Size guide
Fit & Sizing
We publish two sets of numbers: your body, so you can find your size, and the finished garment, so you can check it against kit you already own. We measure our own stock against the specification before we publish it.
The stack
What goes over what
Fencing is a layering sport. Only two of the four layers change size relative to the jacket, and this is the table that says which.
| Layer | Where it sits | Does the size change? |
|---|---|---|
| Chest protector | Against the body, under everything | Its own XXS–XL ladder |
| Plastron | Under the jacket, on the weapon-arm side | Matched to your jacket size |
| Jacket | Over the plastron | Your size — start here |
| Lamé | Over the jacket, for foil | Men’s: same size. Youth: one size up |
The short version
Buy the jacket first. The plastron and the men’s lamé take the same number. Only the youth lamé changes — one size up.
Measure dressed, not bare
If you fence in a chest protector, take your chest measurement with it on. The jacket has to close over the whole stack, and a bare-chest reading is the most common reason a jacket arrives a size too tight.
Sizes 38 – 64, longs 44L – 60L
Men’s jacket & pants
Sizes 38 to 64, on the standard European numbering used across the sport. If you already fence in European sizes, your number carries across unchanged. Fencing pants are also called breeches or knickers — same garment, same table.
| Size | Height | Chest | Waist | Hip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 152–158 | 72–76 | 60–64 | 76–80 |
| 40 | 158–164 | 76–80 | 64–68 | 80–84 |
| 42 | 158–164 | 80–84 | 68–72 | 84–88 |
| 44 | 164–170 | 84–88 | 72–76 | 88–92 |
| 46 | 164–170 | 88–92 | 76–80 | 92–96 |
| 48 | 170–176 | 92–96 | 80–84 | 96–100 |
| 50 | 170–176 | 96–100 | 84–88 | 100–104 |
| 52 | 176–182 | 100–104 | 88–92 | 104–108 |
| 54 | 176–182 | 104–108 | 92–96 | 108–112 |
| 56 | 176–182 | 108–112 | 96–100 | 112–116 |
| 58 | 182–188 | 112–116 | 100–104 | 116–120 |
| 60 | 182–188 | 116–120 | 104–108 | 120–124 |
| 62 | 188–194 | 120–124 | 108–112 | 124–128 |
| 64 | 188–194 | 124–128 | 112–116 | 128–132 |
Every size here is a real, orderable size on the same grading. The ones at each end of the range sell rarely enough that we do not hold them on the shelf — they show as out of stock and we order them in. Sizes 38 to 42 and 62 to 64 sit outside the band most European charts print. We publish them because we cut them, the grading is unbroken, and a fencer at either end of the range deserves a size that fits.
| Long size | Same girth as | Height | Chest | Waist | Hip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44L | 44 | 170–176 | 84–88 | 72–76 | 88–92 |
| 46L | 46 | 170–176 | 88–92 | 76–80 | 92–96 |
| 48L | 48 | 176–182 | 92–96 | 80–84 | 96–100 |
| 50L | 50 | 176–182 | 96–100 | 84–88 | 100–104 |
| 52L | 52 | 182–188 | 100–104 | 88–92 | 104–108 |
| 54L | 54 | 182–188 | 104–108 | 92–96 | 108–112 |
| 56L | 56 | 182–188 | 108–112 | 96–100 | 112–116 |
| 58L | 58 | 188–194 | 112–116 | 100–104 | 116–120 |
| 60L | 60 | 188–194 | 116–120 | 104–108 | 120–124 |
A long is the regular size with more body and sleeve length and no extra girth — take it when your chest puts you in a size but your height sits above that size’s band. Every long is made to order. Coming from another maker: their 90, 94, 98, 102, 106, 108 or 110, 112, 116 and 120 are our 44L to 60L. Outside 44L to 60L nobody cuts a standard long — if that is where you land, we will make one to your measurements instead. A long keeps the chest and waist of its regular size exactly and adds 3 cm to the jacket body, 2 cm to the sleeve and 3 cm to the pant outseam. Those figures are the maker’s, confirmed for our cut; the long garment table is below.
| Size | Jacket length | Jacket chest | Sleeve | Pant outseam | Pant waist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 67 | 82 | 54 | 75 | 64 |
| 40 | 68.5 | 86 | 55 | 76 | 68 |
| 42 | 70 | 90 | 56 | 77 | 72 |
| 44 | 71.5 | 94 | 57 | 78 | 76 |
| 46 | 73 | 98 | 58 | 79 | 80 |
| 48 | 74.5 | 102 | 59 | 80 | 84 |
| 50 | 76 | 106 | 60 | 81 | 88 |
| 52 | 77.5 | 110 | 61 | 82 | 92 |
| 54 | 79 | 114 | 62 | 83 | 96 |
| 56 | 80.5 | 118 | 63 | 84 | 100 |
| 58 | 82 | 122 | 64 | 85 | 104 |
| 60 | 83.5 | 126 | 65 | 86 | 108 |
| 62 | 85 | 130 | 66 | 87 | 112 |
| 64 | 86.5 | 134 | 67 | 88 | 116 |
| Long size | Jacket length | Jacket chest | Sleeve | Pant outseam | Pant waist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44L | 74.5 | 94 | 59 | 81 | 76 |
| 46L | 76 | 98 | 60 | 82 | 80 |
| 48L | 77.5 | 102 | 61 | 83 | 84 |
| 50L | 79 | 106 | 62 | 84 | 88 |
| 52L | 80.5 | 110 | 63 | 85 | 92 |
| 54L | 82 | 114 | 64 | 86 | 96 |
| 56L | 83.5 | 118 | 65 | 87 | 100 |
| 58L | 85 | 122 | 66 | 88 | 104 |
| 60L | 86.5 | 126 | 67 | 89 | 108 |
Chest and waist are identical to the regular size — a long is not a bigger garment, it is a longer one. Worth knowing if you are comparing against kit you already own: a 44L carries the body length and sleeve of a regular 48 on the girth of a 44.
Between sizes?
Take the larger. A fencing jacket is worn over a plastron and under a lamé, and a jacket that is snug on its own will be tight once it is dressed. If your height sits above the band for your chest size, take the long instead — same girth, more length.
Rated and non-rated jackets share the same size grading. Tolerance 1–2 cm.
Sizes 128 – 170, by height
Youth jacket & pants
Sizes 128 to 170. The size number is the child's height in centimetres, and that is the measurement to size by.
| Size | Height | Chest | Waist up to | Hip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 128 | 122–128 | 64–68 | 64 | 70–74 |
| 134 | 128–134 | 67–71 | 67 | 72–76 |
| 140 | 134–140 | 70–74 | 70 | 74–78 |
| 146 | 140–146 | 73–77 | 73 | 76–80 |
| 152 | 146–152 | 76–80 | 76 | 78–82 |
| 158 | 152–158 | 79–83 | 79 | 81–85 |
| 164 | 158–164 | 82–86 | 82 | 84–88 |
| 170 | 164–170 | 85–89 | 85 | 87–91 |
Waist is a ceiling rather than a band: pants are held up by braces and close with a wide velcro tab, so a loose waist is not a fit problem. These are our own figures, derived from the garment we actually ship.
| Size | Jacket length | Jacket chest | Sleeve | Pant outseam | Pant waist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 128 | 54 | 70 | 45.5 | 49 | 60 |
| 134 | 56 | 74 | 47 | 52 | 63 |
| 140 | 58 | 78 | 48.5 | 55 | 66 |
| 146 | 60 | 82 | 50 | 58 | 69 |
| 152 | 62 | 86 | 52.5 | 61 | 72 |
| 158 | 64 | 90 | 54 | 64 | 75 |
| 164 | 66 | 94 | 55.5 | 67 | 78 |
| 170 | 68 | 98 | 57 | 70 | 81 |
Growing room
Do not buy two sizes up to get a season out of it. A jacket that is too big rides up on the lunge and leaves target uncovered, which is a safety issue at inspection, not just a fit one. One size of headroom is the most we would recommend.
Foil — worn over the jacket
Lamé
The lamé goes over the jacket, so it has to clear it. The men's and youth ladders behave differently — two tables below, and taking the wrong one is the most common sizing mistake in the sport.
| Size | Fits jacket size | Lamé chest |
|---|---|---|
| 38 | 38 | 82 |
| 40 | 40 | 86 |
| 42 | 42 | 90 |
| 44 | 44 | 94 |
| 46 | 46 | 98 |
| 48 | 48 | 102 |
| 50 | 50 | 106 |
| 52 | 52 | 110 |
| 54 | 54 | 114 |
| 56 | 56 | 118 |
| 58 | 58 | 122 |
| 60 | 60 | 126 |
| 62 | 62 | 130 |
| 64 | 64 | 134 |
Sizes 38 to 42 and 62 to 64 are made to order — same production, same grading, we just do not hold them on the shelf. Our lamé is cut in the regular ladder only: if you wear a long jacket, take the regular number in the lamé.
| Lamé size | Wear over jacket size | Lamé chest |
|---|---|---|
| 134 | 128 | 71 |
| 140 | 134 | 74 |
| 146 | 140 | 77 |
| 152 | 146 | 80 |
| 158 | 152 | 84 |
| 164 | 158 | 88 |
| 170 | 164 | 92 |
| 176 | 170 | 96 |
Why youth is different
Our youth lamé is cut to the body, with no allowance for a jacket underneath — so a youth lamé in the same number as the jacket will not go over it. Men’s lamés already carry about 6 cm of allowance, so they take the jacket size. We checked this on our own stock before publishing it.
Sized on your jacket
Plastron (underarm protector)
A second layer of puncture protection worn under the jacket on the weapon-arm side, where the blade lands most. Size it off your jacket.
| Size | Wear with jacket size |
|---|---|
| XXS | Youth 128 – 152 |
| XS | Youth 158 – 170, or men’s 38 – 42 |
| S | Men’s 44 – 46 |
| M | Men’s 48 – 50 |
| L | Men’s 52 – 54 |
| XL | Men’s 56 – 58 |
| XXL | Men’s 60 – 64 |
The jacket holds the plastron in place, so the fit matters far less than the jacket itself. If you do not know your jacket size, size on chest instead: up to 92 cm take S, 92–100 M, 100–108 L, 108–120 XL, over 120 XXL.
Left hand or right hand
The plastron is handed — the protection sits on your weapon-arm side. We stock both, so choose the hand you actually fence with, not the hand you write with if they differ.
Worn under everything
Chest protector
Worn against the body, under everything else. We carry a men's and a women's cut, each in a standard and an FIE-certified version.
| Cut | Standard | FIE |
|---|---|---|
| Men's | XXS – XL | XS – XL |
| Women's | XXS – XL | XS – XL |
Both cuts run on the same ladder. The FIE version starts one size higher because the certified moulding is not made below XS.
Numbers, when we can stand behind them
We have not finished measuring these to the standard we hold the rest of this page to, and we would rather leave a gap than fill it with numbers we cannot stand behind. They will be here as soon as they are verified. Until then, send us your measurement and tell us which cut you want — we will size you, and if it is wrong we will swap it.
A chest protector changes your chest measurement, so size the jacket with it on. See Men’s jacket & pants above.
Sized on your head
Mask
Masks are sized on a vertical loop around the head. This is not a hat size and will read several centimetres larger.
| Size | Mesh shell | Head measurement |
|---|---|---|
| XS | 68 | under 60 |
| S | 72 | 60 – 62 |
| M | 74 | 62 – 65 |
| L | 76 | 65 – 70 |
| XL | 78 | 70 and over |
A 70 cm shell covering 55–60 cm can be special ordered if the top of XS is loose on you.
If you wear glasses
Take the next size up and have your coach adjust the fit. A mask that presses your frames into your face is the one piece of kit you will not tolerate for a whole session.
All masks meet FIE 1600N or CE 350N standards as labelled per SKU.
Sized on your palm
Glove
Sized on the palm circumference at the knuckles, thumb excluded.
| Size | Palm circumference |
|---|---|
| XXS | 15 – 16 |
| XS | 16.5 – 17.5 |
| S | 19 – 20 |
| M | 21.5 – 23 |
| L | 23.5 – 25 |
| XL | 27 – 28.5 |
If you fall between two bands, take the larger.
Left hand or right hand
A fencing glove is made for one hand only. Order the hand you hold the weapon in.
Sized on your shoe
Socks
Knee-length, and sized on your shoe size rather than your calf. Four sizes cover the whole range from a small child to a large adult.
| Size | European | US |
|---|---|---|
| XS | 31 – 34 | Youth 13 – 3 |
| S | 35 – 38 | Women's 5 – 7½ · Men's 3½ – 6 |
| M | 39 – 42 | Women's 8½ – 11 · Men's 7 – 9 |
| L | 43 – 46 | Men's 10 – 12 |
These are sized in European shoe numbering; the US column is our conversion. Shoe-size conversion is approximate between makers, so if you are on the edge of a band go by the European number if you know it.
They have to cover the knee
Competition rules require the sock to reach above the knee and meet the pants, with no bare skin in between. If you are tall for your shoe size, take the next size up for the length rather than the fit.
Switching brands
Coming from another maker
Fencers own mixed kit. Here is how the number you already know translates to ours.
How the two systems differ
European numbering matches ours, so the number carries across unchanged. US and UK inch ladders sit about ten sizes lower — their 40 is roughly our 50. That offset is exact at the small end and drifts by up to 9 cm at the top of the range, because the two systems grade at different rates. Treat it as a starting point and confirm against the chest measurement.
One to watch
Uhlmann publish a chart that runs about 2 cm larger than the rest of the European numbering at the same number. If you are switching from Uhlmann and sit near the bottom of a band, take the size below.
Method
How we measure
Every number on this page has a defined starting point. These are ours.
Your body
- AChest. Around the fullest part, tape level all the way round, with a full breath in.
- BWaist. At your natural waist, where the pants will sit — not at the hip.
- CHip. Around the fullest part, feet together.
Head and hand
- DHead. Start under the chin, up past one ear, over the crown, down past the other ear, back to the chin. A vertical loop — not around the forehead.
- EPalm. Around the knuckles of your fencing hand with the thumb left out, tape held firmly.
The garment tables
Finished garments are measured flat on a hard surface, fastened and smoothed, and girths are doubled to give a full circumference — so you can compare them directly against the body figures above. Jacket and lamé length runs from the shoulder high point beside the collar seam, straight down to the hem. Pant length is the outseam measured from the bottom of the waistband. Figures are for the garment as delivered, before it has been washed.
Tolerance
Cut-and-sew garments vary. We hold a tolerance of 1–2 cm and we check it: across nineteen garments measured in our own stockroom, every chest and waist reading fell inside 2 cm of specification and nine were exactly on it. Expect the same on yours.
Not in stock?
Special order
Some sizes in our range sell rarely enough that we do not hold them on the shelf. We can still get them for you — they are standard sizes from the same production, just ordered in.
That is the two ends of the men’s range — 38 to 42 and 62 to 64 — the top of the youth ladder at 164 and 170, and every long, 44L through 60L. Anything in the published range that shows as out of stock can be ordered the same way.
A special order is still a standard size — same production line, same specification as the stock we hold. We are ordering one in rather than pulling it off the shelf, so nothing about the garment changes. Allow about eight weeks: roughly one week to make and six in transit.
If no standard size fits
Some bodies fall between the published bands, or outside them. Tall and slim below size 44, short and broad at any size, or taller than the longs reach — the chart has no honest answer for any of those, and we would rather say so than sell you the nearest number. In those cases we have the garment cut to your measurements.
It costs the same as the standard size and takes the same time — about eight weeks, near enough all of it shipping. The only difference is that we send your measurements with the order instead of a size number.
Send us your chest, waist and height — measured the way the diagrams above show — and tell us what you fence. We will tell you whether a standard size covers you, and take it from there if it does not. The size finder above will say when it thinks you are in this territory.
Built short and broad?
If your chest puts you in a size but your height sits below that size's band, no standard ladder has a good answer for you — a shorter cut at the same girth exists in European sizing but almost nobody stocks it. Take the size that matches your chest if you need kit today; a jacket that is long is far easier to fence in than one that is tight. If you would rather have it right, send us your measurements and we will have it cut to you for the same money.
Paper tape measure
Print at 100% scale with no page fitting. Check the square below before you use the tape.
5 cm × 5 cm
If it does not, reprint with printer scaling set to 100% or “Actual size”.
Cut along the outside edge. For chest and waist, wrap the tape around and read where the printed end meets the scale. Numbers are centimetres.
Body measurements are our published fit ranges. Garment measurements are the finished-garment specification for the kit we ship, verified against our own stock. Youth waist is published as a ceiling derived from the garment rather than from a body chart, because pants are held by braces and close with a wide velcro tab.