Choosing the right hoodie size: Measure the hoodie, not yourself

Short answer

• General size charts give body measurements, while our hoodie charts measure the hoodie itself.
• That is why the Altstadt Hoodie in M lists a chest circumference of 132 cm.
• If you order a wide hoodie and normally wear a regular-cut one, in most cases you stay with your usual size, because comparing with the chart only shows you the size when the shoulders are cut similarly.

If you measure your chest before ordering and look at a general size chart, you sometimes end up with a different size from the one you have worn for years. Or you read 132 cm for M in a hoodie's chart, far more than your chest measures. Both charts are right.

To find the right size, you need a tape measure and a hoodie that fits you. This also works for a gift, without asking the person you are giving it to.

Why M is not the same size everywhere

Body chart or garment chart

A general size chart for men or women shows measurements on the body, often as a range. Some hoodie charts also show body measurements, others, like ours, measure the garment itself.

Ranges, figures for waist or hips and the term "body measurement" point to a body chart. A length down to the hem, on the other hand, only appears in a garment chart.

Three times M in one shop

In our shop, the Daily Heavy Zip-Up in M measures 134 cm chest circumference, the Altstadt Hoodie 132 cm. The Base Layer long-sleeve shirt, a shirt with a normal cut (regular fit), comes to 100 cm in M. Between the Daily Heavy Zip-Up and the Base Layer long-sleeve shirt, there is a 34 cm difference in the same size.

How much room is left between you and the fabric

A hoodie is wider at the chest than the body underneath. An oversized hoodie or a boxy hoodie, which is wide and looks short, is much wider on purpose. So only a hoodie whose fit you know can show you whether a value in the garment chart suits you.

How to measure a hoodie that fits you

You need a tape measure and five steps.

1. Lay the hoodie flat on a table, close the zipper if it has one, and smooth it out without pulling on the fabric.
2. Measure the chest width from edge to edge directly below the sleeves, at the lowest point of the armhole. Our charts give the circumference, so you double the value. On the Daily Heavy Zip-Up in M, that is 67 cm flat and 134 cm circumference.
3. Measure the length from the highest point of the shoulder at the base of the neck down to the hem. On a hoodie, that is the spot where the hood is sewn on.
4. Measure the shoulder width from seam to seam, that is, where the sleeves are sewn on. With raglan sleeves, this seam runs diagonally up to the collar, and there is no shoulder width to measure. In that case, stay with the size you usually wear.
5. Measure the sleeve from the shoulder seam to the end of the cuff.

Then put your numbers next to the chart of the new hoodie. Our charts note "Slight deviations are possible." So whole centimeters are enough for the comparison.

The measurements of your hoodie only show you the size if it is cut similarly at the shoulders to the new one. To check, find the size in the chart whose chest circumference comes closest to your hoodie and look at the shoulder width there. If it differs by no more than 2 cm from your hoodie's, the two are cut similarly, and that is your size. On the Altstadt Hoodie and the Daily Heavy Zip-Up, 2 cm is exactly the step from one size to the next. If your hoodie falls exactly between two sizes at the chest, the closer shoulder width decides, and if that is equally close too, both fit, with the smaller one sitting tighter. The sleeve length of each size is on the new hoodie's fit page. Next to your sleeve, it shows you whether the new one is longer or shorter, but not which size to take.

If the shoulder width differs by more, your hoodie is cut differently, and its measurements do not show you the size. This is usually the case when yours has a normal cut and the new one is wide. Then take the size you usually wear. In that size, a wide-cut hoodie deliberately sits wider than yours. The length only shows you whether the new hoodie sits shorter or longer than yours.

Use the size calculator on the product page if the size you find via chest and shoulder is two or more sizes above or below your usual one, if your usual size does not exist for the new hoodie, or if you normally wear women's sizes. Each of our hoodies comes in a size range from S to L or XL, without separate women's sizes, and the product pages of our hoodies do not say which letter here corresponds to a women's S or women's M. For the Alltags Essential, select "Women" in the calculator.

Fit, shoulders and sleeves

Regular, Loose, Boxy, Oversized

A regular cut sits closer to the body than loose, boxy and oversized. Loose brings a lot of width at a normal length. The Daily Heavy Zip-Up has a boxy cut and, measured flat, is almost as wide as it is long. Oversized is deliberately cut larger than the label suggests, and our Zum Matterhorn Hoodie has this fit.

Sleeves and all sizes are on the fit pages, linked at the end of the article.

Between the Altstadt Hoodie and the Daily Heavy Zip-Up, the shoulders make the difference. This makes the boxy cut look wider and shorter.

Dropped shoulders and sleeve length

With dropped shoulders (drop shoulder), the shoulder seam does not sit on the shoulder but lower on the upper arm. On the Daily Heavy Zip-Up, with 67 cm shoulder width, as much as its chest width measured flat, the sleeve therefore starts further out than on the Base Layer long-sleeve shirt. Because you measure the sleeve from the shoulder seam, your comparison of sleeve length only tells you something if your hoodie and the new one have similarly cut shoulders. If your hoodie has a normal cut and the new one is wide, the charts therefore do not show you where its cuff ends on your hand.

Ordering larger for an oversized look?

In the charts of the Daily Heavy Zip-Up and the Altstadt Hoodie, one size up adds 4 cm of chest circumference, 2 to 3 cm of length and 1.5 to 2 cm of sleeve.

A regular hoodie one or two sizes larger does get wider, but it does not look like a wide cut. Our Zum Matterhorn Hoodie has an oversized fit, and its product page says "Choose your normal size".

For an oversized look, we advise you to take a wide-cut hoodie in your usual size. If your comparison hoodie is cut similarly at the shoulders, check the size against it, as described above under measuring.

A size up is only worth it if even the wide cut is too tight for you. The longer sleeves and the lower hem then come with it. If your comparison hoodie does not show whether the wide cut is too tight for you, the only option left is to try it on, and you can return the new hoodie within 30 days. The guide to oversized hoodies shows how to wear the look afterwards.

Does the hoodie shrink in the wash?

Cotton knit shrinks mainly in the first washes. In a study by Anand and colleagues (2002), the dryer had the largest share of the dimensional change. So do not put your hoodie in the dryer, lay it flat to air-dry instead.

All our hoodies are pre-washed. The Daily Heavy Zip-Up and the Altstadt Hoodie are washed after sewing, so that they are soft and shrink little. The Gradual, the Zum Matterhorn Hoodie and the Alltags Essential are pre-washed so that their size hardly changes after washing.

That is why we do not recommend taking a size up to allow for shrinkage on any of them. Our guide to washing hoodies shows how the hoodie keeps its shape in the wash.

Giving a hoodie without asking for the size

The best way is to take a hoodie the person wears often from their wardrobe, lay it flat for a moment and measure it as above. Then go about it as you would with your own hoodie. If it is cut differently at the shoulders from the new one, the size on its label counts. For a women's size or a children's size such as 176 on the label, the size calculator helps, as above.

If that is not possible, the fallback is the size calculator on our product pages, which asks for height and weight. Each hoodie has its own calculator. For 175 to 179 cm and 70 to 74 kg, the calculators recommend

• M for The Gradual, the Zum Matterhorn Hoodie and the Daily Heavy Zip-Up,
• L for the Altstadt Hoodie,
• L for the basic hoodie Alltags Essential when "Men" is selected, and M for "Women".

The calculators of the Altstadt Hoodie and the Daily Heavy Zip-Up adopt the manufacturer's recommendation by height and weight. So the L for the Altstadt Hoodie comes directly from its manufacturer's information for these body measurements.

If the size still does not fit, you can return the hoodie within 30 days of receipt, unworn, with its tags and in its original packaging. Trying it on does not count as wearing it. Get in touch briefly through the contact form before you send it back. Return shipping within Switzerland and Liechtenstein is then free.

From your measurements to the right hoodie

The charts for comparing are on the fit pages for The Gradual, the Zum Matterhorn Hoodie, the Alltags Essential, the Altstadt Hoodie and the Daily Heavy Zip-Up. You will find all models in the shop.

Frequently asked questions