Measurements, not labels
Sizing a whole squad without measuring everybody
4 minute read
A medium is not a medium. Every manufacturer grades to its own block, so a squad that was a perfect medium in last year’s kit can be a squad of larges in this year’s. Ordering against label sizes from a previous supplier is the most common cause of a fit complaint we see.
The fix is not to measure eighteen people individually. It is to measure three and check the rest against them.
The fast method
Twenty minutes for a whole squad, and considerably more reliable than a spreadsheet of guesses.
- 01
Get the size chart first
Ours, with real chest and length measurements in centimetres, not a S/M/L table.
- 02
Measure three players
The smallest, the largest, and one in the middle. Chest at the fullest point, and length from the shoulder seam.
- 03
Place those three on the chart
You now know where your squad sits relative to our grading, which is the information the chart alone cannot give you.
- 04
Let the rest self-select
Players choose against the three known reference points rather than against an abstract label. This is where the accuracy comes from.
Players between sizes, and youth squads
For a player exactly between two sizes, the sport decides. Basketball and volleyball go up, because the garment is meant to move; baseball and football go down, because a loose jersey under pads or over a belt is a nuisance rather than a comfort.
Youth squads need a different approach entirely, because a twelve-year-old measured in June is a different twelve-year-old in September. Order to the measurement taken closest to delivery, and if the gap is more than a couple of months, size up rather than trying to predict.
Where a squad has a genuinely wide spread, mention it before the mockup. It occasionally changes what we recommend, since some cuts grade across a wide range better than others.
The four measurements that matter
Take these on three players and the rest of a squad can size itself against them.
- Chest
- Around the fullest point, arms down, tape level and not pulled tight. The single measurement that decides a top size.
- Body length
- From the highest point of the shoulder seam straight down. This is what separates two players with the same chest and different builds.
- Waist
- At the natural waist, not at the hip and not where a belt sits. The commonest measuring error, and it produces shorts a size out.
- Inseam
- Inside leg from crotch to the hem the player actually wants. Preference varies more here than on any other measurement.
Why label sizes cannot be trusted
Every manufacturer grades to its own block. A medium is a medium relative to that maker and to nothing else, which is why a squad that fitted perfectly in last season’s kit can be a squad of larges in this one without a single player changing shape.
Ordering against remembered label sizes from a previous supplier is therefore the commonest cause of a fit complaint we see, and it is entirely avoidable — it costs twenty minutes to measure three people and place them on a real chart.
The other reason to work from measurements is that they survive. A size chart is a document you can send to next year’s coach; "we were mostly larges" is not, and it is how a program repeats the same wrong order for three seasons.
Where a squad has a genuinely wide spread, say so before the mockup. Some cuts grade across a wide range better than others, and it occasionally changes what we recommend — the point at which a garment is chosen for the squad rather than the squad squeezed into a garment, which is what building from printed panels makes possible.
The cases that need a decision
Four situations a size chart alone does not answer.
A player exactly between sizes
The sport decides. Basketball and volleyball go up, because the garment is meant to move; baseball and football go down, because loose kit under pads or over a belt is a nuisance.
A youth squad measured months early
Measure as close to delivery as you can, and where the gap is more than a couple of months, size up rather than trying to predict a growth spurt.
A very wide size spread
Tell us before the design is settled. A cut that grades well across the range is worth more to that squad than the design somebody saw on a screenshot.
Women’s and unisex in one squad
Routine, and worth asking for explicitly. In volleyball and soccer the women’s block is the default request rather than the variant.
Follow-up questions
Can we order a size sample first?
Yes, and for a first order with a new program it removes most of the risk. It adds a week or two to the schedule, so ask before approving the mockup rather than after.
What if we get the sizes wrong?
Before production starts, nothing happens — we reissue the sheet. After production, a replacement is a short reorder against artwork we already hold.
Do sublimated garments shrink?
Polyester barely shrinks at cold or warm wash temperatures. Hot washing and tumble drying will affect it, which is one of several reasons the care advice matters.
Should we order spares?
For practice gear, yes, always. For game kit, a couple of common sizes is usually enough and much cheaper now than as a single-piece reorder in October.
Do we need to measure every player?
No. Measure the smallest, the largest and one in the middle, place those three on our chart, and let everybody else choose against those known points. It takes about twenty minutes for a squad.
Do sublimated garments shrink?
Polyester barely shrinks at cold or warm temperatures. What changes a garment's fit is heat — a hot wash and a tumble dryer will do it, which is the same reason both shorten its life.
Should we order spares in every size?
In the two or three commonest sizes, which covers almost every mid-season addition. Spares in the rarest sizes tend to sit in a cupboard for three years.
Can we get a size sample set?
Yes, and for a first order it removes most of the risk. It adds a week or two, so ask before approving the mockup rather than after.
What if the sizes we submitted are wrong?
Before the run starts, nothing happens — we reissue the sheet. After production, a replacement is a short reorder against artwork we already hold.
How do we size a youth squad that is still growing?
Measure as close to delivery as you can, and where there is a gap of more than a couple of months, size up rather than trying to predict. A garment slightly large is worn; one slightly small is not.