Pantyhose Sizes

Modern pantyhose are extremely stretchy. They stretch out in every direction to often surprising lengths, so when they’re in your drawer they barely take up any space, yet when you put them on, they slide onto your entire lower body effortlessly. This stretchiness is due to the elastane (lycra) which is combined with nylon to give pantyhose the shiny/stretchy/smooth texture we all love.

When it comes to pantyhose sizes however, this stretchiness can be misleading. You may think that if you buy a size smaller than you should, you won’t run into any problems on account of the stretchiness, but you’re wrong. It is extremely important that you pick the right-size pantyhose, for several reasons. First of all, the quality of the wearing experience will suffer if you’re wearing smaller (or God forbid larger) pantyhose. Pantyhose are like a silky sheath that protects your legs and lower body and as such, they need to fit you perfectly in order to indeed offer you that great sheer tights feel you’re looking for.
Many of those who dislike pantyhose say they dislike them because of how they feel. Picking the right size will probably answer all such complaints.

Picking the right pantyhose size is also important for the longevity of your tights. Many women complain that their pantyhose ladder (run a seam) way too easily. If you wear a smaller size than you should, such ladders will be pretty much inevitable and they will indeed happen extremely soon. Basically, your pantyhose will be like a time bomb just looking for the right opportunity to mess up your image. What I’ve learnt over time regarding laddering was that ladders were far less likely to occur when I picked the right size hose, and by soaking my pantyhose in warm water (and adding a little body-moisturizer at the toes and heels), I could make pantyhose last not months but several years before they eventually went down the inevitable road of laddering/ripping and heading to the bin.

Knowing your pantyhose size may not be enough though. There are several pantyhose size-standards out there, and each producer seems to have a distinct opinion about how pantyhose should be sized.
Depending on where you live, you may see pantyhose sizes marked by numbers or letters. What we shall attempt to do on this page is to offer you a general idea about what each of these sizes mean, both in the US and in Europe, so if you’re planning to order pantyhose online from overseas, you’ll be able to use our pantyhose size charts as starting point.

In the US, UK and mainland Europe, pantyhose sizes are set based on the height and weight of the would-be wearer.
In the US letters are used to denote the different sizes. A is the smallest. Then comes B,C,D,E,F, and the Qs. Q stands for Queen-size. QP is Queen size petite which is the smallest queen-size pantyhose. Queen sizes go from QP through Q1, Q2 and Q3 all the way to Q4 (which is the largest available US size).

Weight (lbs)

Height (feet/inches)

4'8"

4'9"

4'10"

4'11"

5'1"

5'2"

5'3"

5'4"

5'5"

5'6"

5'7"

5'8"

5'9"

5'10"

5'11"

6'1"

100

105

110

115

120

125

130

135

140

145

150

155

160

165

170

E/QP

F/QP

F/Q1

175

E/QP

F/QP

F/Q1

180

F/QP

F/Q1

185

F/QP

190

F/QP

195

200

210

220

230

240

250

260

270

280

290

300

310

320

330

Again: please understand that the only way to get your pantyhose size 100% accurate is to refer to the manufacturer's chart, as a size B from one manufacturer may not be the same as a size B from another (though they should be fairly close nonetheless). Here's the same chart, with weight and height displayed in kilograms and centimeters, to make it easier to make heads and tails of for Europeans:

Weight (kg)

Height (cm)

142

145

147

150

152

155

157

160

163

165

168

170

173

175

178

180

183

185

43.2

45.5

47.7

50.0

52.3

54.5

56.8

59.1

61.4

63.6

65.9

68.2

70.5

72.7

75.0

77.3

E/QP

F/QP

F/Q1

79.5

E/QP

F/QP

F/Q1

81.8

F/QP

F/Q1

84.1

F/QP

86.4

F/QP

88.6

90.9

95.5

100.0

104.5

109.1

113.6

118.2

122.7

127.3

131.8

136.4

140.9

145.5

150.0

In Europe, numbers are used for pantyhose sizes. To give you an idea about the sizes used in Europe, here are a couple of pantyhose size charts copied off European pantyhose packages:

Weight (kg)
Height(cm)		45	50	55	60	65	70	75	80	85		Height (feet/inches)
	145		I	I	I	II	II				4'9"
	150	I	I	I	I	II	II	III			4'9"
	155	I	I	I	I	II	II	III	IV	IV	5'1"
	160	I	I	I	I	II	II	III	IV	IV	5'3"
	165	I	I	I	II	II	II	III	IV	IV	5'5"
	170		II	II	II	II	III	III	IV	IV	5'7"
	175			III	III	III	III	IV	IV	IV	5'9"
	180			IV	IV	IV	IV	IV			5'11"
		110	111	121	132	143	155	165	176	187
Weight (lbs)

Size IV pantyhose is a relatively standard size for adults, but that doesn't mean there aren't larger European sizes. As a matter of fact the largest available European size is size VI, as illustrated in the size-chart below:

EU		UK
PH Size	Size	Size	Hip	Height
I	40-42	S	34"-36"	5'-5'4"
II-III	42-44	M	36"-42"	5'2"-5'7"
II-III	44-46	M	36"-42"	5'2"-5'7"
IV-V	48-50	L	42"-47"	5'5"-5'10"
IV-V	50-52	L	42"-47"	5'5"-5'10"
VI	52-54	XL	47"-60"	5'10"-6'

I truly do hope that you find the sizing charts on this page useful, and that by picking the right size pantyhose, you'll get to properly appreciate the advantages offered by this wonderful garment.

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