Size Range for Production: How to Build One and Choose It

A size range is the set of sizes a style is produced in, and it is built by grading (scaling) the base-size pattern with increments defined at each point of the piece according to a size chart. To sell well, have the full range available (XS to 4XL for adults, 2 to 18 for kids) and split your run according to your customers: in women's, sizes S, M and L usually account for 60 to 70 percent of units, although the exact split depends on who you sell to and on your sales history.

Modeltex production guide. Updated on Sep 6, 2026.

What grading is and why it is not enlarging the pattern

Grading (or scaling) a pattern means generating the other sizes from the base size by moving each point of the piece a distance set by a rule. Chest circumference generally grows 4 cm from one size to the next in women's and 4 to 6 cm in men's, but that growth is split between front, back and sleeve, and combined with different increments for length, armhole and neck. That is why a pattern is not enlarged to 105 percent on a photocopier: the body does not grow equally in every direction, and a t-shirt scaled that way comes out long with a distorted armhole.

Grading rules come from a size chart: one per customer, brand or market. In CAD (Optitex, Audaces, Gerber, Lectra) each point carries its rule and the software generates the full range; by hand it is done point by point with the same rules. At the ends of the range (3XL and 4XL) many charts increase the circumference jump, because the body grows more in circumference than in height, and there grading stops being linear.

Industrial grading is validated with a sample: you sew the base size and at least one extreme, and correct the chart if the fit changes. A pattern with the range already graded and approved saves you that development, which is what takes the most time on a new style.

XS to 4XL and 2 to 18 size ranges: what each one covers

For adults the standard letter range runs from XS to 4XL: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, 3XL and 4XL, eight sizes. It covers everything from a small women's circumference to extended sizes, and it is the range that wholesale buyers ask for when they build assorted packs and the one any brand needs if it wants to offer the inclusive size range that sizing regulations in some markets, such as Argentina's, promote. Equivalences with numeric sizes (36 to 52 in women's, 38 to 56 in men's pants) are approximate and change between brands; what rules is the size chart in centimeters.

For kids the industrial range runs from 2 to 18 in steps of two (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18), nine sizes. The number roughly indicates age, and many charts tie it to a height (a size 8 is around 128 cm, a 12 around 152 cm), but what defines the size is the measurement, not the age. From size 14 up, kids' sizes overlap with adult XS and S, which matters for secondary school uniforms.

Babies are handled separately, by months or by height, with shorter grading steps. At Modeltex every pattern includes the full range of its category in a single purchase: the eight adult sizes or the nine kids' sizes, with the grading done and approved with a sample.

Why produce the full range (and when not to)

Producing the full range has a commercial reason: wholesale buyers purchase by size ratio, not by single garment. A common six-piece pack is 1 S, 2 M, 2 L and 1 XL; 8-piece and 12-piece packs are also built by adding XS, XXL and 3XL. If your style has no XL or XXL, the pack cannot be assembled and the sale falls through. In direct sales something similar happens: a missing size is a customer who leaves and does not come back to ask.

The cost of the extremes is real but limited. A 4XL uses more fabric than an M (generally 15 to 30 percent more depending on the garment, as a guideline) and the smallest and largest sizes sell more slowly. The answer is not to stop producing them but to produce them in smaller quantities and restock when they sell out.

When not to produce the full range: in a very small test capsule (under 50 units), where it is better to concentrate on the middle sizes and add the extremes only with the first restock; in niche products with a known audience (a sports club's apparel, where you already have the team's sizes); or in pre-order, where you cut only what was ordered. In every case it pays to have the full range in the pattern so you can react without developing it again.

How to split a production run by size

The split by size is a sales decision, not a patternmaking one, and it gets adjusted with history. If you start without data, the distributions below are a rough starting point for general apparel; a brand with extended sizes, sportswear or uniforms will have very different ranges.

The method that works in production is to cut the first run with a conservative split, record which sizes sell out first and correct the second. If the M and L sell in the first week and the XS are left over, the next run shifts points toward the center. With computerized markers this turns into quantities per size that you pass to whoever makes the marker, and fabric yield usually improves when you mix large and small sizes in the same marker.

Women's, XS to 4XL: XS 5, S 20, M 30, L 25, XL 12, XXL 5, 3XL 2 and 4XL 1 percent.
Men's, XS to 4XL: XS 2, S 10, M 25, L 30, XL 18, XXL 9, 3XL 4 and 4XL 2 percent.
Kids, 2 to 18: sizes 2 and 4 between 8 and 12 percent each, 6 to 12 between 13 and 15 each, 14 to 18 between 5 and 11 each. In primary school uniforms the weight is concentrated between 6 and 12.
Example: 200 women's t-shirts with the split above would be 10 XS, 40 S, 60 M, 50 L, 24 XL, 10 XXL, 4 in 3XL and 2 in 4XL.

Sizes for school and work uniforms

Uniforms are the case where the size range matters most, because they are produced by batch for a closed group: a school, a company. For school uniforms the range crosses kids and adults: preschool and kindergarten in sizes 2 to 6, primary school 6 to 14, secondary school 12 to 18 plus adult XS to XL for the final years and for teachers. Ideally you take measurements or send a size chart with the order, because a size 10 from one brand can be a 12 from another.

For work uniforms the range is adult and tends to load toward L, XL and XXL in men's, with some XS and 4XL that must be covered no matter what: at a plant, nobody can be left without work clothes because of their size. The usual practice is to quote the full range with a fit-sample set (one garment per size so each person can try one on) and to produce against the confirmed list, not against estimates.

To produce uniforms with digital patterns you need, besides the wide size range, the style to be the same in kids and adults so you can embroider and sublimate without redesigning at every size. Modeltex publishes school and work uniform patterns (polo shirts, sweatshirts, joggers, pants, school smocks) with kids and adult ranges, and develops custom size ranges to order using the school's or the company's size chart.

Sizing standards and labeling: what changes for the producer

Sizing standards differ from market to market. One example is Argentina's Law 27.521, enacted in 2019, which created the Uniform Standardized System for Identifying Apparel Sizes (SUNITI) so that clothing sizes are identified consistently across brands, based on an anthropometric study of the Argentine population, and so that the range of sizes on offer is wider. Its practical application and deadlines have changed since it was passed, so check the current status before labeling.

For producers, what rules like this push toward, in general terms, is working with size charts in centimeters, stating the size clearly on the label and not reducing the offer to three or four central sizes. Patternmaking with a full size range and grading that is consistent with a size chart is what lets you comply without redoing the patterns.

How to solve it with digital patterns

With digital patterns the size range comes already made: you buy the style once and get the eight adult sizes or the nine kids' sizes, as a PDF for cutting by hand or as DXF/AAMA, PDS and ADS for your CAD. You cut only the sizes the run needs and, when a size sells out, you restock without developing anything.

If your brand has its own size chart or you need a wider or shorter range, the route is Modeltex custom patternmaking: the pattern is developed with your chart and the range you define, and approved with a sample. And if you cut by spreading layers, the computerized marker takes the quantities per size that you decided and fits them to the width of your fabric.

Frequently asked questions

What is a garment size range?

It is the set of sizes a style is produced in, for example XS to 4XL for adults or 2 to 18 for kids, and the number of garments of each size within a run. In patternmaking, the range is obtained by grading the base size with rules taken from a size chart; in sales, the same idea shows up as the assorted pack a wholesale buyer purchases (a size ratio), for example 1 S, 2 M, 2 L and 1 XL.

How many sizes do I need to produce to sell wholesale?

At a minimum, the range that builds the pack your customer buys: in general apparel the usual choice is a six-piece pack (S to XL) or an eight-piece pack (XS to XXL), and more and more buyers ask for up to 3XL or 4XL. Having the pattern with the full size range lets you answer any of those without developing new sizes; after that, you decide how many units you cut of each.

How do I calculate how many garments to make in each size?

Use your sales history if you have it; if you do not, use a rough distribution that concentrates 60 to 70 percent in the middle sizes (S, M and L in women's; M, L and XL in men's) and spreads the rest across the extremes. Cut the first run with that split, note which sizes sell out first and correct the next one. For uniforms, by contrast, you produce against the confirmed size list.

Can I enlarge a pattern to another size by scaling the PDF or using a photocopier?

No. A proportional scale enlarges everything equally and the body does not grow that way: between one size and the next, the circumference grows about 4 to 6 cm but the length only 1 or 2, and the armhole, neck and shoulder have their own increments. A t-shirt scaled to 105 percent comes out too long with a distorted armhole. Sizes are obtained with grading rules applied to each point, which is what a pattern with an industrial size range includes.

What do sizing regulations like Argentina's Law 27.521 mean for a clothing manufacturer?

In general terms, Law 27.521 (2019) creates SUNITI, a single system for identifying apparel sizes in Argentina based on an anthropometric study, so that a size means the same across brands and the range of sizes on offer grows. For the producer it means working with size charts in centimeters and labeling clearly. Its application and deadlines have changed, so check the current status.

Which size range suits school uniforms?

One that crosses kids and adults: 2 to 6 for preschool and kindergarten, 6 to 14 for primary school, and 12 to 18 plus adult XS to XL for secondary school and teachers. Because sizes vary between brands, send the school a size chart or a fit-sample set so each student can try one on, and produce against the confirmed list. The pattern needs both ranges so the garment is the same at every size.

More guides

Sewing patterns ready for production, with the full size range, in the Modeltex catalog.