Size guide
Youth shirt sizes
What YXS, YS, YM, YL, and YXL actually measure, with typical ages, so you can size a class or team order without guessing.
Youth sizing is where bulk apparel orders go wrong most often, because the labels are abbreviations and the age bands overlap. YXS, YS, YM, YL, and YXL are simply youth extra small through youth extra large, and each one covers a chest range rather than a single age. A ten-year-old can sit in youth medium or youth large depending on build, which is why the age column below is guidance and the chest measurement is the answer.
Youth sizing also varies more between blanks than adult sizing does. If you can, measure a shirt that already fits the child and compare it against the garment chest column, which is the lay-flat measurement across one side. That gets you closer than any age band. Where you cannot measure, use the to-fit chest column and round up: a slightly roomy shirt gets worn, a tight one does not.
For a group order, collect sizes once before you order rather than estimating, and expect youth runs to skew toward the middle of the range.
- YXS
- Youth extra small
- YS
- Youth small
- YM
- Youth medium
- YL
- Youth large
- YXL
- Youth extra large
Youth t-shirt
| Size | Typical age | To-fit chest (body) (in) | Garment chest (½, flat) (in) | Body length (HPS) (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youth XS | 4–5 | 25–27 | 13–14 | 19–19.5 |
| Youth S | 6–7 | 27–29 | 14.5–15.5 | 20.5–21 |
| Youth M | 8–10 | 29–31 | 16–17 | 22–22.5 |
| Youth L | 10–12 | 31–33 | 17.5–18.5 | 23.5–24 |
| Youth XL | 14–16 | 33–35 | 19–20 | 25–25.5 |
Youth sizing varies more than adult, where you can, measure a shirt that already fits and match the garment chest.
General sizing guidance. Exact garment measurements vary by blank, we confirm sizing on your quote and proof.
These charts are part of the full custom apparel size guide, which also covers group size curves for bulk orders.
Youth shirt sizes, frequently asked questions
YXS is youth extra small, which fits a child's chest of roughly 25 to 27 inches, typically around ages 4 to 5. The garment itself measures about 13 to 14 inches across the chest laid flat, with a body length of about 19 to 19.5 inches. Youth sizing varies more than adult sizing, so where you can, measure a shirt that already fits and match the garment chest.
Youth medium (YM) fits a chest of about 29 to 31 inches, typically ages 8 to 10. The garment measures roughly 16 to 17 inches across the chest laid flat and about 22 to 22.5 inches from the shoulder to the hem. If a child sits between youth small and youth medium, size up: a slightly roomy shirt gets worn, a tight one does not.
YS is youth small. It fits a chest of about 27 to 29 inches, typically ages 6 to 7, with a garment chest of roughly 14.5 to 15.5 inches laid flat. The Y prefix simply marks the size as youth rather than adult, so YS is noticeably smaller than an adult small.
Youth XL is roughly where adult XS begins, but the cut differs as well as the measurement: youth garments are shorter in the body and narrower through the shoulder. For a school order covering a wide age span, it is usually cleaner to run youth sizes for the younger group and adult sizes from there up, rather than stretching one scale across everyone.
Yes. Youth and adult sizes run in the same order at the same per-piece price, so a school or club can outfit every age in a single run without splitting it up. Collect the sizes once, send us the breakdown, and we will confirm it on your quote.
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