Shirt Size Chart: Neck, Sleeve and Letter Sizes Up to 6XL
Dress shirt neck and sleeve sizes like 17½ 34/35, how to measure both at home, and five brands' charts from S to 6XL, with big and tall necks up to 24 inches.
The work shirt in 3XL closes over your stomach but not at the collar, and the dress shirt whose collar does button stops short of your wrist. Picking the next letter up, or the next half inch of collar, fixes one number and moves the other. Below is how to read a size like 17½ 34/35, how to take your neck and sleeve at home, and how five brands’ charts turn those two numbers into letter sizes from S to 6XL, tall sleeves included.
The short answer
| Your neck | Van Heusen slim fit | Cutter & Buck men’s tops | Van Heusen extended | Westport Big | Mr. Big & Tall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 in | XL | M or L (17 ends Medium, opens Large) | Not on chart | 1XB | 1X |
| 18 in | XXL | XL | 1XL | 2XB | 2X |
| 20 in | Not on chart | 3XL | 3XL | 4XB | 4X |
| 22 in | Not on chart | Not on chart | 5XL | 5XB | 6X |
The full rows, with a link to each brand’s chart, are in the tables below.
Reading a dress shirt size: 17½ 34/35
A dress shirt label carries two numbers in inches: the collar first, then the sleeve. The sleeve can be a pair, and Twillory’s guide to the numbers gives the reason: “There is a range of lengths for sleeves because you can adjust the sleeve length using the cuff buttons.” So 17½ 34/35 is a 17½-inch collar with a sleeve for the 34 to 35-inch range.
Mr. Big & Tall, on its Canadian site, lists its dress shirts from 1X to 6X “available in 35/36 (Regular), 37/38 (Tall), and 39/40 (X-Tall)”. Charles Tyrwhitt’s chart lists single lengths for each collar instead.
How to measure your neck and sleeve
Get a helper for the sleeve (“you may need a pal to help out here”, says Charles Tyrwhitt’s shirt fitting guide).
- Neck. Wrap the tape round your neck where the collar sits. Cutter & Buck puts it “at the center of your neck (over the larynx), keeping the tape slightly loose.” Westport Big & Tall and Charles Tyrwhitt both say to keep two fingers between the tape and your neck.
- Write it down to the half inch. Van Heusen’s rows, for one, step from 18–18.5 to 19–19.5.
- Sleeve. Bend your arm slightly. Cutter & Buck’s route is “from the center (back) of your neck along your shoulder, then over your elbow to your wrist bone.” Westport’s starts at the middle of your back, directly below the neck, and runs across the shoulder and elbow to the wrist.
If a chart also asks for chest, the method is in how to measure chest.
Dress shirts by collar size
Charles Tyrwhitt’s US chart for its smart (dress) shirts runs by collar. Only its Classic fit goes past 18: the Slim chart stops at an 18 collar and Extra Slim at 17½.
| Your neck / Buy shirt size (same figure in this table) | Your chest (up to) | Shirt chest | Available sleeve length (most popular) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16.5 | 44 | 49.5 | 33, 34, 35, 36 |
| 17 | 46 | 51.5 | 34, 35, 36, 37 |
| 17.5 | 48 | 53.5 | 34, 35, 36, 38 |
| 18 | 50 | 55.5 | 35, 36, 37, 38 |
| 19 | 54 | 59.5 | 37, 38 |
| 20 | 58 | 63.5 | 37 |
There is no 18½ or 19½ row on this chart, so an 18½ neck chooses between 18 and 19. The longest sleeve listed is 38. And the chart prints your chest and the shirt’s chest side by side: at size 20 the shirt chest is 5.5 inches more than the chest it is cut for (our arithmetic). Its own note on fit is “Our fit runs on the larger side - if you’re in doubt choose a slimmer fit”.
Neck to letter size: S to 5XL
Three regular charts that print a neck for each letter.
| Size | Van Heusen slim fit neck | Cutter & Buck men’s tops neck | Charles Tyrwhitt casual, Classic neck |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | 14–14.5 | 15.5–16 | 14.5–15 |
| M | 15–15.5 | 16.5–17 | 15.5 |
| L | 16–16.5 | 17–17.5 | 16–16.5 |
| XL | 17–17.5 | 18–18.5 | 17–17.5 |
| XXL / 2XL, paired by position (our alignment) | 18–18.5 (XXL) | 18.5–19 (2XL) | 18–18.5 (XXL) |
| XXXL / 3XL, paired by position (our alignment) | 19–19.5 (XXXL) | 19.5–20.5 (3XL) | 19–20 (XXXL) |
| 4XL | Not on chart | 20.5–21 | Not on chart |
| 5XL | Not on chart | 21–21.5 | Not on chart |
In the four rows with the same letter (S to XL), Cutter & Buck’s neck range starts 1 to 1½ inches higher than the other two (our arithmetic). On the three charts above, an 18-inch neck is an XXL at Van Heusen (slim fit) and Charles Tyrwhitt (casual, Classic) and an XL on Cutter & Buck’s men’s tops. Cutter & Buck’s rows also leave gaps (nothing between 17.5 and 18) and share endpoints (17 closes Medium and opens Large; 18.5 closes XL and opens 2XL).
The big and tall end: 1X to 6X
| Row, paired by position (our alignment) | Van Heusen extended neck | Westport Big neck | Mr. Big & Tall neck | Cutter & Buck Big neck |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1X (1XL / 1XB) | 18–18.5 | 17–17.5 | 17–17½ | 18–18.5 |
| 2X (2XL / 2XB) | 19–19.5 | 18–18.5 | 18–18½ | 19–19.5 |
| 3X (3XL / 3XB) | 20–20.5 | 19 | 19–19½ | 20 |
| 4X (4XL / 4XB) | 21–21.5 | 20 | 20–20½ | 21 |
| 5X (5XL / 5XB) | 22–22.5 | 22 | 21–21½ | 22 |
| 6X (6XL / 6XB) | 23–23.5 | 24 | 22–22½ | Not on chart |
- The second rows, a full inch apart. Westport’s 2XB is an 18–18.5 neck and Cutter & Buck’s 2XB is 19–19.5. Mr. Big & Tall’s 2X is 18–18½ and Van Heusen’s 2XL 19–19.5.
- Westport skips necks. From 3XB up its rows go 19, 20, 22, 24, with no 21 or 23.
- XXXL is not 3XL at Van Heusen. Its slim XXXL is a 19–19.5 neck and a 50–52 inch chest; its extended 3XL is 20–20.5 and 58–60.
Tall sizes: same neck, longer sleeve
On each of these three charts, the tall row has the same neck as the big row (Van Heusen: extended row) with the same number, and a longer sleeve.
| Row, paired by position | Van Heusen 2XL–5XL sleeve | Van Heusen 2XLT–5XLT sleeve | Cutter & Buck 2XB–5XB sleeve | Cutter & Buck 2XT–4XT sleeve | Westport 2XB–5XB sleeve | Westport 2XT–5XT sleeve |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2X | 37–37.5 | 39.5–40.5 | 35 | 39 | 33/34 | 37/38 |
| 3X | 37.5–38 | 40.5–41.5 | 36 | 40 | 34/35 | 38/39 |
| 4X | 38.5–39 | 41.5–42.5 | 36 | 41 | 34/35 | 38/39 |
| 5X | 39.5–40 | 42.5–43.5 | 37 | Not on chart | 35/36 | 38/39 |
Westport’s 2XB sleeve is 33/34 and Van Heusen’s extended 2XL is 37–37.5, at least three inches apart (our arithmetic).
T-shirts and casual shirts: letter to chest
Van Heusen’s knit charts drop the neck and print chest and sleeve. On its regular fit knit tops chart and extended sizes knit chart, and on Cutter & Buck’s men’s tops chart, the letters run:
| Size | Van Heusen knit tops chest (in) | Cutter & Buck men’s tops chest (in) |
|---|---|---|
| L | 42–44 | 42–44 |
| XL | 45–47 | 45–48 |
| XXL | 48–50 | Not on chart |
| XXXL | 51–53 | Not on chart |
| 1XL | 50–52 | Not on chart |
| 2XL | 54–56 | 49–52 |
| 3XL | 58–60 | 54–56 |
| 4XL | 62–64 | 57–60 |
| 5XL | 66–68 | 61–64 |
| 6XL | 70–72 | Not on chart |
Van Heusen’s two runs overlap: regular XXXL is 51–53, extended 1XL 50–52. Cutter & Buck goes straight from XL to 2XL, and its 2XL (49–52) is closer to Van Heusen’s XXL than its 2XL (our reading).
How to use the tables with your numbers
- Neck and sleeve on the same row: order that size.
- Neck on a big or extended row, sleeve on the tall row beside it: order the tall size; the neck is the same.
- Neck in a gap or on a shared endpoint: these charts give no rule for it. Use the chest and sleeve figures on the two rows to decide (our reading).
- Neck over 22½: of the five brands’ charts here, only Van Heusen’s extended chart (6XL, 23–23.5) and Westport’s (6XB, 24) print one.
One worked example, a 19½ neck with a 37-inch sleeve (our reading): Van Heusen 2XL (19–19.5 neck, 37–37.5 sleeve); Mr. Big & Tall 3X (19–19½) in its 37/38 Tall sleeve; at Westport, between the 19 and 20 rows; at Cutter & Buck, a 2XB neck with a 35 sleeve, or the 2XT with 39.
Before you order
- Check which chart the listing uses. Van Heusen, for one, prints separate slim fit and extended shirt charts, and its XXXL and 3XL are a full inch of neck apart.
- Check the size menu. A chart row is not a size in stock, and a collar may not come in your sleeve length.
- Read the returns page before paying.
Shirts that run into these sizes are picked in plus size dress shirts and plus size mens clothing.
Where these numbers come from
The neck, sleeve and chest figures are copied from the brands’ own charts, read on 1 October 2026: Van Heusen (transcribed from its chart images), Charles Tyrwhitt’s US sizing guide, Cutter & Buck, Westport Big & Tall, and Mr. Big & Tall’s Canadian site; the sleeve-pair explanation is Twillory’s. Van Heusen, Cutter & Buck and Mr. Big & Tall print no unit; we read their figures as inches. Differences between rows, the row pairings and the worked example are our arithmetic and reading.
Frequently asked questions
What does 17½ 34/35 mean on a dress shirt?
A 17½-inch collar and a sleeve for the 34 to 35-inch range. Twillory explains the pair as a range of lengths you adjust with the cuff buttons. Charles Tyrwhitt's US chart lists single lengths instead: 34, 35, 36 and 37 inches for a 17 in its Classic dress shirts.
What size is a 20 inch neck?
On the five brands' charts in this guide: a 3XL at Van Heusen (extended sizes, 20–20.5) and on Cutter & Buck's men's tops chart (19.5–20.5), a 3XB on Cutter & Buck's big and tall chart, a 4XB at Westport Big & Tall, a 4X at Mr. Big & Tall, an XXXL in Charles Tyrwhitt's Classic casual shirts (19–20), and a size 20 collar in its Classic dress shirts.
Is XXXL the same as 3XL?
Not at Van Heusen. Its slim fit shirt chart puts XXXL at a 19–19.5 neck and a 50–52 inch chest; its extended sizes chart puts 3XL at a 20–20.5 neck and a 58–60 inch chest. Check which chart a listing links to before you treat the two labels as one size.
Which shirt charts go past a 22½ inch neck?
Of the five brands' charts in this guide, two: Van Heusen's extended sizes chart, whose 6XL is a 23–23.5 inch neck, and Westport Big & Tall's chart, whose 6XB is a 24 inch neck. Mr. Big & Tall's dress shirts stop at 6X (22–22½), Cutter & Buck's big sizes at 5XB (22) and Charles Tyrwhitt's collars at 20.
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