How to measure torso length for swimsuits and bodysuits

A one-piece has to reach from your shoulders to your crotch, and no bust, waist or hip number says how far that is. The torso loop does. Brands call it torso, torso girth or torso loop; the path of the tape is the same. Swimsuits, bodysuits, leotards and rompers are the clothes that need it.

When the torso is longer than the suit, the straps dig into the shoulders and the leg line rides up. When it's shorter, the fabric wrinkles at the waist. Both happen in a size whose bust and hips fit.

How to measure your torso, step by step

You'll want a second person for this one: the tape goes where you can't see.

1. Wear underwear or a thin swimsuit, nothing with thick seams.
2. Stand straight, feet slightly apart, arms relaxed, looking ahead. Looking down or slouching shortens the loop.
3. Start on top of one shoulder, halfway between the neck and the shoulder point, where a strap sits.
4. Run the tape down the front, over the fullest part of the bust on that side.
5. Pass it between the legs, through the crotch, where the suit's crotch would sit.
6. Bring it up the back, over the seat and the shoulder blade, to the starting point.
7. Snug, flat, no twists. The tape follows the body without pressing in. Read where it meets its zero end, and write down the unit.

Measure twice. If the readings differ, keep the larger one: a loop that's too short is the one that hurts.

Other measurements called torso length

The word turns up in other places, with other tapes:

• Back length: on the body, from the base of the neck down the spine to the waist; on a coat, from the collar seam to the hem.
• Body length of a garment laid flat: from the top of the shoulder to the hem, as in how to measure a garment flat.
• Backpack torso length: from the bone at the base of the neck to the top of the hip bones. It fits a pack's harness, not clothes.

On a swimwear chart, "torso" usually means the loop. If you're not sure, the brand's measuring steps will say whether the tape goes between the legs.

Common mistakes

• Slouching or looking down at the tape.
• A loose tape between the legs, or one hitched up tight to get a smaller number.
• Starting at the neck or at the edge of the shoulder instead of where a strap sits.
• A twisted tape at the back, where nobody checks it.
• Measuring over clothes.
• Using the hips alone. The hips set the size of a one-piece; the torso tells you if that size is long enough.

What it means for a Shopify store

Separates (bikinis, tankinis, swim shorts) don't need a torso measurement. One-pieces, bodysuits, leotards, rash suits and rompers do, as soon as shoppers return them for length rather than width.

Three ways to help, from least to most work:

• A fit note under the chart. The usual advice is that a long torso takes the next size up in a one-piece; say it in your own words, for your own cut.
• A torso row, with the body loop each size is cut for. Say body or garment: a swimsuit measured relaxed on the table is shorter than the body it fits, because swim fabric stretches.
• Long torso versions, if you make them, with their own row.

Keep bust, underbust, waist and hips: they choose the size, as the swimsuit size guide shows. The torso checks it.

How Ruban Size handles torso length

The Swimwear template is a body measurement chart, with two size systems and four measurements:

Its fit scale says "Snug fit", with the note "Swim fabrics are designed to fit close: between two sizes, take the larger one." Each row has its step in the How to measure block, beside the body figure, from "Bust: around the fullest part of your bust, tape level" to "Hips: feet together, around the fullest part of your hips." These are typical values that a store replaces with its own.

Find my size reads the chart as swimwear: the hips count most, then the bust, the waist and the underbust, and the fabric is treated as stretch. A shopper with a 90 cm bust, 78 cm underbust, 72 cm waist and 98 cm hips gets "Your size: M", each line in the middle of the M range, and the note "This item runs small: we took it into account." That note comes from the snug fit scale.

Torso isn't one of the measurements Find my size uses. You can still add it:

1. A "Torso (cm)" row in the chart's grid. Click its label and choose "Other values". It converts between cm and in with the rest of the table and stays out of the recommendation.
2. A torso step in the How to measure block: title "Torso:", "Highlights" set to "Nothing" (the body figure has no torso loop to light up), and the steps above as text. Or set the drawing to "My own image, or none" and upload a sketch of the loop.
3. The advice in the fit note, where shoppers read it next to the size.

One more setting for bodysuits and leotards. Find my size picks the garment type from the chart's words, and "Bodysuits", "Leotards" or "Rompers" aren't words it knows, so the chart would get the generic settings. Choose the type in the chart's Fit tab, under "Garment type": Swimwear for stretch bodysuits and leotards. "Try it", in the same tab, shows the size a shopper would get. Jumpsuits are read as dresses on their own. For the band and cup side of swimwear tops, see how to measure your bra size.

Questions

How do I measure my torso for a one-piece swimsuit?

Start on top of one shoulder, run the tape down over the bust, between the legs and up the back to the same shoulder. Stand straight, look ahead and keep the tape snug.

What if I have a long torso?

Check the brand's torso measurement if it gives one. If it doesn't, the usual advice is the next size up in a one-piece, or a long torso version where the brand makes one.

Is torso length the same as back length?

No. Back length runs from the base of the neck to the waist along the spine. The torso loop of a swimsuit goes from the shoulder, through the crotch, and back to the shoulder.

Do bikinis need a torso measurement?

No. Separate tops and bottoms are sized by bust, underbust, waist and hips; the torso loop only matters when one piece joins the shoulders to the crotch.