China Clothing Size Chart for Nigerian Bodies
On this page
China clothing sizes are not Nigerian mall sizes, not UK high-street sizes, and not the S/M/L in your head from a US brand chart. A 1688 “L” can be a 92cm bust. A catalog “XL” on ShopFluxx is whatever the measurement table on that product says. If you order with letters, you are gambling. If you order with centimetres, you are still not guaranteed a perfect drape, but you have given the factory and ShopFluxx a number they can check.
This chart is cm-first for Nigerian buyers, tied to 1688 tags, not a reprint of a US importer blog. Clothing hub: Clothing. How to take the tape: How to Measure Yourself Before Ordering China Clothing. 1688 path: Shop from 1688.
Ignore S/M/L labels
S/M/L is a factory’s nickname for a block of measurements. Two workshops in the same city will not share a nickname. “Asian sizing runs small” is a slogan, not a conversion. Some China listings run long in the body and tight in the bust. Some gym sets run stretchy and forgive a miss. Some office dresses do not.
On 1688, tap the size chart image, not the letter on the button. If there is no chart, treat the listing as incomplete. ShopFluxx may refuse or ask you for a different URL. On the ShopFluxx catalog, scroll to the size table on the product. If a product has no measurements, message Contact before you pay. Do not assume UK 12.
Men’s and women’s traps differ. A later post covers that split. Here the rule is the same: letters are a hint. Centimetres are the order. Men vs women: Men vs Women Sizing Traps.
Stretch fabric (rib, spandex gym wear) can wear a letter that looks “small” on a chart and still fit. Woven office fabric cannot. If the listing is 95% polyester with 5% spandex, say so in your 1688 packet and still send bust/waist/hip. Fabric climate: Polyester vs Cotton vs Blends. Gym: Gym Wear.
Bust, waist, hip, and length in cm
Measure over the undergarments you will wear with the piece. Tape level, not sucked in, not after a heavy meal if you will not always be after a heavy meal. Write four numbers:
- Bust or chest: fullest point, tape parallel to the floor.
- Waist: where the garment will sit, not always the navel. High-waist trousers need the high number.
- Hip: fullest point, including seat.
- Length: for dresses and tops, from shoulder (or stated point on the chart) to hem. For trousers, inseam if the chart uses inseam, otherwise outseam if that is what they printed.
Ease is the gap between your body and the garment. A bodycon dress may be cut at body plus 2 to 4cm. A shirt may be plus 8 to 12cm. If the 1688 chart shows garment measurements (a flat lay doubled), do not treat them as body measurements. Garment bust 96cm on a non-stretch dress is not a 96cm body. You need ease. The measure post explains ease vs body. If you are unsure, send both: “my bust 94cm, I want a bit of ease, not skin tight.”
Nigerian bodies are not one shape. Bust-waist drop, hip, and height all move independently. A chart that only lists height (160, 165, 170) is a Chinese height grade, not a Lagos hip. Use height only as a length hint. Use bust/waist/hip as the buy.
| What you write | What it is for | What it is not |
|---|---|---|
| Bust/chest cm | Tops, dresses, blazers | Not UK dress size |
| Waist cm | Trousers, skirts, fitted dresses | Not “medium” |
| Hip cm | Bottoms, bodycon, slips | Not “African size” |
| Height cm | Length and 165/88A style tags | Not a full size |
| Shoulder cm | Shirts, jackets | Not optional on blazers |
Shoes are a different tape (foot length mm). Do not put clothing letters on a sneaker order. Shoes: Shoes.
CN tags like 165/88A
Some China garments, especially more formal or older factory lines, use a code: 165/88A. 165 is height in cm. 88 is bust in cm. A is a shape grade (how the waist relates to the bust in that factory’s system). This is not a UK 10. It is not “small.”
If your height is 165cm and your bust is 94cm, 165/88A is likely tight in the bust even if the height matches. Look for 165/92 or 170/92, then still check waist and hip on the flat chart. If the listing only shows 165/88A with no second number, send a photo of the tag chart and your four measurements. ShopFluxx cannot honestly “just pick the closest letter.”
Knitwear and elastic waists forgive more than a 165/88A woven. Read the fabric line. Photograph the 1688 measurement image so we are not guessing from a translated “fit: slim.” How to photograph charts: How to Photograph 1688 Clothing Measurements.
Kids and plus grades on 1688 are easy to mix in a translated grid. Confirm you are on the adult table. Confirm units are cm, not chi, not inches hiding in a corner of the image.
UK and US crosswalk as a hint only
People ask for a UK to China table. A hint, not a buy:
- Many China “M” tops sit nearer a UK 8 to 10 in the bust, not a UK 12 to 14.
- Many China “XL” still miss a UK 16 hip on a woven skirt.
- US 8 is not a 1688 L.
We will not publish a fake universal converter that gets you a refund fight in week 4. The only converter that works is the centimetre table on that SKU. If a ShopFluxx catalog product also shows UK letters, treat letters as navigation and cm as truth.
Heat and rain in Nigeria change how you want ease (clingy polyester vs cotton). Weather: Clothing and Nigerian weather. Harmattan layers are another ease problem (room for a light layer): Harmattan layering.
Returns on import are not a mall changing room. Get the numbers right before Paystack. Naira checkout: pay in naira. First order: first order walkthrough. How It Works: How It Works.
How to send numbers with a 1688 link
Packet:
- Listing URL.
- Screenshot of the size chart image (original Chinese chart, not only the plugin overlay).
- The size cell you think you want, plus “or pick from my cm if this cell is wrong.”
- Bust, waist, hip, height, and garment type (fitted dress, shirt, palazzo).
- Fit note: skin tight, normal ease, or modest/loose.
Send link SOP: How to Send a 1688 Link. Catalog vs link: Catalog vs 1688 Link. If the catalog already has the style in Shop, start there. Delivery is still 2 to 4 weeks: Delivery.
We still cannot fix a listing that lies. QC can catch a wildly different cut when photos exist. QC cannot wear the dress in Abuja for you. If measurements were wrong, that is not a fake-agent story. Safety and store path: is it safe, FAQ, About.
ShopFluxx helps people in Nigeria import from China. Clothing from China fits when you buy centimetres. Letters are nicknames. 165/88A is height and bust, not a UK size. Send the tape with the link, wait 2 to 4 weeks, and stop translating “L” into hope.
FAQ
Can ShopFluxx tailor the piece in Lagos?
No. We are an import store with a Lagos hub, not a sewing workshop. Order the cm that match, or plan a local tailor after unboxing.
The 1688 chart is in chi or inches.
Screenshot it. Tell us you are unsure. Do not convert with a random app and send only the converted number.
I am between two sizes.
Say which measurement must win (bust vs hip) and the ease you want. We still may not have a perfect cell.
Do plus-size China charts work for Nigerian plus?
Sometimes in the bust, often not in the hip on wovens. Send hip in cm. Do not trust “5XL” as a category.
Will stretch gym wear save a wrong letter?
It can hide 2 to 4cm. It will not hide a 12cm miss. Still send numbers.
Phone Accessories sizing?
That category is empty. This chart is clothing. Do not order cases as if they were dresses.
