Plus Size Sweaters and Cardigans: 7 Picks, Sizes and Fibres

The sweater fits your bust but the sleeves pinch around your upper arms, or it fits everywhere and then rides up above your waistband the moment you reach for something. Sizing up to fix it gives you shoulders halfway down your arms and a hem that still lifts when you sit, in a knit that itches at the neck. Below are seven plus size sweaters and cardigans, each with the sizes its listing sells, what it is knitted from, how it is washed, and what its size chart lets you check before you order.

The quick answer

Sweater	Sizes sold	Price	Knit and style
Universal Standard Cable Knit Cardigan	4XS (00–0) to 4XL (38–40)	$148	Rayon, nylon, polyester; cardigan
Universal Standard Safiya Cable Knit Sweater	4XS (00–0) to 4XL (38–40)	$168	Rayon, nylon, polyester; pullover
Wildfang Everyday Cardigan Sweater	XS to 4X	$98	Cotton and acrylic; cardigan
Wildfang Everyday Crew Neck Sweater	XS to 4X	$108	Cotton and nylon; pullover
Eddie Bauer Women’s Cotton Cable Crew Sweater	Plus 2X and 3X; also Regular, Petite, Tall	$80	100% cotton; pullover
Naadam Super Fine Cashmere Classic Cardigan	XXS to XL, 1X to 3X	$228	100% cashmere; cardigan
Karen Kane Plus Size Shawl Collar Sweater	0X to 3X	$118	Polyester blend with 5% wool; pullover

What each size chart lets you check

Each brand’s body chart tells you which size matches your bust and hips. Universal Standard’s two listings also carry a garment chart with body length, chest and sleeve per size; the other charts list body measurements only.

• Universal Standard names each size with a letter and a numeric pair, and its body measurement chart (an image in the size guide on each listing) runs from a 32-inch bust at 4XS to 78 inches at 4XL. Its L (22–24) is a 51 to 55-inch bust and its 4XL (38–40) a 72 to 78-inch bust. The listings say “Our sample size is an 18, and we engineer every single size from there”.
• Wildfang prints one chart for both picks: 3X is a 53 to 57-inch chest and 54 to 58-inch hip, 4X a 57 to 61-inch chest and 58 to 62-inch hip. Its XXL and 1X rows carry the same numbers.
• Eddie Bauer’s women’s Plus rows run 2X at a 48 to 50-inch bust and 3X at 52 to 54.
• Naadam’s chart has a sleeve column, measured “from the center back of the neck”: 34 to 34.5 inches at 3X, against a 51 to 53-inch bust. Universal Standard’s garment charts measure the sleeve on the sweater itself, from the top of the shoulder beside the neckline down to the cuff, so the two sets of sleeve figures are not comparable.
• Karen Kane’s plus chart gives one bust figure per size: 44 inches at 0X up to 51 at 3X.

If your numbers are old, how to measure your bust, waist and hips walks through it. Measure over the top you plan to wear underneath.

The seven

Universal Standard Cable Knit Cardigan

$148 as of 28 Sep 2026 · 4XS (00–0) to 4XL (38–40) · View it on the brand’s site →

A raised Aran cable cardigan in 50 percent rayon, 22 percent nylon and 28 percent polyester, sold as “your ultra-cozy alternative to a wool cable knit cardigan” and as pill-resistant. The listing’s opening line is “So soft, not scratchy.” It is the pick if wool makes you itch and you want a cardigan in the widest size run here, tied with the Safiya pullover. Its garment chart gives a 28.5-inch body length and 29.5-inch sleeve at L (22–24).

Drawbacks: there is no wool in it, if you wanted a wool knit; and the care line is “Machine wash cold, inside out, with like colors, hang dry”, so no tumble dryer.

Universal Standard Safiya Cable Knit Sweater

$168 as of 28 Sep 2026 · 4XS (00–0) to 4XL (38–40) · View it on the brand’s site →

A pullover with cable detail framing the neckline, in the brand’s “Better-Than-Wool yarn” (the same 50 percent rayon, 22 percent nylon and 28 percent polyester), which the listing says “offers a soft, comfortable feel against the skin”. Machine wash cold, inside out, hang dry. The pullover to pick if you need more than a 61-inch bust: the brand’s chart puts its 2XL to 4XL at 62 to 78 inches.

Drawbacks: the listing describes “a slightly shorter length that finishes at the hip”: 26.5 inches of body length at L (22–24) on its garment chart, so compare it with a sweater you own. It is also the most expensive of the seven after the Naadam.

Wildfang Everyday Cardigan Sweater

$98 as of 28 Sep 2026 · XS to 4X · View it on the brand’s site →

A relaxed-fit V-neck cardigan in a “Heavier-weight knit” of 60 percent cotton and 40 percent acrylic, with a four-button closure, drop shoulders, rib-knit collar, cuffs and hem, and thumb holes. Machine wash cold, dry flat. One model on the listing wears a 3X and is given as a 42-inch chest, 45-inch waist and 55-inch hips. The lowest-priced cardigan here.

Drawbacks: 40 percent acrylic, if you want an all-natural fibre; no length or sleeve figure on the listing; and it has to dry flat.

Wildfang Everyday Crew Neck Sweater

$108 as of 28 Sep 2026 · XS to 4X · View it on the brand’s site →

A relaxed-fit, fully fashioned crew neck in 55 percent cotton and 45 percent nylon, with a rib-knit collar and hem and thumb holes. Machine wash cold, dry flat, iron at medium. A model on the listing wears a 2X and is given as 5 feet 11, with a 42-inch chest, 51-inch waist and 52-inch hips.

Drawbacks: nearly half nylon, and like the cardigan, the listing gives no length or sleeve measurement.

Eddie Bauer Women’s Cotton Cable Crew Sweater

$80 as of 28 Sep 2026 · Plus 2X and 3X · View it on the brand’s site →

A cable crew in 100 percent cotton, sold as “soft, breathable cotton” for “cool-weather days”. Care is machine wash cold on delicate, tumble dry low. Eddie Bauer’s size guide describes its Plus fit as “Fit adjusted for plus proportions”. The lowest price of the seven, and the only one whose care line allows the dryer.

Drawbacks: the Plus fit on this listing has only 2X and 3X, so 3X (a 52 to 54-inch bust) is the ceiling; choose Plus in the Fit selector or you are looking at Regular sizes. The Tall fit, which the guide describes as “Proportionally longer sleeves, body, rise, and inseam”, comes in M to XXL only. The Fit line reads “Classic, 23 1/2” without saying which size or where that is measured.

Naadam Super Fine Cashmere Classic Cardigan

$228 as of 28 Sep 2026 · XXS to XL, 1X to 3X · View it on the brand’s site →

A button-front cardigan with a high neck in 100 percent cashmere, described as “lightly sheer”. The listing calls the fit “Classic – A versatile, timeless fit” and the length “The perfect length for a front tuck”. Its chart gives sleeve length from the centre back of the neck, which you can check against your own arm: at 1X, 2X and 3X it gives 33 to 33.5, 33.5 to 34 and 34 to 34.5 inches.

Drawbacks: the most expensive of the seven; “lightly sheer” in the listing’s words, so plan on a layer underneath; care is hand wash cold, lay flat to dry, or dry clean; 3X (a 51 to 53-inch bust) is the top size, and the listing sells no XXL, although its chart has an XXL row.

Karen Kane Plus Size Shawl Collar Sweater

$118 as of 28 Sep 2026 · 0X to 3X · View it on the brand’s site →

A relaxed pull-on sweater with a shawl collar and dropped shoulders, in a “soft sweater knit” of 56 percent recycled polyester, 37 percent polyester, 5 percent wool and 2 percent spandex. The listing gives a length of 27 inches at size 2X, so you can hold a sweater you own against that figure. Our reading: dropped shoulders put the seam lower on the arm than a set-in sleeve, the cut to look at if sweaters catch you across the upper arm (the Wildfang cardigan has dropped shoulders too).

Drawbacks: the plus range stops at 3X, a 51-inch bust on Karen Kane’s chart; the 5 percent wool matters if you avoid wool entirely; care is hand wash cold, lay flat to dry, or dry clean.

How to choose

• Your bust is over 61 inches: the two Universal Standard picks, sold to 4XL (38–40), which the brand’s chart puts at a 72 to 78-inch bust. Wildfang’s 4X stops at a 61-inch chest; Eddie Bauer, Naadam and Karen Kane stop at 3X.
• Wool makes you itch: the Universal Standard, Wildfang and Eddie Bauer picks list no wool. Karen Kane’s has 5 percent; Naadam’s is cashmere.
• You want to machine wash it: the Universal Standard, Wildfang and Eddie Bauer picks. Only the Eddie Bauer lists tumble drying.
• Your sleeves end short: Naadam and Universal Standard print sleeve length per size (Naadam from the centre back of the neck, Universal Standard on the garment); for the Wildfang, Eddie Bauer and Karen Kane picks, ask the brand.
• Pullover or cardigan: three of the seven are cardigans: the Universal Standard cable knit, the Wildfang Everyday and the Naadam. Our reasoning: a cardigan worn open does not have to close over your bust, so it is the safer choice if button fronts gape on you.

For layering under outerwear, the plus size coats guide lists each coat’s size range.

Before you order

• Measure your arm and a sweater you own. Measure from the centre back of your neck to your wrist, the way Naadam’s chart measures sleeve length. Then lay a sweater that fits you flat and measure its body length to compare with Karen Kane’s 27 inches at 2X or the body lengths on Universal Standard’s garment charts.
• Check the Fit selector on Eddie Bauer: Plus sizes sit under their own Fit option.
• Read each store’s returns page before you buy, and try each sweater on at home with the tags on before you wash it: reach forward and sit down, and check where the hem lands.

The rest of the fit guides are in clothing and fit.

Where these numbers come from

Sizes, prices, fibres, care lines and quoted phrases are copied from each brand’s own product listing and size chart, read on 28 September 2026, in US dollars. The notes on dropped shoulders and on open cardigans are our own reading.

Frequently asked questions

What size sweater should I order in plus sizes?

Order from your bust measurement on the brand's own chart. At 3X, Eddie Bauer's chart gives a 52 to 54-inch bust, Wildfang's a 53 to 57-inch chest, Naadam's 51 to 53 and Karen Kane's 51. Universal Standard's body chart puts its L (22–24) at a 51 to 55-inch bust and its 4XL (38–40) at 72 to 78 inches.

Which of these plus size sweaters have no wool in them?

Five of the seven list no wool: the two Universal Standard picks (rayon, nylon and polyester), the two Wildfang picks (cotton with acrylic or nylon) and Eddie Bauer's 100 percent cotton cable crew. Karen Kane's shawl collar sweater lists 5 percent wool, and Naadam's cardigan is 100 percent cashmere.

Which ones can go in the washing machine?

The Universal Standard, Wildfang and Eddie Bauer picks list machine washing in cold water; only the Eddie Bauer lists tumble drying (low). The Naadam cardigan lists hand wash cold or dry clean, and the Karen Kane sweater hand wash cold or dry clean.

Which plus size cardigan here goes up to the largest size?

The Universal Standard Cable Knit Cardigan, sold up to 4XL (38–40), which its body chart lists at a 72 to 78-inch bust. Wildfang's Everyday Cardigan goes to 4X, a 57 to 61-inch chest on its chart.