# Anyone know the distribution of T-Shirt sizes ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 24, 2004, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-the-distribution-of-t-shirt-sizes/251908 "2004-06-24T00:09:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ChuckForbin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@ChuckForbin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChuckForbin)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-the-distribution-of-t-shirt-sizes/251908/1 "2004-06-24T00:09:05Z")
I may be ordering a large quantity of T-Shirts, several hundred. Does anyone know what would be a good distribution of sizes to order (S,M,L,XL) ? For example, for 100 shirts, order 40 medium, 25 Large, 25 XL, 10 Small or something like that. I guess there is also XXL to consider. These would be primarily for adults, actually exclusively for adults. And an equal distibution of men and women needing them. Normal folks attending a county fair, which I assume is a pretty random sample of body shapes. I could not find this with Google, sadly. Here’s my guess, until someone in the business sets me straight 20 S 30 M 20 L 20 XL Thanks ---
**Author:** ![ChuckForbin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@ChuckForbin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChuckForbin)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-the-distribution-of-t-shirt-sizes/251908/2 "2004-06-24T00:11:03Z")
Oops - that doesn’t add up to 100, does it. What I meant was 20 S 20 M 30 L 20 XL 10 XXL ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-the-distribution-of-t-shirt-sizes/251908/3 "2004-06-24T00:23:43Z")
Haven’t you seen _SuperSize Me_? The U.S. population is FAT, man! I don’t have any hard info on this, but I think you need to skew much farther to the large end of the scale. And maybe I’ll be slammed for saying this, but for some reason, I think that county fair goers might be larger than the (already large) average American. Don’t know why, I just think so. ---
**Author:** ![MaryEFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MaryEFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaryEFoo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-the-distribution-of-t-shirt-sizes/251908/4 "2004-06-24T04:24:55Z")
And you might find people ordering up, a size larger than they are to make sure it fits, or even larger in order to use it to sleep in. Would a T-shirt company be able to give you a distribution? ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-the-distribution-of-t-shirt-sizes/251908/5 "2004-06-24T05:37:16Z")
Also, keep in mind that T-shirts have shrunk over the years. I have a couple of XL t-shirts from the early 90s that are noticeably smaller than brand new XL shirts today (even taking wear into account). It seems like with the explosion of “free t-shirt” offers at fast food restaurants, radio remote shows, trade shows and the like t-shirt salesmen just decided to shrink the XL a bit and give it to everyone. Hell, I’m 5’10" and 180lbs. - not skinny, but hardly “stout” even - and I can barely fit into many XL shirts. My GF is 5’3" and weighs around 120lbs. and a SM t-shirt is almost too small for her! I can’t think of many adults smaller than my GF and wonder why they even bother making SM shirts anymore. I guess that’s also another point - who’s making the shirts? Some companies XXL seem to be the same size as other companies L. My GF just got a Piggly Wiggly t-shirt (don’t ask, she loves the logo). She ordered a L but it fits me better than a cheap XXL shirt I bought in DC two weeks ago. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-the-distribution-of-t-shirt-sizes/251908/6 "2004-06-24T05:39:08Z")
> [@Rex Fenestrarum](#): > > I have a couple of XL t-shirts from the early 90s that are noticeably smaller than brand new XL shirts today… :smack: D’oh! That’s obviously backwards… I meant to say the older XLs are _larger_ than XL shirts today.