Shoulder width

Shoulder width is the distance across the top of the back, from one shoulder point to the other: the bony tips where the arm meets the shoulder. On a garment, it runs from one shoulder seam to the other. It matters most on jackets, coats and shirts, where the shoulder seam should sit on the shoulder point.

How to measure

You need a helper.

1. Stand straight, arms relaxed at your sides, in a thin T-shirt.
2. Your helper finds the bony tip at the outer end of each shoulder.
3. Measure across the back from one tip to the other, the tape following the curve of the upper back.
4. On a garment that fits: lay it flat, buttoned, and measure straight across from one shoulder seam to the other.

On a size chart

Shoulder width is usually a garment measurement. None of Ruban Size's 39 templates has a shoulder row: most charts let the chest decide and treat the shoulders as part of the cut. The Men's suits and blazers template says so in its note: "Jacket sizes follow your chest; trousers follow your waist." If your shoulders are broad for your chest, compare a jacket you own with a chart's garment measurements.

In Ruban Size

Find my size picks the size of tops and jackets from the body circumferences, chest first. Shoulder and sleeve rows stay in the guide for shoppers to compare. Put them in a garment tab, as the Coats and jackets template does with its back length and sleeve, and add a How to measure block with a photo of the garment laid flat: the body figure draws neck, chest, bust, underbust, waist, hips, inseam, height and head, not the shoulders.