Waist size is one of the three most important measurements for men in order to find clothes that fit (alongside chest size and inseam). In the UK, the waist of trousers is usually given in inches, and refers to the whole circumference of the waist opening.
Most people know their waist size off by heart. But it can change a lot (yes, I am writing this directly after Christmas). So how do you actually measure waist size on your body?
How to measure your waist size?
1. Get a soft tape measure. If you don't have one, they're about £5 here on Amazon.
2. Remove your shirt and jumper so you're measuring against bare skin.
3. Find your waist. Your waist is roughly halfway between the bottom of your ribcage and your hipbone. It's slightly above your belly button.
4. Wrap the tape measure around and take a reading in inches. Do not breathe in or otherwise try and cheat the system.
5. For trousers, round the number up to the next whole number. So if you measure 32.5 inches, go for a 33 inch waist. N.b. lots of manufacturers only produce trousers in increments of 2 inches, so you'll need to round up again to 34 inches in this case.
That's it!
Alternative method: ask someone to help, and then punch the air, like in this stock photo.
