Plus Size Dress Size Calculator

Plus sizes, measured properly

Enter your three measurements and get your W size — 14W to 32W — from the plus chart itself, not from a stretched version of the regular one.

Calculate your plus size

Free · No sign-up

Bust in

Around the fullest point

Waist in

Your natural waist

Hips in

Around the fullest point

Your plus size

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Bust points to

—

Waist points to

—

Hips point to

—

Enter your measurements — your size appears as you type.

W is a different pattern, not a bigger label

Why plus sizes exist separately

Plus sizes are drafted on a different pattern block. As bodies get fuller, proportions do not scale evenly — the waist grows faster relative to the bust, the armhole and shoulder need reshaping, and ease gets distributed differently. A misses pattern simply graded up would pull at the waist and gape at the armhole.

That is why this page never extends the regular chart. Your measurements are matched against the W chart directly, and if you land below it, the calculator sends you back to the regular calculator rather than guessing.

	Misses 18	18W
Bust	45″	46″
Waist	37.5″	38″
Hips	48″	48″
Cut	Straight-size block	Fuller-figure block

The full plus chart

Plus dress sizes 14W–32W

Size	X size	Bust up to	Waist up to	Hips up to
14W	1X	42″	34″	44″
16W	1X	44″	36″	46″
18W	2X	46″	38″	48″
20W	2X	48″	40″	50″
22W	3X	50″	42″	52″
24W	3X	52″	44″	54″
26W	4X	54″	46″	56″
28W	4X	56″	48″	58″
30W	5X	58″	50″	60″
32W	5X	60″	52″	62″

Size	X size	Bust up to	Waist up to	Hips up to
14W	1X	106.5 cm	86.5 cm	112 cm
16W	1X	112 cm	91.5 cm	117 cm
18W	2X	117 cm	96.5 cm	122 cm
20W	2X	122 cm	101.5 cm	127 cm
22W	3X	127 cm	106.5 cm	132 cm
24W	3X	132 cm	112 cm	137 cm
26W	4X	137 cm	117 cm	142 cm
28W	4X	142 cm	122 cm	147.5 cm
30W	5X	147.5 cm	127 cm	152.5 cm
32W	5X	152.5 cm	132 cm	157.5 cm

Consensus values cross-checked against published plus charts — the method is set out on the editorial policy page. Individual brands start 14W anywhere from a 41″ to a 43.5″ bust, so check the brand's chart too.

Worked examples

Three plus-size matches, traced

46 / 39 / 49

→ 20W · 2X

Bust lands exactly in the 18W row, but the waist passes 18W's 38″ and the hips pass its 48″ — two measurements govern, and the dress must close over both. 20W.

43 / 35 / 45

→ 16W · 1X

All three sit inside the 16W row (44 / 36 / 46) and past the 14W row — a clean, single-row match. In a stretch fabric, this is the rare case where 14W is worth trying on too.

51 / 45 / 55

→ 26W · 4X

The bust alone would suggest 24W, but waist and hips both run a row further. For a fitted dress, 26W and a tailor beat 24W and a struggle with the zip.

Fit notes that matter more in plus

Where plus dresses usually fail

Waist placement

The most common plus-fit fault isn't size but position: a waist seam drafted too high or low. If dresses consistently sit wrong at the waist in your correct size, the brand's block doesn't match your torso — change brand, not size.

Sleeve and armhole

Upper arms are the least-standardised measurement in plus sizing and rarely appear on charts. If sleeves are a recurring problem, measure your upper arm and ask the retailer — or favour sleeveless and flutter styles that sidestep it.

Length

A fuller body lifts hems: the same dress sits shorter over a larger hip. If you're between lengths, the longer one is the safer order — hemming is the cheapest alteration there is.

Plus sizes around the world

Buying plus sizes internationally

UK plus

British plus ranges usually drop the W and simply continue the standard numbers — 18, 20, 22 up to 32 — cut on a fuller block. The label arithmetic matches the converter (US 18W ≈ UK 22), but the safe check is still the brand's own measurements against yours.

EU plus

European plus typically runs 44–60, again as an extension of the standard sequence on a plus block. A US 20W lands near an EU 52. Some European plus brands cut noticeably straighter through the waist — if waist definition matters to you, their charts' waist column is the one to read twice.

In every country the pattern repeats: the W (or its local equivalent) is a different pattern block, the numbers convert approximately, and the measurements convert exactly. Shop by the three numbers you measured, and the international label becomes a detail instead of a gamble.

Questions

Before you ask

What is the difference between 18 and 18W?

They are different pattern blocks, not the same dress in two labels. A misses 18 on the standard chart fits up to about 45″ bust, 37.5″ waist and 48″ hips. An 18W is drafted for a fuller figure — relatively more room through the waist and midsection, a different bust shaping and armhole — on this site's consensus chart it fits up to 46″ bust, 38″ waist and 48″ hips, and it will hang differently from a misses 18 even where numbers look close.

What do 1X, 2X and 3X mean in dress sizes?

They are grouped labels for the W sizes: 1X ≈ 14W–16W, 2X ≈ 18W–20W, 3X ≈ 22W–24W, 4X ≈ 26W–28W and 5X ≈ 30W–32W. A grouped label covers two sizes, so it fits a wider range of bodies less precisely — when a brand offers the exact W size, it is the better bet.

My measurements fall between two W sizes. Which do I take?

Take the larger one for fitted dresses — the chart matches you to the first size that contains your largest measurement, and plus-size alterations (taking in) are routine while letting out usually is not possible. For stretch fabrics and wrap styles, the smaller size can work if you are only just over the line.

Why does my size change between plus-size brands?

Plus charts vary more than misses charts do. Some brands start 14W at a 41″ bust, others at 43″+. There is no enforced standard, which is why this calculator works from your measurements against a consensus chart — and why the brand's own chart still gets the final say.

Should I use this calculator or the regular one?

If your largest measurement passes the top of the standard chart (bust over 47″, waist over 40″ or hips over 50″), this one — the W block will fit your proportions better than a scaled-up misses size. If you straddle the line, run both and compare which chart row contains all three of your measurements most comfortably.

Does height matter for plus sizes?

The number, no; the fit, yes. Plus petite (often labelled WP) shortens the same pattern for frames under about 5′4″, and plus tall lengthens it. If standard plus dresses consistently run long in the torso or skirt, the petite-plus range is worth hunting for.

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Reference

Full Size Chart

Every size in US, UK, EU and AU — with cm, plus and petite tables included.

See the full chart →

Who made this · How it's sourced

Built by a person, checked against sources

Ian Welkins

Builder & maintainer

I build small, single-purpose calculators and check every number they print. This one exists because dress sizing is a mess of unregulated charts — the least I could do was gather the published ones in one place and show the working.

Found a chart that disagrees with ours? That's exactly what the report-an-error page is for — corrections get checked and the page gets updated.

Last verified: November 2026 · Charts re-checked against the sources listed here

Methods & sources

ASTM D5585Standard tables of body measurements for adult female misses figure type
ISO 8559Size designation of clothes — anthropometric survey definitions
Published brand charts (consensus)Cross-checked across major retailers' published size charts; where brands disagree, the median value is used and the variance disclosed

Method in one line: match each measurement to the consensus chart, round up between sizes, let the largest measurement govern — then adjust for the style of dress.