tell the factory which grade your players know. “Our squad wears US sizes” plus the measurement spec lets the factory match grading to your roster instead of to its local default.
3. Check the sample against a body, not a screen. Our pre-production sample takes 5–7 days and a free sample is available — put it on a real player of a known size. If the sample’s L fits your L player, the grade is right; if not, adjust the spec before bulk, when adjusting is free.
4. Lock the size breakdown in writing at the mockup stage. Once cutting starts, the run is fixed. Our step-by-step ordering guide shows where this confirmation sits in the process.

How to collect a full roster’s sizes without errors

Most size problems are not grading problems — they are collection problems. Thirty players self-reporting sizes in a group chat produces a list that is wrong in five places. Do it this way instead:

• Measure chests, don’t ask sizes. One tape measure, one volunteer, five minutes at training: measure each player’s chest at its fullest point and record the number. Measure beats self-report every time, because players report the size they usually buy — in whichever grading system their last kit used.
• Use one spreadsheet. Player name, number, chest measurement, chosen size — one row per player, one file. This same sheet drives the personalisation list for names and numbers on kits like our soccer and basketball sets, so build it once and use it for both.
• Convert measurements to sizes yourself, once. Map every chest number to a size using the order’s measurement spec, in one sitting. Thirty individual conversions by thirty people is where errors breed.
• Add spares in the middle sizes. A handful of unnumbered spare sets in M and L covers late signings and the one player whose measurement was taken over a hoodie. Ordered inside the main run, spares cost the tier price; ordered later, they cost a rush — the MOQ guide explains why small top-ups price the way they do.
• Confirm the final breakdown before cutting. Read the size column once against the sheet. This two-minute check is the cheapest quality control in the entire order.

Common sizing mistakes

Ordering last season’s labels from a new supplier. Different factory, possibly different grade — the labels match and the garments do not. Re-confirm measurements on every new supplier relationship.

Even size runs. Ordering 20 of every size looks tidy and fits nobody’s actual squad. Weight the run to your measured roster; for retail and brand orders, weight it to how your market buys (our hoodies post makes the same point for resale ranges).

Mixing youth and adult on one label assumption. A youth L and an adult S are different garments on different grades. List youth and adult as separate lines with their own measurements — combined club orders do this routinely, as the cricket and rugby posts describe.

Skipping the sample because “sizes are standard.” There is no standard. There are three common grades and a factory’s own variation on each. The sample is the only proof, and on first orders it is free.

Frequently asked questions

Is an Asia-size XL the same as a US-size XL? No. Typically it measures one to two sizes smaller — roughly a US L. Always convert by chest measurement, never by label, when switching between suppliers or markets.

Should I size up for kids’ kits? Only deliberately. Parents often request a size up “to grow into”, which is a legitimate choice for a season-long kit — but record it as the chosen size in the sheet, so the factory produces the list you meant, and spares are stocked in the sizes actually issued.

What if a player is between sizes? For jerseys, take the larger size — a team jersey is worn over kit, base layers or pads (in American football this is standard). For close-fit garments like rugby jerseys, follow the measured chest against the spec rather than a blanket rule.

Can youth and adult sizes be produced in one order? Yes — one design, one run, two size lists. Send youth and adult breakdowns as separate lines, each against its own measurements, and both are graded from the same pattern family so the squads match visually.

How do women’s sizes compare across the systems? The same pattern applies: labels differ by market, measurements do not lie. Women’s ranges are graded on their own spec — confirm the finished measurements per size at the quote stage and judge fit on the sample, exactly as with men’s.

What measurements should I send with my enquiry? The size breakdown — how many of each size — plus, if you have them, the chest measurements behind them. At minimum, state which grading system your roster’s sizes are in (US, EU or Asia). That one line in your first message prevents the commonest sizing failure we see; our quote checklist post lists the other six things to send with it.

Order by measurement, not by label

Send your roster sheet — names, numbers, sizes or chest measurements — through the Request a Quote page and we will confirm the size spec in writing, grade it to the system your players know, and prove it on a pre-production sample before bulk cutting starts. The uniform styles themselves are in the shop and the men’s range.