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Jeans waist size is not your waist: what each brand cuts a tag for

Updated . 5 minute read.

The short answer

The number on a jeans tag is a size name, not your waist. On 17 official brand charts, a tag 28 is cut for a body waist from 28 in to 30.5 in, and 12 of the 17 brands cut it for a waist above 28 inches.

So measure your body, not your old jeans' tag, and compare it with the brand's body measurements. Brand to brand, match the waist the two charts publish and ignore the tag.

What each brand cuts a 28 for

Same tag, read from each brand's own size guide. The hip column matters as much as the waist: more hip at the same waist is a curvier cut.

The body a tag 28 is cut for, as each brand publishes it. Smallest waist first.
BrandBody waistHipHip minus waist
7 For All Mankind28 in38 in10 in
Guess28 in38.5 in10.5 in
Pistola28 in38.5 in10.5 in
rag & bone28 in39.5 in11.5 in
Uniqlo28 innot publishednot published
Abercrombie & Fitch27.5 to 29 in37.5 to 38.5 in9.8 in
AGOLDE28.5 in38.5 in10 in
Citizens of Humanity28.5 in38.5 in10 in
Joe's Jeans28.5 in38.5 in10 in
Reformation28.5 in39 in10.5 in
Everlane29 in39 in10 in
Madewell29 in39 in10 in
G-Star RAW29.13 in34.65 in5.5 in
Levi's29.25 in38 in8.8 in
Wrangler29 to 29.5 in37.5 to 38 in8.5 in
Silver Jeans Co.29 to 30 in38 to 39 in9 in
A.P.C.30.5 innot publishednot published
From each brand's main women's jeans chart. A range means the brand publishes a range for that size.

The gap runs through the whole size run

For each tag: the smallest, median and largest body waist the brands cut it for.
TagBrandsSmallestMedianLargestSpread
241724 in24.5 in26.5 in2.5 in
251725 in25.5 in27.5 in2.5 in
261726 in26.5 in28.5 in2.5 in
271727 in27.5 in29.5 in2.5 in
281728 in28.5 in30.5 in2.5 in
291729 in29.75 in31.5 in2.5 in
301730 in31.1 in32.4 in2.4 in
Tinted rows: brands differ by an inch and a half or more on the same tag, which is more than one full size. Tags above 30 are left out: several brands widen their steps there, so the same tag stops meaning the same position in the size run.

One tag step is about an inch of body waist, so a spread of more than an inch means your tag at one brand can be the next tag up or down at another. That is a fact about the brands, not about your body.

Waist tag to US numeric size

Tag to tag there is a convention, and brands mostly follow it: tag 25 is a US 0, and each tag after it is two numeric sizes up.

Waist tag to US numeric size. The convention column is the rule; the brand columns are what 12 charts print beside their own tags.
TagUS size by conventionMost brands printOther answers in print
24000 (6 of 9)2: 7 For All Mankind, Ksubi; 00/0: Levi's
2500 (7 of 12)2: 7 For All Mankind, rag & bone, Silver Jeans Co.; 0/1: Levi's; 3: Ksubi
2622 (5 of 12)4: 7 For All Mankind, Ksubi, rag & bone; 0: NYDJ; 1/2: Wrangler; 2/3: Levi's; 2/4: Silver Jeans Co.
2744 (7 of 12)2: NYDJ; 3/4: Wrangler; 4/5: Levi's; 5: Ksubi; 6: rag & bone
2866 (8 of 12)4: NYDJ; 5/6: Wrangler; 6/7: Levi's; 8: rag & bone
2988 (5 of 12)6: 7 For All Mankind, NYDJ; 6/8: Silver Jeans Co.; 7: Ksubi; 7/8: Wrangler; 8/9: Levi's; 10: rag & bone
301010 (6 of 12)8: 7 For All Mankind, Ksubi, NYDJ, Silver Jeans Co.; 9/10: Wrangler; 10/11: Levi's
Some brands print a double size such as 6/7; it is shown as printed.

For the European numbers that follow from the US size (UK, DE, FR, IT), see EU sizes are not one system.

What to do

  1. Measure your natural waist and the fullest part of your hips.
  2. Open the brand's own chart and find the row whose body waist contains yours. That row's tag is your size there, whatever your other jeans say.
  3. Compare the hip on that row with yours. If the brand's hip is smaller, look for its curvy line before sizing up.
  4. Moving from a brand you already wear? The jeans converter matches the two charts by body waist and tells you which cut is curvier.

Common questions

Is a size 28 in jeans a 28 inch waist?

Rarely. On the official charts we checked, brands cut a tag 28 for a body waist at or above 28 inches, at some brands by an inch or more. The tag is a size name that started as a measurement; read the brand's chart for the body it is cut for.

What is a size 28 in US sizes?

Brands that print both put a waist tag 28 beside a US 6. The convention is that tag 25 is a US 0 and every tag after it is two sizes up, so 26 is a 2, 27 is a 4, 28 is a 6 and 29 is an 8. A few brands shift it by a size; the table on this page shows who.

Why does the same tag fit differently at two brands?

Because the two brands cut it for different bodies. The waist a tag is built for differs by brand, and so does the hip allowed at that waist, which decides whether the cut is straighter or curvier.

Should I measure my waist or use my usual size?

An item you own that fits is the better starting point, because it already accounts for your shape and how you like jeans to sit. A tape measure is the fallback: compare it with the brand's body measurements, not with the tag number.

Sources

Checked on 18 September 2026. Brand charts change: the linked page is the authority, not this one.

Every number is the body measurement the brand's own chart gives for that tag. Only each brand's main women's jeans chart is used; plus, petite and curvy lines are cut for a different body on purpose.

Skip the conversion table

Tell us one item you own and how it fits. TrueToSize reads the brand's own chart and gives you your size at other brands, with a confidence level on every answer.

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