Levi's Men's Size Guide

Levi’s Men’s

Which Levi’s fit is which

Levi’s publish these on a size 32; the garment scales up and down from there. Figures come from Levi’s product pages and can vary slightly between washes of the same fit. Levi’s no longer publish a spec for the 560 Comfort Fit, so it isn’t listed.

The short version for boots: the 517 has the widest leg opening of the straight-and-boot family at 18¼″ and sits at your waist — that is the one cut to go over a boot. The 527 opens almost as wide at 18″ but sits lower and is cut slim, so it reads trimmer through the thigh. The 501 and 505 both close to 16″, which will sit on top of a boot shaft rather than over it. The 550 gives you the most room through the seat and thigh of the fits we stock.

Shrink-to-Fit — how much to add

Levi’s publish an exact rule for the 501 Shrink-to-Fit, and it depends on how you plan to wash them. Their guidance, as printed:

If you would rather keep them raw and never machine dry them, Levi’s say the opposite: “Purchase your Shrink-to-Fit™ jeans in your true size.” The denim conforms to you with wear instead of shrinking in a dryer.

The 501 STF product page also gives the old-school method — true to size in the waist, two sizes up in length, then wear them in the tub and keep them on to dry — and puts shrinkage in the wash at approximately 10%.

Care for shrink-to-fit, as Levi’s publish it: wash inside out, wash in cold water, air dry whenever possible, spot clean where you can to avoid unnecessary washing.

Finding your waist size

Body measurements, not the garment. Worth noticing: a Levi’s 32 is cut for a 32.5–33″ waist, so the tag number sits a little under your tape. Levi’s chart stops at 60 — we carry big and tall waists above that, so ask. We’ve left off their thigh column: the size 33 row doesn’t read consistently with the rows either side of it, and we’re not going to print a number we can’t stand behind.

Length

This is Levi’s height guide, and it assumes the hem breaks on a shoe. Over a boot you will usually want to go longer. We stock inseams from 27 to 40 depending on the fit — bring the boots and we’ll check it.

Shirts and jackets

Body measurements. XXL and up are Levi’s big and tall chart. Levi’s do not publish a sleeve length for men’s tops anywhere on their size guide, so we can’t give you one — go by chest, and if you have long arms tell us and we’ll measure the garment.

Need help finding the right fit? Reach out — we’ve been fitting folks since 1973.