How to measure inseam at home (and why it isn't the L on the label)

The inseam is the inner-leg length, from the crotch seam down to the hem. Brands don't all use that length the same way. This guide shows you two ways to measure it at home, and how to read it on a size chart.

What you need

• A soft tape measure. A sewing tape is easier to use than a metal builder's tape. A piece of string and a ruler will do if you have no tape.
• A pair of jeans that fits you well, if you have one.
• A helper, if you measure on your body.
• A note of whether your tape shows centimetres, inches or both.

Measure jeans that fit, laid flat

If you have jeans that fit, this is the measurement to compare with a chart that lists garment lengths.

1. Button and zip the jeans and lay them flat. Stack the legs if that keeps the inner seam straight.
2. Smooth out wrinkles without stretching the fabric.
3. Find the crotch seam, where the inner leg seams meet.
4. Run the tape from that seam down the inner leg to the bottom of the hem.
5. Don't pull it taut, and measure to the hem as it is (not turned up or cuffed).
6. Write down the number and the unit.

Raw denim can shrink in the first wash, so check the product page.

Measure on your body

Measuring your own inner leg is awkward, and the tape slips. Ask someone to help.

1. Stand barefoot or in the shoes you'll wear, feet a little apart.
2. Hold a firm book or ruler level between your legs, snug against your crotch.
3. Have your helper measure from the top of the book down to the floor.
4. Subtract the height you want the hem to sit above the floor.
5. Write down the number and the unit.

The flat measurement and the body measurement can differ, sometimes by several centimetres, because you choose where the hem falls. Use the flat one with a garment chart, and the body one with a chart that lists body measurements.

Why this isn't the L on every label

Many jeans are labelled with a waist number and a length number, often written as W and L. The L is a size. It is not a promise that the inner leg measures that length on every brand.

• Brands cut length differently, so the same L can hem at a different point.
• Some charts list the garment's inseam. Others ask for the inseam of your body. Those are different numbers.
• Where you want the hem, on the shoe or above it, changes the length you need.
• Rise and cut. Two pairs with the same inseam can end at different spots on your leg if one has a deeper crotch.

Use your measurement with the chart for the pair you're looking at. Don't treat one L as your length in every brand.

Using your inseam with a size chart

1. Open the size chart for the brand, and for the style if it has its own chart.
2. Check whether the chart lists body measurements or garment measurements, and whether it uses centimetres or inches.
3. Find the length that matches your inseam.
4. Check the waist and hip on the same chart before you choose. Length is only one part of how the pair sits.
5. Read the product page for a note on the hem or the rise.

Quick checklist

• Soft tape, and a note of the unit
• On jeans that fit: laid flat, crotch seam to hem, along the inner leg
• On your body: a helper measures from the top of a level book held snug at your crotch down to the floor, then subtract the hem height you want
• Don't treat the L on the label as your measurement
• Use the brand's chart, and check whether it means body or garment

About us, and related guides

Disclosure: this site belongs to Misure One, a fit app for pants and jeans built by its founders, Kees and Caetana, so we're biased. Everything in this guide works with just a tape measure.

If you'd rather not compare charts by hand, Misure One lets you add your measurements, paste a product link and get a size recommendation for that item. You don't need it to use this guide.