Yes. Bust and chest are two names for one measurement: the girth around the fullest part of the torso, tape level under the arms and across the shoulder blades. Women's size charts and tailors say bust, men's charts say chest, and the number is taken the same way on everyone. If a form asks for chest and you know your bust, enter the same number. The only extra a women's chart adds is the underbust, the bra band line, which a chest-only chart never asks for.
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| Bust or chest | In inches | Women's label (blouse, kurti) | Men's label (kurta, shirt) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 81 cm | 32 | 32, XS | |
| 86 cm | 34 | 34, S | 34, XS |
| 91 cm | 36 | 36, M | 36, S |
| 97 cm | 38 | 38, L | 38, M |
| 102 cm | 40 | 40, XL | 40, L |
| 107 cm | 42 | 42, XXL | 42, XL |
| 112 cm | 44 | 44, 3XL | 44, XXL |
| 117 cm | 46 | 46 | 46, 3XL |
Body girth, before ease. Indian blouse, kurti and kurta labels are simply the bust or chest in inches, and the garment is cut bigger by the ease the style needs: 2 to 5 cm for a fitted blouse, 8 to 15 cm for a kurta or shirt.
Pattern drafting grew up with separate blocks for women and men. A women's bodice block is shaped from three girths, bust, underbust and upper bust, because the difference between them decides how much shaping the front needs, so women's charts and forms say bust. A men's block is shaped from one girth and the shoulders, so men's charts say chest. The line the tape sits on is the same.
The one real source of confusion is chest width, which some forms shorten to chest. Chest width is a straight line across the front from armpit crease to armpit crease, usually 33 to 42 cm, not a girth. If a form asks for chest and the box expects a number under 50 cm, it wants the width; if it expects 80 to 120 cm, it wants the girth, which is your bust.
Size labels make the point: an Indian 36 blouse and a 36 kurta are both cut for a 36 inch (91 cm) body at the fullest point. Bra sizes are different again: the band number is the underbust, and the cup letter is bust minus underbust, so a bra size never tells a tailor the bust on its own.
Scan yourself with your phone camera on Silai: about 2 minutes, free, no tape and no second person. You get every measurement on this page, and you can see your own sheet right now, no account needed.
Yes. On a man the measurement is called chest and on a woman bust, but it is the same girth around the fullest part of the torso at nipple level, taken the same way. A men's chart never asks for an underbust.
Enter your bust. Chest and bust are the same number. The only check is the unit: if the box expects inches, divide centimetres by 2.54 (91 cm is 36 inches).
No. A bra size has a band number, which is the underbust girth, and a cup letter, which is the gap between bust and underbust (roughly 2.5 cm per letter). A 34C and a 32D share almost the same bust, so give the tailor the bust measurement itself, not the bra size.
Upper chest or high bust is taken above the bust, under the arms, across the top of the chest. Blouse and bodice makers use it so the neckline lies flat. Chest, on its own, means the full girth at the fullest point.
No. Chest width is a straight measurement across the front between the armpit creases, typically 33 to 42 cm. Chest, or chest girth, goes all the way round. Shirt and jacket forms sometimes ask for both; a blouse or kurta form usually wants only the girth.
Yes. A unisex or men's kurta chart says chest, a kurti chart says bust, and both label the garment by that girth in inches: a 38 fits a body of about 97 cm at the fullest point, with the chart's ease added on top.
Yes. The Silai scanner takes bust or chest, underbust, waist, hips and the rest in about two minutes from a propped phone, no tape and no second person, and gives you the sheet right away without an account.
Body measurement chart: what size am I? · How to measure your bust or chest · How to measure your waist · How to measure your hips · How to measure your inseam and trouser length · How to measure sleeve length and arm length · How to measure shoulder width
Measuring for a garment? Saree blouse measurements · What does blouse length 0.8 metre mean? · Kurta size chart, sizing and measurements · Lehenga measurements · Salwar kameez measurements · Gown and anarkali measurements