How to Allocate Sizes for Bulk Workwear Orders: A Practical Guide to China's GB/T 1335 Sizing Standard
A 200-person workshop is switching to new workwear. The fabric is agreed, the style is confirmed, the lead time is locked — and then everything stalls on the simplest-looking question: how many pieces of each size should we order? A wrong size allocation hurts both sides: small sizes run out first, large sizes pile up unused, employees end up with ill-fitting garments, and the company sits on dead inventory while exchanges and refits drag on for two to three months.
Size allocation is the most underestimated step in bulk workwear procurement. This article breaks it into three steps: understand the sizing standard, survey the real body-size distribution, and build a size-ratio sheet. Do all three well, and the first order fits far better — leaving only a small tail of replenishment.
1. First, Read the Label: What 170/96A Actually Means
The most common size marking on Chinese professional garments is the "170/96A" format, based on China's national sizing standard. The current editions are GB/T 1335.1-2008 (Men) and GB/T 1335.2-2008 (Women), in force since August 1, 2009; the children's standard GB/T 1335.3-2009 took effect in 2010.
Each element carries a specific meaning:
- Hao (size/height): body height in centimeters — determines garment length.
- Xing (girth): net chest circumference for tops, or net waist circumference for bottoms, in centimeters — determines garment width. The "96" in 170/96A means a net chest of 96 cm.
- Body-type code: classified by the chest-to-waist difference into four categories — Y, A, B, C. A is the standard build; Y is slim; B is slightly heavy; C is heavy.
| Body Type | Men's chest–waist drop | Women's chest–waist drop | Build |
|---|---|---|---|
| Y | 17–22 cm | 19–24 cm | Slim, broad shoulders |
| A | 12–16 cm | 14–18 cm | Standard |
| B | 7–11 cm | 9–13 cm | Slightly heavy |
| C | 2–6 cm | 4–8 cm | Heavy |
Two details buyers often miss: first, sizes come in fixed steps — height in 5 cm increments and chest girth in 4 cm increments — so size allocation is about choosing within these standard steps, not inventing any number of sizes. Second, the standards differ by fabric type: woven uniforms must be marked under the GB/T 1335 series, while knitted garments (T-shirts, polos) may follow GB/T 6411 or GB/T 1335 — the two systems interpret dimensions differently, so cross-category orders need separate checks.
2. Step One: Survey Your Workforce's Real Size Distribution
Allocation can only be as good as the data behind it. Two common approaches:
Self-reporting: employees submit height, weight, and their usual top/bottom size. It's fast, but noisy — everyone interprets sizes differently, and brand-to-brand fitting habits skew the data.
On-site measuring: factory measurers take height, chest, waist and other key measurements with a uniform method, mapping each person directly to a size step. This delivers the highest first-time fit rate and suits organizations with many front-line positions. Hengtong provides on-site measuring across the Yangtze River Delta; see how an on-site measuring service works for the full process.
Whichever route you take, store the results in a company-wide size archive: this order uses it, and so will every replenishment and new-hire issue that follows.
As a general pattern in a typical workforce, most people fall into the A and B (standard and slightly heavy) body types, with Y and C clearly less common — which is why the bulk of any size allocation should sit in the middle steps rather than being spread evenly.
3. Step Two: Turn the Distribution into a Size-Ratio Sheet
Group the survey data by size step and count. Here is an illustrative sheet for a hypothetical 100-person manufacturing workshop (figures are for demonstration only, not industry statistics):
| Size | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 165/84A | 8 | 8% |
| 170/88A | 22 | 22% |
| 170/92A | 24 | 24% |
| 175/92A | 18 | 18% |
| 175/96A | 14 | 14% |
| 180/96A | 8 | 8% |
| 180/100B | 4 | 4% |
| 185/104B | 2 | 2% |
Three patterns in this example are worth remembering:
- Concentrate in the middle: the 170–175 height steps and 88–96 girth steps carry most of the volume, while the largest and smallest sizes account for only a few percent. The national sizing system itself is built around a central body size with steps incrementing outward — your allocation should mirror that.
- Allocate tops and bottoms separately: tops follow chest girth, bottoms follow waist girth, and the same person's top and bottom sizes often land in different steps. Copying the jacket ratio onto trousers is a classic mistake.
- Split men and women: men follow GB/T 1335.1 and women GB/T 1335.2, and the same body-type code covers different chest–waist drops in each (type A: 12–16 cm for men vs 14–18 cm for women). Always build two separate sheets.
4. Step Three: Build in Flexibility — Spare Sizes and Replenishment
No sheet covers every individual. A little slack at order time keeps exchange costs close to zero.
Hold a small spare-size pool: keep a few extra pieces in the mainstream steps for batch-issue positions, so an exchange can happen the same day instead of waiting for a second production run.
Write the exchange terms into the contract: the centralized exchange window after first issue, whether exchanges are free, and the minimum order for size replenishment should all be agreed at signing — not argued after the fact. See three warranty traps in uniform contracts.
Choose a factory that accepts small replenishment orders: replenishment orders are small and urgent by nature. A factory willing to take small top-up orders keeps your size archive complete — confirm this at supplier selection, not after delivery.
5. Four Common Allocation Mistakes
Ordering by "average body": computing the company-wide average height and weight and ordering one size for everyone leaves nearly half the workforce in ill-fitting garments — distribution problems cannot be solved with averages.
Looking only at height: assigning every 170 cm employee the same 170 step ignores that the 170 step spans 88A, 92A, 96B and more — people with different chest–waist drops will fit the same step very differently.
Shrinking men's sizes for women: men's and women's sizing are two separate standards with different pattern structures. Downsizing men's garments for female staff misplaces the shoulder line, waist line and darts all at once.
Ignoring layering for winter workwear: winter workwear is worn over sweaters or fleece and needs extra girth allowance; summer styles are fitted closer to the body. The same employee may need a different step for winter versus summer.
6. Summary
Size allocation is about replacing guesswork with data: understand the sizing standard, measure the real distribution, group it into a size-ratio sheet, and keep spare sizes plus a replenishment channel as your buffer. Get these four things right, and the first bulk order fits — breaking the "issue, exchange, wait" cycle for good.
To see how size allocation works in real industry projects, browse the Hengtong case library; to book on-site measuring or request allocation advice, submit your requirements via the contact page, or visit About Hengtong first for factory qualifications.
