Youth T-Shirt Size Chart

What sizes are on a youth t-shirt size chart?

A youth t-shirt size chart runs XS, S, M, L and XL, labeled 4–5, 6–8, 10–12, 14–16 and 18–20 on most blank tees. Averaged across 10 youth styles from Gildan, Port & Company, Bella+Canvas, Next Level and District, chest width grows from about 14.5 inches (XS) to 19.25 inches (XL) laid flat, and length from 19.25 to 26 inches.

Those averages are DTF Database's own, calculated from the manufacturers' spec sheets for the blank tees most often decorated for schools, teams and events. The chart below gives the average and the range for each size; the by-brand table further down gives every style on its own. Youth small and youth medium have their own guides: what size is youth small and what size is youth medium.

Youth t-shirt size chart: XS to XL

Shirt width and length are averages of the youth styles in the by-brand table, measured flat (chest width is taken 1 inch below the armholes; length runs from the high point of the shoulder to the hem). The range in brackets is the smallest and largest style. Body chest is the wearer measurement most brand fit charts give. Height is from Nike's boys' chart. XS is averaged over 8 styles, since Port & Company's PC54Y and Bella+Canvas's 3001Y start at small.

Shirt widths are half the garment's circumference. Double a flat width to compare it with a body chest measurement, then allow 4 to 6 inches of ease for a classic fit. Next Level labels its 3310 medium as kids' size 8 and its large as 10/12; the other brands label medium 10–12.

Youth t-shirt sizes by age

Blank tees are labeled with a kids' size number (6–8, 10–12), not an age, and the two do not line up neatly. The age column below is Nike's boys' tops chart, the only major chart that publishes an age for each letter size; the height and body chest columns are the better guide, because a tall 7-year-old and a small 10-year-old can wear the same shirt.

For a team or class order, ask for the child's height and chest, or the size of a shirt that fits now, rather than their age. When a child sits between two sizes, size up: a youth tee that has to last a school year is better slightly long in September than tight in May.

What size is a youth XS?

A youth XS (extra small) is the smallest youth size, labeled 4–5 on most spec sheets. Averaged across the 8 youth tees above that make an XS, it measures about 14.5 inches across the chest laid flat and 19.25 inches long, and fits a body chest of roughly 22–25 inches and a height of 48–50 inches.

Youth XS is where brands disagree most. Gildan's Heavy Cotton 5000B and Ultra Cotton 2000B cut their XS at 16 by 20.5 inches, the same as a DryBlend 8000B or Softstyle 64000B small, while the District DT6000Y XS is 13.5 by 19.5 inches. Two styles in the table have no XS at all: Port & Company's PC54Y and Bella+Canvas's 3001Y start at small, so a group order on those blanks needs a toddler or 4T size for the smallest children. Below youth XS, most brands switch to toddler sizes (2T to 5/6T), which use a different chart.

What size is a youth large?

A youth large is labeled 14–16 on most blank tees. Averaged across 10 youth styles, it measures about 18 inches across the chest laid flat and 24.5 inches long, and fits a body chest of roughly 30–32 inches and a height of 58–62 inches. Brands differ by up to 1.75 inches in width, so check the chart for the exact style.

Youth large is the size that most often gets confused with an adult small, because the chest widths are within an inch of each other. The length is what separates them: an adult small is about 3.5 inches longer than the average youth large. A 12-year-old who wants an adult-style length should look at the adult XS from Bella+Canvas or the adult small comparison below, not a youth XL.

Youth XL vs adult small

A youth XL and an adult small overlap in chest width but not in length. The table compares the average youth L and XL with adult XS, S and M flat measurements from the same brands' adult spec sheets.

For a teen between sizes, the adult small or the Bella+Canvas adult XS is the usual next step after a youth XL. Full adult charts by brand are in the Gildan size chart, Bella+Canvas size chart, Next Level size chart, Jerzees size chart and District size chart.

Youth size chart by brand

Flat chest width × body length in inches for each youth size, transcribed from the manufacturers' spec sheets. Classic heavyweight tees (Gildan 5000B, 2000B) are the widest; side-seamed retail-fit tees (Bella+Canvas 3001Y, District DT6000Y, Next Level 3310) are the narrowest and, at the large and XL end, the longest.

Spec sheets: Gildan 5000B, Gildan 2000B, Gildan 8000B, Gildan 64000B, Port & Company PC54Y, Port & Company PC61Y, Port & Company PC450Y, Bella+Canvas 3001Y, Next Level 3310, District DT6000Y.

Gildan 5000B vs 2000B vs 64000B youth sizes

Gildan's Heavy Cotton 5000B and Ultra Cotton 2000B youth tees share one size chart: 16 inches wide at XS up to 20 inches at XL, in 1-inch steps, with lengths from 20.5 to 26.5 inches. The DryBlend 8000B and Softstyle 64000B are cut a full size smaller: their XL (19 × 25 inches) matches the 5000B large. Switching from a Heavy Cotton to a Softstyle youth tee on a reorder changes the fit even when the size letter stays the same, so re-collect sizes against the new style. The full adult, youth and ladies' charts are in the Gildan shirt size chart.

How to measure a child for a youth t-shirt

1. Chest. Wrap a soft tape under the arms around the fullest part of the chest, arms down, tape level. This is the method printed on the Gildan, Port & Company and Bella+Canvas spec sheets. Match it to the body chest column in the chart.
2. Height. Measure standing without shoes. Height mainly decides whether the shirt is long enough.
3. A shirt that fits now. Lay it flat and measure across the chest 1 inch below the armholes, then from the high point of the shoulder to the hem. Compare those two numbers with the by-brand table. This is the most reliable check, because it accounts for how the child likes a shirt to fit.

Size by measurements over age. When the chest and the length point to different sizes, go with the chest and size up for growth if the shirt has to last a school year.

DTF print size and placement by youth size

DTF Database's placement chart publishes one youth range that covers XS to XL. The chest widths above show why the range matters: a 10-inch full-front transfer leaves about 1.75 inches each side on the narrowest youth XS (13.5 inches wide) but 5 inches on the widest youth XL. Use the bottom of the range (8 inches) on XS and S, the middle on M, and the top (10 inches) on L and XL.

The ranges come from the t-shirt design placement size chart. They are layout guidelines, not results of a youth-specific press test. To check a specific transfer against a specific size, use the placement calculator, which draws the transfer to scale on the shirt. See the design size master chart for hoodies and sweatpants, and the DTF temperature and time chart for press settings by fabric.

Ordering youth sizes for a team or school

• Pick the blank first, then the sizes. The same letter size differs by up to 1.75 inches in width between styles, so collect sizes against the chart for the exact style being ordered.
• Order a size run, or measure a sample. Have families try on a sample set or measure a shirt that fits now. It costs a few blanks and saves a reprint.
• Expect a bell curve. In a mixed-age group, youth M and L usually make up most of the order, with a few XS and XL at the ends and some adult S for the oldest children.
• Keep the transfer size per garment size. One full-front design pressed at one width across XS to XL looks oversized on the small shirts; scale it to the placement ranges above.

Frequently asked questions