Tights size chart: how to find your size, brand by brand
Height, weight and hips: how to read a size chart and why one brand's S is not another's. The official charts of Calzedonia, Oroblù, Falke, Wolford and Snag compared, with the date we read them.
You do not choose the size of tights the way you choose the size of a dress. Tights have to stretch in two directions, in length and in width, and every brand decides in its own way how to turn a body into a letter: some use height and weight, others the clothing size, others again the hips and the body shape. That is why a Calzedonia S does not match a Falke S. This guide explains how to measure yourself, compares the official charts of five brands and says what to do in the difficult cases. The charts were read on the official sites on 3 October 2026: before buying, always check the one on the product, because brands update them.
How to measure yourself
You need four numbers, and they take two minutes.
- Height, without shoes, standing straight against a wall. It decides the length of the tights: short tights pull at the crotch and the toes.
- Weight, in the morning. It decides the width: at the same height, a higher weight calls for a larger size.
- Hips, at the widest point, with a tailor's tape snug but not tight. Falke uses them for some lines and Snag for the fit.
- Clothing size, the one you really wear, in EU sizing. Falke and Wolford use it.
The general rule: weight decides the width, height decides the length. If the two numbers point to different sizes, the larger one wins, because tights under tension ladder sooner and the crotch sags. Snag puts it in writing: "our tights are true to size, however, if you're between sizes, size up".
Calzedonia: height and weight, sizes 1 to 7
Calzedonia's product guide uses a height and weight grid with seven sizes, given as a number and a letter.
Calzedonia (height and weight) and Falke (dress size) official charts side by side.
| Size | Height (cm) | Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 / XS | 140–160 | 35–55 |
| 2 / S | 160–168 | 50–65 |
| 3 / M | 168–175 | 58–70 |
| 4 / L | 175–185 | 65–80 |
| 5 / XL | 155–190 | 80–100 |
| 6 / XXL | 160–190 | 85–110 |
| 7 / XXXL | 160–190 | 90–120 |
Worth noting: from size 5 up, height hardly counts any more, and weight decides. And the weights overlap between one size and the next: at 62 kg and 168 cm you fall into both the 2 and the 3, and the rule says 3.
Oroblù: height and weight, S to 2XL
Oroblù does not publish a dedicated page, but the chart appears on the product sheets, for example on the one for the sheer-effect thermal tights. Here too height and weight rule, with double sizes for those in between.
| Size | Weight (kg) | Height (cm) |
|---|---|---|
| S | 45–60 | 145–165 |
| S/M | 45–75 | 145–170 |
| M | 60–75 | 150–170 |
| L | 75–80 | 155–175 |
| L/XL | 75–85 | 155–180 |
| XL | 80–85 | 160–180 |
| 2XL | 85–95 | 160–185 |
Many Oroblù styles are sold only in the double sizes, S/M and L/XL: in that case the bands are the widest, and anyone near the upper limit of the S/M is better off in the L/XL. The corn-based tights we wrote about in our piece on Oroblù and Lycra EcoMade follow the same chart.
Falke: dress size, S to XXL
Falke reasons differently: the official table matches each tights size to a clothing size, with a Roman numeral printed on the pack.
| Falke size | Numeral | EU size | UK size |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | 0 | 36–38 | 8–10 |
| S/M | I | 38–40 | 10–12 |
| M | II | 40–42 | 12–14 |
| M/L | III | 42–44 | 14–16 |
| L | IV | 44–46 | 16–18 |
| XL | V | 48–50 | 20–22 |
| XXL | VI | 52–54 | 24–26 |
The in-between sizes, S/M and M/L, exist precisely for those between two numbers. For socks and hosiery Falke advises, "in case of an in-between size, please choose the next size up": for tights the same common sense applies. On the brand, founded in 1895, there is our Falke history.
Wolford: XS to XL, with the EU size
Wolford also labels its tights from XS to XL and matches them to clothing sizes: XS for EU 34/36, S for 38/40, M for 42/44, L for 44/46, XL for 48/50, as reported by the authorised retailers that reproduce the brand's chart. The height and weight grid is printed on the back of every pack and on the product pages of the site. If you want to know the brand, start with our Wolford history.
Snag: height, size and shape, A to G
Snag is the brand that rethought sizing from scratch. The official guide does not use weight: it crosses the EU clothing size with three height bands (under 160 cm, 163 to 174, 175 to 196) and distinguishes two fits, "curvilicious" for a prominent bum and tum and "athletic" for a flat one. The result is a letter from A to G, with a "Short F" for those who are short and wear a 48/50 or 52/54.
A few examples from the chart: with an EU 36/38 and a height between 163 and 174 cm the size is C; with a 40/42 it is D; with a 44/46 it is E; with a 56 or more it is G at any height. Under 160 cm the same 40/42 becomes D with the curvilicious fit and C with the athletic one; over 175 cm it becomes E and D.
Why the charts do not match
Every brand builds its tights on a different reference body and distributes the stretch in its own way. A brand that makes thin sheer tights tends towards narrow charts, because a stretched sheer shows at once; a brand that makes opaques and fleece-lined tights can afford wider bands, because the yarn covers more. That is why it makes sense to remember your size brand by brand, not in absolute terms. The glossary sums up the criteria.
The difficult cases
- You are very tall and slim. Look at height first: it is length that is missing. At Calzedonia the 4 reaches 185 cm; at Snag the 175–196 cm band shifts everything up a letter; at Oroblù the L/XL reaches 180 cm even at a low weight.
- You have wide hips and slim legs. Choose the size of your hips, not your legs, and look for styles with a high waistband and a gusset. Snag's curvilicious fit is designed for this.
- You are between two sizes. The one up, always.
- Thermal and fleece-lined tights. They have less stretch than sheers: when in doubt, the size up matters even more.
- Tights with a reinforced foot. If the size is short, the toe and heel reinforcement ends up in the wrong place and shows outside the shoe. The glossary explains the reinforced toe. Every part of a pair, from waistband to toe, is in the anatomy of tights.
Signs the size is wrong
- The waistband rolls down or digs in: it is tight, or the tights are short and pull it down.
- The crotch sags and pulls at every step: too short.
- The reinforced heel rides above your heel, or the reinforced toe shows out of the pump: too short.
- The tights wrinkle at the ankle and knee: too long or too wide.
- They always ladder at the toes or the crotch: too small.
In short
- Four measurements: height, weight, hips and dress size.
- Weight decides the width, height the length; between two sizes, the one up.
- Calzedonia and Oroblù use height and weight; Falke and Wolford the dress size; Snag height, size and shape.
- Remember your size brand by brand, and re-read the chart on the product.
This guide is part of the complete guide to tights, together with those on deniers, on the colour with a black dress and on fishnet tights.
