How to Measure Your Neck Size and Sleeve Length

Are you planning to buy a dress shirt for yourself or for a male friend? Here is how to measure one's neck size and sleeve length.

Steps

Measuring Neck Size

1. Wrap the measuring tape around the neck, beginning at the Adam's apple.
2. Come fully around the neck, leaving no dangling space in between the neck and the tape.
3. Note the measured number. This is the actual neck size. The dress shirt size will be half an inch bigger. For example, if you measure your neck to be exactly 15 inches around, then your dress shirt size will be 15½.
4. Your neck size should range between about 14 - 19 inches.

Measuring Sleeve Length

1. Have the man that you are measuring stand still, with his arms falling naturally to his sides.
2. Begin at the middle of the upper back, as shown in the picture to the right.
3. Measure the length from the middle of the upper back to the stitching located at the shoulder of the shirt. Remember this value.
4. Measure the length from the top stitching on the shoulder to the bottom of the wrist. Be careful not to measure too high above the wrist, or the dress shirt's sleeves will come out to be too short.
5. Add these two values together to determine your sleeve length. The value should range anywhere from about 32 - 37 inches.

Tips

1. The table above shows an approximation of sleeve lengths to dress shirt sizes. Your sleeve length may be longer or shorter, depending on your height and other factors, such as the natural length of your arms.
2. If you are at a retailer, have a salesperson measure your neck size and sleeve length for you!
3. When trying on a dress shirt, your collar should feel comfortable around your neck, and not tight. You should be able to fit two fingers [one overlapping the other] into the shirt with ease.

Warnings

1. When measuring sleeve length, be careful not to measure too high above or too far below the wrist, otherwise the sleeves will come out to be too short/too long. A good rule of thumb is to measure to the bottom of the small bump in your wrist.

Things You'll Need

1. measuring tape
2. a friend to help out