A useful Etsy size chart lists, for every size you sell, the garment's chest width and body length (plus sleeve length for long sleeves, sweatshirts and hoodies), measured flat, in inches and centimetres, taken from the exact blank in the listing. Show it as a clean image near the end of your listing photos, and keep one chart per blank style so a Comfort Colors listing never carries Gildan measurements.
Fit is the question every apparel buyer has before checkout, and a print-on-demand seller cannot answer it by holding up the shirt. On Etsy, "Each Etsy seller is responsible for their own policies regarding refunds, exchanges, and returns," so a wrong size can become your cost or an awkward conversation. A chart that matches the real garment answers the question before it turns into an exchange request.
The measurements a size chart needs
Garment measurements, taken with the shirt laid flat, are what a buyer can compare against a shirt they already own. Keep the chart to the measurements that change the decision.
| Measurement | How it is measured | Why buyers need it |
|---|---|---|
| Body width (chest) | Straight across the front, just below the armholes, laid flat | The main fit question for tees and sweatshirts |
| Body length | From the highest point of the shoulder down to the hem | Shows where the shirt ends on the body |
| Sleeve length | Along the sleeve, measured the way the maker's sheet does | Needed for long sleeves, sweatshirts and hoodies |
| Size range | Every size the listing offers, smallest to largest | A missing row reads as "not available" |
| Units | Inches first for US buyers, centimetres alongside | Buyers shop from many countries |
| Fit note | The maker's own fit name: classic, relaxed, unisex | Explains how the same numbers wear |
Two rules keep the numbers honest. First, take them from the maker's sheet for that exact style, not from a generic "t-shirt size chart". The makers describe their styles differently: Gildan calls the 5000 a "Classic fit" and the 64000 a "Modern classic fit", the Comfort Colors 1717 is a "Relaxed fit", and Bella+Canvas lists the 3001 in unisex sizing XS-5XL. Two shirts labelled L can measure differently, which is why the chart has to come from the style itself.
Second, label whether the numbers are garment measurements or body measurements. A buyer who reads a garment's flat chest width as their own chest size will order the wrong shirt. "Measurements of the shirt laid flat" in the chart header settles it.
How to present the chart as an image
Etsy's photo rules shape the chart more than most sellers expect:
You can add up to 20 photos per listing, per Etsy's listing guide. The chart takes one of them, so plan for it.
Etsy recommends photos with "a width and height of at least 2000 pixels". Export the chart at that size so the numbers stay sharp when buyers zoom.
"Animated .gif files & transparent .png files are not supported." Export on a solid background as a JPG or a flat PNG.
"Images larger than 1MB in file size may not finish uploading, especially on a slower internet connection." A simple chart compresses well, so keep the file light.
Etsy converts images to the sRGB colour profile, so choose plain, high-contrast colours that survive the conversion.
Do not make the chart your first photo. Etsy's Search Visibility page checks for a primary photo that shows one finished product and is clear and well-lit, and a table of numbers is neither. Put the chart after your main mockups, where buyers who are ready to choose a size look for it.
Layout that reads on a phone
Put the style name in the header, for example "Bella+Canvas 3001, unisex".
Use large numbers and no more columns than the sizes you sell.
Add a small outline drawing of a shirt with arrows for width and length.
Show inches and centimetres side by side in one table, not in two separate tables.
Leave a margin around the edges so nothing is cut off when the image is cropped.
Then mention the chart in your text. Our guide on how to write an Etsy description buyers actually read shows where the fit line goes.
Keeping the chart right for each blank
A size chart goes wrong quietly, usually when a listing changes blank and the chart does not. A few habits prevent it:
One chart per style. Name each file with the style code, so the 1717 chart never ends up on a 5000 listing.
Change the chart in the same edit as the blank. If you move a design from one tee to another, swap the chart before you save.
Separate charts for kids and women's cuts. Youth, toddler and women's styles use their own measurements. See toddler and youth shirts and unisex vs women's sizing.
One section per blank when a listing offers two. Since September 2026, Etsy listings can have up to three variation types, such as size, colour and style. If you use the third type to offer two blanks in one listing, the chart needs a block for each.
Measure a sample. When a sample arrives, lay it flat and check it against your chart. Our checklist for ordering samples of your own products covers what else to look at.
How Alomations keeps sizes consistent across listings
In Alomations you build a template once for each product: the product and category, price, sizes and colours, materials, SKUs, and the shipping, return and processing profiles. Prices can be arranged across sizes, and variation profiles save a size and colour set once so every template reuses it. Every listing made from that template carries the same sizes, which means one chart per template stays correct across all of them, and the fabric claims in the listing copy match the template's materials.
Smart mockups render your design onto product photos with real fabric folds, shading and light, and you can preview every colour and every side before the run. Etsy allows 20 images per listing and smart mockups count toward the 20, so choose how many you use and leave a slot for your chart. Each run publishes live in your shop or saves an Etsy draft, one setting on the run. If you add the chart image yourself in Etsy, the draft setting lets you put it in place before buyers see the listing. Our walkthrough of building your first listing template shows the template side in detail.
Frequently asked questions
Should the size chart be the first listing photo?
No. Etsy's Search Visibility page looks for a primary photo that shows one finished product, clear and well-lit. Lead with your best mockup and put the chart later in the gallery.
Inches or centimetres?
Both. If most of your buyers are in the US, put inches first and centimetres alongside.
Can I use one size chart for all my shirts?
Only for listings that use the same blank style. Different styles have different fits, so each one needs its own chart.
Where do I find the measurements?
Use the maker's spec sheet for the exact style, which distributors often host as a PDF. Then measure a sample yourself to confirm the numbers before you publish the chart.
Set up your sizes once in a template and list from it on the Alomations free plan.