Fit, measuring and alterations · 5 October 2026 · 4 min read

How to measure front neck depth for a kameez

How to measure neck depth for a kameez or kurti: start at the shoulder beside the neck, keep the tape straight, and copy the depth from a neckline you like.

Inspiration

Start at the shoulder, measure straight down

Front neck depth is measured from the point where the shoulder meets the side of the neck, straight down to the level where you want the lowest part of the neckline to sit. It does not start at the hollow of the throat, and the tape does not follow the curve of the neckline. Hold that starting point and that straight line, and the number means the same thing to you and to whoever cuts the fabric.

In Urdu the neckline is the gala, and this measurement is its depth. It is optional on our size guide, but it is the only way to pin down how high or low a neckline will be.

On yourself, step by step

Wear a close top and the bra you will wear with the outfit. Stand straight and look ahead; tucking your chin to look down shortens the measurement. A helper makes this easier, and so does a mirror. Our guide to measuring yourself without help has tricks for managing a tape with one hand.

Find the start: slide a finger along the top of your shoulder towards your neck until it meets the side of the neck. A fine chain or the neckband of a T-shirt usually rests right at this point.
Hang the tape: hold the end there and let the tape drop straight down the front of your body. It should hang parallel to the centre of your chest, not slant in towards it.
Mark the level: decide where the bottom of the neckline should be at the centre of your chest. Hold a ruler, a pencil or the edge of a card level from that spot across to the tape.
Read the tape where the ruler crosses it. That is your front neck depth.
Repeat once. If the two readings differ by more than a quarter of an inch (about 0.5 cm), take a third.

Copying the depth from a neckline you like

This is the more reliable method, because the garment has already been tested on your body. Lay the top flat on a table, front up, and smooth the neckline without stretching it. Measure to the finished edge, including any piping, then say that the figure came from a garment and which neckline shape it had. Using a kameez that fits as your template covers the other measurements you can take the same way.

Find the two points where the shoulder seams meet the neck edge.
Lay a ruler across from one to the other. This line is the level of the starting point.
Measure straight down from the middle of the ruler to the lowest point of the front neck edge.
Note the neck width as well: the distance between those two shoulder points. Depth and width together fix the shape.
For the back, turn the garment over and measure the same way.

Mistakes that change the number

Most neckline surprises come from one of these.

Starting at the hollow of the throat: the reading comes out about 3 inches (8 cm) smaller than the shoulder method. If that smaller number is then cut from the shoulder, the neckline ends up far higher than you wanted.
Letting the tape slant to the centre: a diagonal is longer than a straight drop, so the reading is too big and the neckline is cut too deep.
Following the curve of the neck edge: that measures the length of the edge, not the depth.
Measuring a top on a hanger: the weight of the garment stretches the neckline. Lay it flat.
Forgetting the fabric: a soft or heavily embroidered front drops slightly in wear, and a stretchy sample top will have given more than a woven fabric will.
Slouching or looking down while the tape is read.

Sending the measurement

Write the depth with its unit and the words “from the shoulder beside the neck”, and add the neck width or a photo of the neckline if you have one. If you have not decided how deep to go, neck depth in inches shows where common depths sit, and the neckline guide compares the shapes.

Add the figure to your measurements or notes on the quote form. With custom stitching, the neckline and its measurements are agreed in writing before anything is cut; if a suit’s embroidered neck piece limits the depth, we tell you what is possible first. Help with the other measurements is on our measuring help page.

Common questions

Where exactly does front neck depth start?

At the point where the top of the shoulder meets the side of the neck, where a shoulder seam would end. It is the same point used for measuring kameez length.

Do I measure neck depth along the neckline or straight down?

Straight down. The depth is the vertical distance from the level of the shoulder point to the lowest part of the neckline, not the length of the curved edge.

How do I measure back neck depth?

The same way, down the back. On a garment, lay it face down, join the two shoulder points with a ruler and measure from that line to the lowest point of the back neck edge.

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