Fit, measuring and alterations · 8 October 2026 · 3 min read
How to measure your height at home for a tailor
How to measure height at home with a wall and a book, with or without help, how to turn feet and inches into cm, and how a tailor uses your height.
InspirationThe quick method
Stand barefoot with your back against a wall, place a hardback book flat on your head so it meets the wall at a right angle, and mark the wall just under the book. Step away and measure from the floor to the mark with a metal tape. Do it twice and use the average. To turn feet and inches into centimetres, multiply the total number of inches by 2.54.
The wall and book, step by step
Choose a stretch of wall with a hard floor in front of it, not carpet, and no skirting board thick enough to push you forward. A door frame works well too.
- Take off your shoes and stand with your feet together, heels touching the wall.
- Let your buttocks and shoulder blades touch the wall as well, if that is comfortable, with your arms by your sides.
- Look straight ahead with your chin level, not tipped up or down.
- Lay the book flat on the top of your head with its spine pressed against the wall.
- Mark the wall at the underside of the book with a pencil or a strip of masking tape.
- Step away and measure from the floor to the mark, keeping the tape straight against the wall.
Measuring without help
You can do this alone. Hold the book against the wall above your head, spine to the wall, and slide it down until it rests on your head. Keep it pressed to the wall as you duck out from under it, then mark the underside. A cereal box held on its edge works if you have no suitable book. Check in a mirror that the book is level rather than tilted.
Most people are a little taller first thing in the morning than in the evening. The difference is too small to matter for clothes, so measure at any ordinary time of day. Our guide to measuring yourself without help covers the body measurements in the same spirit.
Feet and inches to centimetres
Multiply the feet by 12, add the inches and multiply the total by 2.54. Five feet four inches is 64 inches, and 64 times 2.54 is about 163 cm. Our inches to cm table covers kameez measurements as well. Common heights, rounded to the nearest centimetre:
- 4 ft 10 in = 147 cm
- 5 ft 0 in = 152 cm
- 5 ft 2 in = 157 cm
- 5 ft 4 in = 163 cm
- 5 ft 6 in = 168 cm
- 5 ft 8 in = 173 cm
- 5 ft 10 in = 178 cm
- 6 ft 0 in = 183 cm
How a tailor uses your height
Your height is not used to cut the garment directly. Your own length measurements do that. It is used as a cross-check. For a woman of about 163 cm, the distance from waist to floor is usually around 100 cm (39 to 40 inches), and from the high shoulder to the floor around 135 cm. If a trouser length or kameez length looks far out of line with your height, it is worth checking before anything is cut. Our article on checking your measurements before you send them lists other checks, and our kameez length guide shows how length relates to height.
Put your height in the notes when you order custom stitching through the quote form. If anything does not add up, we ask before the quote is confirmed. Our measuring help page explains the rest of the process.
Common questions
Should I measure my height in shoes?
No, measure barefoot. For floor-length pieces such as abayas, maxi dresses or ghararas, give your shoe heel height separately, so the length can be worked out for the shoes you will wear.
Why does a tailor need my height if I send all my lengths?
It works as a check. Most measuring mistakes show up as a length that does not fit the height, such as trousers longer than the leg, and your height helps spot them before cutting.
Should I stand as tall as I can?
Stand naturally tall, as you would for a photo, without stretching your neck or rising onto your toes. Your normal posture is what the clothes will be worn on.
