How to Measure Men's Pant Size

Wed Oct 29 2025

how to measure mens pants

Let’s face it—buying pants that don’t fit is frustrating. But don’t worry, we’re here to make finding the right size simple. Knowing how to measure your waist and inseam correctly can save you the hassle of returns and ensure every pair fits just right.

Before you start, you’ll need a few basic tools:

A flexible measuring tape
A flat surface (like a table or clean floor)
A pair of pants that already fit you well (optional but helpful)

Whether you’re shopping for yourself or someone else, this men’s pants measurement guide will help you find the perfect fit. We’ll walk you through how to measure your waist, how to measure the inseam, and how to interpret pant sizes — plus a few tips to make sure your next pair looks and feels great.

Grab your measuring tape, and let’s get started!

How to Measure Pant Size

Step 1: Measure the Waist

Wrap a flexible measuring tape around the narrowest part of your waist, usually just above the belly button. Keep the tape level all the way around without pulling too tight. Be mindful of where you want the waistband to sit. For example, high-waisted and low-rise styles will rest in different positions.

Step 2: Measure the Hips

Wrap the tape around the fullest part of your hips. For added accuracy, note the distance from your waist down to this point, which can help ensure the pants fit comfortably through the seat.

Step 3: Measure the Thigh

Measure around the upper part of your leg, just below the crotch. This will help you determine the right fit for the leg area and prevent pants from feeling too tight or loose.

Step 4: Measure the Knee

Bend your knee slightly and measure around the middle of the knee. This ensures that pants have a comfortable fit through the knee and don’t restrict movement.

Step 5: Measure the Inseam

Measure from the crotch seam down the inside of the leg to the ankle bone. This is the key measurement for pant length and will help prevent pants from being too short or too long.

Pro Tip: For the most accurate results, measure on bare skin or over thin clothing. Remember that waistband placement and preferred fit will affect both comfort and style, so consider the type of pants you plan to wear.

How to Measure Pant Size (When Garment is Laying Flat)

Step 1: Measure the Waist
Lay the pants flat and smooth out any wrinkles without stretching the fabric. Measure straight across the waistband from one side to the other. Double this number to get the full waist measurement.

Step 2: Measure the Hips
With the pants still flat, measure straight across the widest part of the hip area—usually about 7–9 inches down from the top of the waistband (depending on rise). Double this number to find the total hip measurement.

Step 3: Measure the Thigh
Measure across the leg at the widest part of the thigh, just below the crotch seam. Double this number for the total thigh measurement.

Step 4: Measure the Knee
Measure straight across the leg at the midpoint between the crotch and the hem. Double this measurement to get the knee width.

Step 5: Measure the Inseam
Measure from the crotch seam along the inside leg seam down to the bottom of the hem. This gives you the inseam length.

How to Measure Pant Length and the Inseam

The inseam is measured from the crotch seam to the bottom of the pant leg. There’s some confusion about the inseam measurement; some people think it’s simply the length from the waist to the pant leg’s bottom. This is incorrect—this is called the outseam.

If you are shopping for jogger pants, lounge pants, or some kinds of work pants, the set of standard U.S. pants sizes corresponds to various pants measurements. Check out the chart below:

Size	Waist in Inches	Waist in Centimeters
XS	28-30	71-76
S	30-32	76-81
M	32-34	81-86
L	34-36	86-91
XL	36-38	91-96
XXL	40-44	101-111
3XL	46-50	117-127
4XL	52-54	132-137
5XL	56-60	142-152
6XL	62-64	157-162

If you don’t have this chart handy, here’s a tip: to find men’s pants sizes in centimeters, take your inches measurement and multiply it by 2.54. If you have centimeter measurements, divide by that number to find the measurement in inches.

How to Read Pants Size

Pant sizes are given in inches, like 30/32. The first number is the waist size, and the second is the inside leg length. Find your inch size by measuring a pair of pants that fit well. Measure from the top of the inner thigh to the bottom of the leg opening.

Men’s Pants Measurements: Tips on How to Get A Proper Fit

Here are a few tips on how to measure men's pants. These include measuring men’s dress pants versus casual pants, differences between various fits, and how to measure your pants at home. Knowing how to measure pant length is helpful if you need to have alterations made or want to buy multiple pairs of a style you love.

High waisted pants vs. low riding hipsters

Certain styles of pants sit high on the waist. When picking clothing like high-waisted pants, it's important to know how to measure the waist for pants correctly. Using a tape measure, go around your natural waist, which is the narrowest part of your body above the belly button, to ensure a proper fit. For denim jeans, these include bootcut and straight-cut pants. Bootcut jeans are wider on the bottom to make room for boots, while straight pants do not have this space but instead hang down just above the heel.

Lowriders, or hipsters, hang just below the waist. These are usually in drop crotch and baggy styles. As noted above, make sure to use a measuring tape and get your waist measurement from right above your buttocks or where you want the pants to sit.
By following these simple steps on how to measure waist for pants, your high-waisted pants or low-riding hipsters will fit perfectly.

Dress pants

When measuring dress pants, it's crucial to know how to measure the waist for pants to get an accurate fitting that isn’t tight in awkward places. To ensure the perfect length, take the inseam measurement from the crotch seam to the bottom of the pant leg. With dress pants and suit pants, you want to be careful to measure so that the pant leg will fall neatly on top of your shoes. This will allow you to avoid getting the bottom of the pant leg dirty.

Measuring at home

When you measure pants at home, lay them out on a flat surface such as a table, a clean floor, or your bed. Make sure to measure from the crotch seam to the bottom of the leg. The crotch seam is where the left and right pant legs are sewn together.

Style of pants and sizing

Make sure to account for shrinkage when buying slacks or jeans, as well as style. For example, while skinny jeans are all the rage, it’s usually smart to buy them a size or two larger than normal since skinny jeans are smaller and tighter at the ankle than typical pants and will likely shrink in the wash.

Choose UNIONBAY for the Best Styles in Men’s Pants

Whether you need work pants or are looking for something more casual, UNIONBAY’s men’s pants and cargo pants for men will help you look and feel great. Shop our collection and order your next favorite pair of jeans today!

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