How to Measure a T-Shirt So You Buy the Right Size
Measurements
Lay the shirt flat and take three numbers: armpit to armpit, collar seam down to the bottom of the hem, and shoulder seam to the cuff. Those three describe the shirt you are buying, which is why they beat the number around your chest.
Every size guide worth reading measures a garment, not a body. The one on each PILLAR tee page says so in its first line: every number is the shirt itself, laid flat, in inches. Which helps, because a shirt on a table holds still and a chest does not.
How Do You Measure a T-Shirt?
Lay it face up, smooth it flat and take three numbers in inches: armpit to armpit across the front, center back collar seam to the lowest point of the hem, and shoulder seam to cuff.
Flat means flat. A tee folded over the arm of a sofa reads short, and one pulled taut reads whatever you want, because a knit with spandex gives an extra inch if you ask. Chest is front only, half the circumference on purpose, which is how garment charts are written.
Measure the Shirt, Not Your Chest
A tee you already like is the better reference, because its numbers carry the ease the pattern was cut with. Your chest is one body number with no cut attached to it.
The Shirt
Your Chest
The ShirtA tee you wear and a table
Setup
Your ChestA tape and a second pair of hands
The ShirtEase is already in the number
Ease
Your ChestSays nothing about how much room to add
The ShirtLength and sleeve come free
Coverage
Your ChestOne dimension, and not the one that bothers you
The ShirtSpacing between sizes shows the cut
Cut
Your ChestReads the same slim or relaxed
The ShirtUseless until you own one that fits
Weak Spot
Your ChestUseful on everything else you buy
The PILLAR guide says the same thing in plainer words: grab your best fitting tee, measure armpit to armpit, match that number to the chart. It works even if that shirt is another brand, because you are copying a result rather than a label.
Which Number Actually Decides the Size?
Chest. Pit to pit moves fastest between sizes and cannot be altered afterwards. On the Nick Tee guide a size up adds about an inch across the chest against three quarters in length.
Sleeve moves slowest, roughly three eighths of an inch per size, which is why a sleeve that lands wrong is rarely solved by changing size. Length sits in between, and half an inch of hem reads as preference rather than mistake.
Shoulder is the one no chart lists and no tailor can give back, so check it on your body the way a tee is supposed to fit describes. If two sizes look possible, take the one closer to the shirt you reach for, and let sizing up or sizing down settle the rest.
Shop the Story
Buyable in Every Size
Nick Tee
White
Slim fit, curved hem measured to its lowest point, true to size. 60% cotton, 35% rayon, 5% spandex.
$45
Shop Nick Tee
Joey Tee
Black
Tailored fit, straight cut hem, four way stretch, pre shrunk and true to size.
$45
Shop Joey Tee
Joey Tee
Mint Green
Same tailored pattern as the black one, one set of numbers covers both.
$45
Shop Joey TeeEvery tee page carries its own guide. S to XXXL, Mint Green out of XXXL today. 30 day returns on unworn items.
Why Two Tees in the Same Size Measure Differently
Hem shape and cut. A curved hem is measured to its lowest point, so it reads longer on a chart than a straight hem cut for the same body. The Nick Tee hem dips about two and a half inches.
That is why each model carries its own guide rather than one chart. Nick is slim with a curved hem, Joey tailored with a straight one, Tim a tailored athletic cut. Three patterns, one size name.
Pre shrunk matters too. Joey and Tim both are, so the number you match is close to the one you keep, and what actually shrinks in a tee covers the rest. A bigger size is also not a looser pattern, see the oversized question.
Shop the Story
The Layer That Has to Clear It
Hayden Hoodie
Black
The widest size run we make, XS through XXXL, with its own guide on the page.
$98
Shop Hayden Hoodie
Alec Quarter Zip
Blue
Ribbed cuffs and hem, pre shrunk. In stock in Small through Large.
$98
Shop Alec Quarter ZipMeasure the layer the same way.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you measure a T-shirt for size?
Lay the shirt face up on a flat surface with no tension on the fabric. Measure chest armpit to armpit across the front, length from the center back collar seam to the lowest point of the hem, and sleeve from the shoulder seam to the cuff. Compare all three to the guide on the product page.
What does pit to pit mean on a T-shirt?
Pit to pit is the chest measurement taken straight across the front of a flat shirt, armpit seam to armpit seam. It is half the circumference, so a 21 inch pit to pit is not a 21 inch chest. Charts are written this way so the number is repeatable.
Is it better to measure my chest or a shirt that already fits?
A shirt that already fits. Your chest is a body number with no cut attached, so it cannot tell you how much room a pattern leaves. A tee you reach for has that room in its numbers, and copying them onto a chart is the closest thing to trying it on.
How much bigger is each T-shirt size?
On the Nick Tee guide each size up adds about an inch across the chest, about three quarters of an inch in length and about three eighths in the sleeve. Chest separates the sizes far faster than sleeve, which is why it is the number to size on. The guides are hand measured.
Athletic Meets Aesthetic
Measure Once, Order Once
Three cuts, six sizes, a flat measured guide on every tee page.
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