Which measurements you need, and where charts go wrong
There is no official Pakistani measurement standard. What exists are brand size charts, and they are describing something different from what a fabric calculator needs. This page explains the difference so you do not enter the wrong numbers.
The five numbers that matter
Everything on this site runs on five body measurements. Take them over light clothing, with the tape snug but not pulled tight.
| Measurement | How to take it | What it decides |
|---|---|---|
| Chest round | All the way around the fullest part, tape level and parallel to the floor | Panel width — the single biggest factor in whether pieces fit across the cloth |
| Hip round | All the way around the fullest part, feet together | Shalwar or trouser leg width |
| Kameez length | From the shoulder seam straight down to where you want the hem | How long each body row runs |
| Sleeve length | From the shoulder point to the wrist bone for full sleeves | The sleeve row, and whether sleeves nest beside the body panels |
| Shalwar length | From the waist down to the ankle | How long each leg row runs |
Round, not half. Enter the full circumference. Many tailors write chest as a half measurement because that is what they cut to — a 19" note on a slip usually means a 38" body. If a number looks about half of what you expected, it probably is.
Why a brand size chart is not a body chart
This is the trap. A brand's chart lists the finished garment, with the fit already built in. A calculator needs your body, because it adds the fit allowance itself. Enter a garment chest and you will double-count the ease and buy too much cloth.
Look at what the charts actually say. A Khaadi chart reproduced by a stockist gives chest 42" for Small, 44" for Medium, 48" for Large and 52" for Extra Large, with shoulders of 15" to 17". A 42" chest on the smallest size is not anyone's small body — it is a garment with several inches of room in it.
Meanwhile a Gul Ahmed ready-to-wear listing gives chest 19", shirt length 29.5", daman 22", shoulder 19" and sleeves 13". That chest is a flat half measurement, and the 19" shoulder is across the back of a drop-shoulder cut. Two brands, two conventions, neither of them your body.
Figures as published by stockists: Khaadi size chart via arishaclothing.co.uk; Gul Ahmed 2-piece ready-to-wear listing via brandsfactoryleftovers.com. Checked 19 August 2026. Brands revise charts between seasons.
Brands say so themselves
Two disclaimers appear again and again on Pakistani brand size guides, and both are worth taking seriously:
- Roughly an inch of tolerance is normal. Sellers state that variation of about plus or minus one inch, caused by material, stitching technique and who held the tape, is expected and not treated as a fault.
- Measurements are taken before washing. Sellers note that some shrinkage may occur on the first wash depending on the fabric — which is a separate allowance, covered on the allowance page.
An inch of tolerance is small on a finished shirt. On a fabric calculation it is not always small, because an inch on the chest becomes half an inch on the panel width, and that can be exactly what tips a panel from fitting two-across to one-across on your cloth.
If you only have a size, not measurements
You can still get a usable figure, but do it in the right order:
- Find the chart for the specific brand and collection, not a general one.
- Check whether the chest figure is a full round or a flat half. If the number is under 30", it is almost certainly a half — double it.
- Subtract the ease that is already in it. A relaxed kurta typically carries several inches over the body; a fitted one carries less. If you do not know, work from the body instead.
- Set the fit dropdown in the calculator to match the style you want, and let it add the ease once.
The honest summary: a size label is a shopping shortcut, not a measurement. If the cloth matters, spend two minutes with a tape.
What the calculator adds on top
You enter the body. The calculator adds the rest, so you should not add it yourself:
| Added automatically | Amount |
|---|---|
| Fit ease across the chest | 2" fitted, 3" regular, 5" loose |
| Side seams on each body panel | 1.5" |
| Kameez hem and shoulder seam | 2.75" |
| Sleeve hem and seam | 2.75" |
| Shalwar waist casing and hem | 3" |
| Selvedge, deducted from the cloth width | 1" |