Military Sizes

To anyone who hasn't been in any of the British Forces, or hasn't been selling Army Surplus for over 20 years, the sizes found on Military Uniforms and Army Boots can be confusing.

For this reason we have put together this page to help you understand what the sizes mean and how they equate to a size you're more comfortable in.

Army Clothing

Today the MOD uses centimeters as the standard unit of measurement. On any one label there can be up to 3 numerical measurements on each label, so what do they mean?

Trousers or Shorts will have 3 measurements Leg/Waist/Seat
Army Jackets & Shirts have 2 measurements Height/Chest

Please note that the measurements on the labels are not the actual length of the item. For example a shirt with length 180, is not 180cm long, but made to fit someone who is 180cm tall.

Small, Medium & Large

Some items, especially the Ballistic Vests & Body Armour, do not have a size in cm. They're simply labled Small or Large.

For these items we have put together this general bit of information, but please note that these are only approximations:

Extra Small = 34"-36"
Small = 38"-40"
Medium= 40"-42"
Large = 42"-44"
Extra Large = 44"-46"
Extra Extra Large = 46"-48"

Shoes & Boots

The British Army use standard UK shoes sizes 6, 7, 8, etc, for their Shoes and Boots. However they split these sizesinto 3 width fittings: !!<

Small
Medium
Large

So you may see listings for 8S, 8M or 8L. If you've not worn military footware before, you may be unsure, but you should have an idea if you have a narrow or a wide foot. Remember, if you do order the wrong size that we will exchange items for you.

Please note that American sizes tend to be half a size bigger:

UK 5 = US 5.5