To measure your waist for pants accurately, follow these steps:
- Find the smallest part of your waist, which is typically just above your belly button, halfway between the bottom of your ribs and the top of your hips. This is often called the natural waist
- Stand relaxed without sucking in your stomach or holding your breath. It helps to have someone assist you or use a mirror to ensure the tape measure is level and straight around your waist
- Use a flexible tape measure and wrap it around your waist at the identified point. The tape should be snug but not tight enough to dig into your skin
- Take the measurement where the tape meets and note it down. For accuracy, measure twice or thrice
- If measuring pants you already own, lay them flat, buttoned and zipped, and measure straight across the waistband. Double this number to get the waist circumference
This method ensures you get the natural waist size, which is the standard reference for pant sizing, though keep in mind that pant sizes can vary due to vanity sizing or different rises (low, mid, high)
. Measuring your body and comparing with pants you like can help find the best fit
