How wetsuit sizes work, what MS, MT and LT mean, how women's and kids' sizes run, and which sizes each brand makes.
Letters, S to 3XL, sized on chest and weight. The second letter is the cut: S is short, T is tall. An MT is a medium around the body with a longer torso and legs; an LS is a large body on a shorter frame. Most brands make the short and tall cuts in M, L and XL, which is where most surfers land; a few make ST and 2XLT. If you are between two sizes, take the one that matches your chest and fix the length with a cut, not the other way round.
US dress sizes, 2 to 16, and the UK number is two higher: a US 8 is a UK 10. Some lines add the same S and T cuts (8T, 10S). A few brands size women's suits by letter instead, and Billabong prints both, as L/8.
By age, 2 to 16, with T sizes for toddlers; the age is a starting point and the height on the brand's chart is what counts. Boys' and girls' suits are cut alike until the larger sizes.
A wetsuit warms a thin layer of water against the skin, so it has to be snug everywhere: no gap at the neck, wrists or lower back, no folds behind the knees or under the arms, and still enough reach to paddle. It should be a struggle to put on dry. If a suit is comfortable in the shop it is probably a size too big.
What each brand makes, counted from the suits on sale today.
Browse wetsuits by brand and thickness → Thickness by water temperature →