boys’ clothing sizes

The H and S suffixes in boy's sizes indicate husky and slim sizes.

Size	Height (inches)	Chest (inches)	Waist (inches)	Hip (inches)
4	39	23	21	23
*4S	39	22	19	22
5	42	23½	21½	24
*5S	42	22½	19½	23
6	45	24½	22	25
*6S	45	23½	20	24
6H	46	26	24½	26¼
7	49	25½	22½	26
*7S	49	24½	20½	25
7H	48	26¾	25	27¼
8R	50	26½	23½	26½
8S	50	25¼	21½	25¼
8H	50	26½	25½	28¼
9R	52	27¼	24	27¼
9S	52	26	22	26
9H	52	28¼	26	29¼
10R	54	28	24½	28
10S	54	26¾	22½	26¾
10H	54	29	26½	30½
11R	56	28¾	25	29
11S	56	27½	23	27¾
11H	56	30	27	31¼
12R	58	29½	25½	30
12S	58	28¼	23½	28¾
12H	58	31	27½	32¼
13H	59½	32	28	33¼
14R	61	31	26½	32
14S	61	29¾	24½	30¾
14H	61	33	29	34¼
15H	62½	34	29½	35¼
16R	64	32½	27½	34
16S	64	31½	25½	31½
16H	64	35	30	36¼
17H	65	35¾	30½	36 7/8
18R	66	34	28½	35½
18S	66	33	26½	33
18H	66	36½	31	37½
20R	68	35½	29½	37
20S	68	34½	27½	34½
20H	68	38	32	38¾
21H	69	38¾	32½	39 3/8
22H	70	39½	33	40
23H	71	40¼	33½	40 5/8
24H	72	41	34	41¼

Consumers are much more likely to buy clothing from catalogs if they know what the sizes in the catalog mean. Prodded by the Mail Order Association, in the late 1940's the Dept. of Commerce set about devising a set of clothing size standards, using body measurements from a study by the Dept. of Agriculture. A fruit of this effort was Voluntary Product Standard PS 32-70, which defined boys' sizes from 2 to 24, including odd-numbered sizes, with additional husky and slim sizes from 6 to 24.

In the early 1980's the Department of Commerce decided to get out of the clothing size business. The product standard was withdrawn in 1988 and the activity turned over to the American Society for Testing and Materials (now ASTM International).

D 6860-03, D 6458