How this calculator works
A men's jacket is sized by the chest in inches, in even numbers, so a 100 cm chest is 39.4 inches and the size to try is 40. Women's jackets use the dress size chart, and the jacket has to fit both the bust and the hips, so the larger of the two sizes is the safer starting point. Height then decides the length cut: short for a height under 170 cm, regular between 170 and 185 cm, and tall above that. That label changes sleeve and body length, not the chest size.
Formula
men: chest size = chest in inches rounded to the nearest even number. women: size = the larger of the bust size and the hip size from the dress chart. fit = short below 170 cm, tall above 185 cm, otherwise regular.
Worked example
A 100 cm chest on a man is 39.4 inches, which rounds to a size 40 jacket. At 178 cm tall the fit is regular, so the size to try is 40 regular. A woman with a 93 cm bust and 100 cm hips has a bust size of 10 and a hip size of 10, so she would start with a size 10.
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Frequently asked questions
Should I size up for a jacket over a sweater?
Yes, if you will wear it over thick layers. Try the size the chart gives first, and go up one if the shoulders and chest feel tight. Shoulders are the hardest part to alter, so they should fit before anything else.
What does short, regular and tall mean?
It changes the length of the jacket body and sleeves for the same chest size. A short cut is about 4 cm shorter and a tall cut about 4 cm longer than regular, with the sleeve length adjusted too. The chest measurement stays the same.
Why does the women's size use the hips?
A fitted jacket has to close over the hip, and a size that fits the bust may pull at the hip. Using the larger of the two sizes gives a jacket that can be taken in at the waist rather than one that cannot button.
Do suit sizes match casual jacket sizes?
Usually, but not always. A suit jacket and a casual jacket in the same stated size can be cut differently. The chest measurement in centimetres is the most reliable comparison across makers.