Ordering a dress from another country is easy until the size labels disagree. A UK 12 is a US 8, a French 40 and a German 38, and the label in your wardrobe may belong to any of these systems. This converter takes a size in one system and shows the same size in the other five, together with the body measurements the brand’s chart attaches to it.
How to use the dress size converter
- Choose the system your size is written in: US, UK, Australia, France, Germany or Italy.
- Enter the size number. Women’s dress sizes move in steps of two, so enter an even number.
- Read the results. The other five systems appear, with the bust, waist and hip measurements of the body that size is cut for.
- Switch the measurement units between centimetres and inches with the menu beside each result.
Dress size conversion formulas
France/Spain = UK + 28 · Germany = UK + 26 · Italy = UK + 32
Each rule is the difference between two columns of a size chart, and it holds from the smallest to the largest size on the chart. The chart below was generated from these rules and matches the Boohoo dresses size guide row by row (retrieved 2026-10-15). The sizeguide.net chart and Wikipedia’s comparison table give the same UK-to-US, French, German and Italian offsets.
| UK | AU / NZ | US | France / Spain | Germany | Italy | Bust (cm) | Waist (cm) | Hips (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 32 | 30 | 36 | 80 | 62 | 88 |
| 6 | 6 | 2 | 34 | 32 | 38 | 82.5 | 64.5 | 90.5 |
| 8 | 8 | 4 | 36 | 34 | 40 | 85 | 67 | 93 |
| 10 | 10 | 6 | 38 | 36 | 42 | 90 | 72 | 98 |
| 12 | 12 | 8 | 40 | 38 | 44 | 95 | 77 | 103 |
| 14 | 14 | 10 | 42 | 40 | 46 | 100 | 82 | 108 |
| 16 | 16 | 12 | 44 | 42 | 48 | 105 | 87 | 113 |
| 18 | 18 | 14 | 46 | 44 | 50 | 111 | 93 | 119 |
| 20 | 20 | 16 | 48 | 46 | 52 | 117 | 99 | 125 |
| 22 | 22 | 18 | 50 | 48 | 54 | 123 | 105 | 131 |
| 24 | 24 | 20 | 52 | 50 | 56 | 129 | 111 | 137 |
| 26 | 26 | 22 | 54 | 52 | 58 | 135 | 117 | 143 |
| 28 | 28 | 24 | 56 | 54 | 60 | 141 | 123 | 149 |
| 30 | 30 | 26 | 58 | 56 | 62 | 147 | 129 | 155 |
The bust, waist and hip columns are body measurements from the Boohoo chart. The steps between sizes are not constant: they are 2.5 cm from UK 4 to UK 8, 5 cm from UK 8 to UK 16 and 6 cm from UK 16 upwards, for bust, waist and hips alike.
Worked example
You normally buy a UK 12 and want to order from a US shop.
- US size: 12 − 4 = 8.
- Europe: France 40, Germany 38, Italy 44.
- The chart expects a bust of 95 cm, a waist of 77 cm and hips of 103 cm.
Why a converted size may not fit
- No legal standard. In most countries clothing sizes are voluntary labels, so two brands in the same country can differ by a full size.
- Vanity sizing. Many labels have drifted smaller over time, so a modern size 8 is larger than an older size 8.
- Cut and fabric. A fitted woven dress needs a precise size; a stretch jersey dress is more forgiving.
- Odd numbers. Some US brands also sell odd sizes (1, 3, 5) or letter sizes, which the converter does not translate.
When you can, measure your bust, waist and hips and compare them with the brand’s chart using the Dress Size Calculator. For tops and trousers the Letter Size to Number Converter (S/M/L) and Jeans Size Calculator pages cover other labels. This converter gives general sizing guidance, not a guarantee of fit.
Sources
Every figure above comes from these pages, read directly on the dates shown.
- Boohoo — dresses size guide (UK/AUS/US/EU sizes with body measurements) — checked 2026-10-15
- Sizeguide.net — women’s international clothing size conversion — checked 2026-10-15
- Wikipedia — Clothing sizes (women’s dresses comparison table) — checked 2026-10-15
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert a UK dress size to US?
Subtract 4. A UK 12 is a US 8, a UK 8 is a US 4. This holds across the whole range on the Boohoo and sizeguide.net charts, from UK 4 (US 0) to UK 30 (US 26).
Is an Australian dress size the same as a UK size?
On the charts used here, yes: Australia and New Zealand use the same numbers as the UK. Some retailers number their own Australian ranges differently, so check the chart of the shop you buy from.
What is an EU dress size?
There is no single European size. France and Spain use UK + 28, Germany (and Austria, the Netherlands and Scandinavia) use UK + 26, and Italy uses UK + 32. That is why the converter lists them separately.
Why do my measurements not match the size?
The body measurements shown are from one brand’s guide and rise in steps of 2.5 to 6 cm. Another brand may be cut differently. Use the numbers as a starting point and use the Dress Size Calculator to check your bust, waist and hips against a brand chart.
Do these conversions work for plus sizes?
The table stops at UK 30 (US 26), where the chart used ends. Plus-size ranges are labelled differently between brands (for example 1X, 2X), so look at the brand’s own plus chart.