What is a soot? The tailor’s eighth of an inch

Common amounts converted

Most adjustments fall between one and eight soot. Rounded to the nearest millimetre, they work out as follows.

• 1 soot = ⅛ inch = about 3 mm
• 2 soot = ¼ inch = about 6 mm
• 3 soot = ⅜ inch = about 10 mm
• 4 soot = ½ inch = about 13 mm
• 5 soot = ⅝ inch = about 16 mm
• 6 soot = ¾ inch = about 19 mm
• 7 soot = ⅞ inch = about 22 mm
• 8 soot = 1 inch = 25.4 mm

Where soot turn up

Soot are spoken more often than written. A measurement may be read out as so many inches and so many soot, and a tailor’s instructions for a change are often in soot. You may also see the unit on older measuring tapes in the region, marked between the inch lines. If someone in the family takes your measurements this way, convert them to inches with fractions or to centimetres before sending them; the inches to centimetres table helps with the larger figures. Other measuring words, such as naap and lambai, are listed in our stitching glossary.

Remember that a change on a seam counts more than once: a seam joins two layers, and most garments have two side seams. Moving each side seam in by one soot takes about four soot, half an inch, off the total width, so a little goes a long way. That is why tailors work in such small steps.

Finger widths and hand spans

Older home methods also measure with the hand: a finger width (ungli) for small amounts, and a span (balisht), from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger with the hand stretched, for larger ones. They are handy for a quick check at the market, but they vary from person to person, sometimes by several centimetres for a span. Two people describing the same “two fingers looser” can mean quite different amounts.

For a made-to-measure order, use a tape. A soft tape marked in both centimetres and inches avoids conversion errors. Our article on measuring in inches or centimetres explains how to choose a unit and stick to it.

Sending measurements to us

Our quote form takes measurements in centimetres or inches, not soot. If your notes are in soot, convert them, or tell us how they were written and we can check them with you. If you would like help measuring, measuring help explains the options, and the size guide shows where each measurement is taken.

When you are supplying an unstitched suit through Stitching Only, the measurements go in with your fabric details on the quote form. Everything is agreed in writing before cutting.