The size label tells the customer what size the garment is. Simple in concept, surprisingly complex in practice — because size systems vary by country, and a size "M" in one market means something different in another. Getting this wrong creates returns, complaints, and sizing confusion across your distribution.
In a tech pack, the size label spec needs to be precise: what sizing system, what label reads for each size in your range, where it's placed, and whether it's a standalone label or integrated into the care label.
Always specify the sizing system explicitly in your BOM — don't assume your factory knows which market you're selling into. EU 38 ≠ US M in every context.
Size equivalences — women's tops
FlatLabs uses EU sizing as its base, starting at EU 38 (the ISO 8559-1 reference size). Here's how it maps to other common systems:
| Label | EU | US | UK | IT | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 34 | 2 | 6 | 38 | 34 |
| S | 36 | 4–6 | 8–10 | 40 | 36 |
| M | 38 | 8 | 12 | 42 | 38 |
| L | 40 | 10–12 | 14 | 44 | 40 |
| XL | 42 | 14 | 16 | 46 | 42 |
| XXL | 44 | 16 | 18 | 48 | 44 |
Production specs for your tech pack BOM
| Spec | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Label type | Size label | Standalone or integrated with care label |
| Material | Woven or satin print | Match quality to brand label |
| Sizing system | EU (primary) | Add US/UK if multi-market |
| Placement | Next to brand label | Or integrated into care label |
| Size range | Specify per style | e.g. XS–XXL or EU 34–44 |
In FlatLabs PRO, the base size is EU 38 (ISO 8559-1 reference). Size equivalences across EU, US, UK, IT, FR, JP, and AU are built into the measurement library — no manual lookup needed when building your grading table.
Standalone vs. integrated size label
There are two common approaches. A standalone size label is a small separate tag — typically 1–2 cm wide — sewn next to the brand label at the back neck or inside the care label area. This is the cleanest solution and allows you to produce one care label per style and swap size labels per size.
An integrated label combines size information into the care label itself, usually printed at the top. This reduces the number of trim components but means you need a separate care label version per size — which increases your label SKU count. For small runs, standalone is simpler to manage.