UK Size 6 to US: The Full UK to US Clothing Size Chart

The checkout page is British, the size menu starts at 6, and the number you know is a US number. Guessing is expensive here, because a wrong size means posting a parcel back across the Atlantic. The table below gives the conversion, then the actual rows three British retailers print for a UK 6, so you can check the inches before you click.

The table

The four-number gap holds across the whole straight-size range. All four columns are one British retailer’s chart, Nobody’s Child, whose UK-to-US offset matches the conventional conversion; its EU column runs two numbers above the generic table, so treat EU as the retailer’s own.

UK	US	EU	Bust at Nobody’s Child
4	0	32	31 in
6	2	34	32 in
8	4	36	34 in
10	6	38	35 in
12	8	40	37 in
14	10	42	39 in
16	12	44	42 in
18	14	46	45 in
20	16	48	47 in
22	18	50	49 in
24	20	52	51 in

So a UK 6 is a US 2, a UK 12 is a US 8, a UK 16 is a US 12. Going from US to UK, add four.

UK 6 to US, at three real retailers

The label converts cleanly. The garment does not, and the bust column is where you see it.

• Nobody’s Child prints UK 6 next to US 2 and EU 34, and cuts that size for a 32-inch bust, 25-inch waist and 35-inch hip. The brand sells UK 4 through 24, with a Regular or Petite length on its dresses, and its storefront offers a US-dollar checkout option. A velvet mini dress in that range lists at £89 in September 2026.
• Finisterre also prints UK 6 as USA 2, but cuts it for a 30 to 31-inch bust, 24 to 25-inch waist and 33 to 34-inch hip. One to two inches smaller at the bust than the same label at Nobody’s Child.
• Seasalt Cornwall starts at UK 8, which it prints as US 4 and EU 36, with an 83 cm bust. Its range runs to UK 26, or US 22.

If you are a US 2, the arithmetic says buy the UK 6 at all three. The inches say the Finisterre 6 is the tighter cut, and if your bust measures 32, Nobody’s Child’s 6 is the one built for you. That is the whole method in one comparison: convert the label to find the row, then read the row.

Where the four comes from

Both scales were originally defined from bust circumference in inches, with different starting points: a US size is bust minus 28, a UK size is bust minus 24. Subtract one from the other and the four falls out. A 36-inch bust is a US 8 and a UK 12, a 40-inch bust is a US 12 and a UK 16.

That arithmetic explains why the offset is constant. It does not describe what any brand cut this season, which is why the three retailers above put different inches on the same label.

Where the table stops working

At the top of the range. The British charts keep counting in the same series, up to 24 at Nobody’s Child and 26 at Seasalt. Democracy’s numbered sizes stop at 18, a UK 22, and its W sizes start at 14W on their own waist and hip scale. On Democracy’s chart a 16 is a 35-inch waist and 45-inch hip, while a 16W is 37 and 47.5. Adding four to a UK label cannot tell you which of those you are. Take your waist and hip in inches and find the row.

Letters. Seasalt’s L covers UK 16 to 18, or US 12 to 14. Democracy’s L covers US 10 to 12. Universal Standard’s L is a 22 to 24. Same letter, ten to fourteen numbers apart between Democracy and Universal Standard, and none of them convertible.

Shoes. The clothing offset has nothing to do with feet. Seasalt’s shoe chart puts a UK 5 at a US 7, a two-size gap. Nike’s women’s chart puts a UK 5.5 at a US 8, a two-and-a-half-size gap. Measure the foot and use the brand’s chart; the method is in how to measure foot size at home.

Before you order from a British site

1. Take bust, waist and hip in centimetres as well as inches. Seasalt and Finisterre lead with centimetres.
2. Find your US size on the table, subtract nothing, add four. That is the UK row to open.
3. Read that row’s inches on the retailer’s own chart, not on this page. If your bust sits at the top of the row, size up.
4. Check the length option. Nobody’s Child sells dresses in Regular and Petite and jeans in Short and Regular, and the length words map to different inches at Nobody’s Child and at Good American. The inseam side of that is in how to measure inseam for women.
5. Look at the returns page before paying. International return postage is the real cost of a wrong guess.

What the numbers mean once you are past the label, and why a 14 and a 14W are different scales, is in the women’s clothing size chart guide. The other measuring walkthroughs are in size guides.

Where these numbers come from

The main table and the bust, waist and hip figures are copied from the size guides Nobody’s Child, Finisterre, Seasalt and Democracy publish, read on 19 September 2026, and checked against the generic conversion table linked above. The price is Nobody’s Child’s own list price in pounds on the same date.

Frequently asked questions

What is a UK size 6 in US sizes?

A US 2. UK and US women's sizes run four numbers apart, so subtract four going from UK to US and add four going back. Check the bust column on the retailer's own chart before you order, because a UK 6 is cut for a 32-inch bust at one British brand and a 30 to 31-inch bust at another.

Is UK to US conversion always minus four?

Across the straight-size range, yes: Nobody's Child, Finisterre and Seasalt all print UK 8 next to US 4 and UK 16 next to US 12. Above that, US retailers move to W sizes on their own waist and hip scale: Democracy's numbered sizes stop at 18, a UK 22, and its W sizes start at 14W, so compare inches there rather than labels.

Does the minus-four rule work for shoes?

No. Women's shoes use their own offset, and brands disagree on it: Seasalt puts a UK 5 at a US 7, Nike puts a UK 5.5 at a US 8. Measure your foot in centimetres and use the brand's own shoe chart.