Short answer: a Gulf abaya size is a length. Size 54 means the garment is about 54 inches (137 cm) from shoulder to hem. UK and EU sizes (S to XL) describe the body instead, so the same abaya can carry two labels that mean two different things. Sell or buy across both, and you need both numbers, in inches and centimetres.
If you came here with a size run in front of you, wondering whether the label should read S/M/L or 52/54, that is the question this page answers — and it is the one we are asked most. ModestRise makes abayas, hijabs and modest activewear at our own factory, mostly for small brands and boutiques in the UK, Europe, the Gulf and North America. The chart below is the one we cut from. There is a free Excel version at the end if you want your own styles in it.
Pick the Gulf number that matches your height.
Find your size by height ↓Quick answers (FAQ) ↓Work from garment measurements, not labels.
Garment size chart (cm and inches) ↓Size spec checklist ↓Free Excel template ↓Abaya size chart in inches and cm (S to 3XL)
Garment measurements, taken flat on an unworn abaya, shoulder to hem. Not body measurements, and not label sizes. They come from the styles in our abaya collection. Change the fabric or the cut and the drape moves with it, so start from these numbers — we confirm the grading for your own style before we cut.
| Size | Bust | Shoulder | Standard length | Gulf length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | 88 cm / 34.6″ | 37 cm / 14.6″ | 135 cm / 53″ | 142 cm / 56″ |
| M | 92 cm / 36.2″ | 38 cm / 15.0″ | 137 cm / 54″ | 144 cm / 57″ |
| L | 96 cm / 37.8″ | 39 cm / 15.4″ | 140 cm / 55″ | 146 cm / 57.5″ |
| XL | 100 cm / 39.4″ | 40 cm / 15.7″ | 142 cm / 56″ | 148 cm / 58″ |
| 2XL | 108 cm / 42.5″ | 42 cm / 16.5″ | 145 cm / 57″ | 150 cm / 59″ |
| 3XL | 116 cm / 45.7″ | 44 cm / 17.3″ | 148 cm / 58″ | 152 cm / 60″ |
| 4XL–6XL | Available on most styles. Confirm the grading spec at order stage. | |||
Most styles grade to 4XL–6XL, and we will grade to a measurement chart of your own if you send one. If plus sizes matter to your market, say so at enquiry stage rather than after the sample — not every cut grades that far, and it is a cheap question to ask early.
Sleeve length: why this chart does not have one
Sleeve length is the one measurement that changes with every cut. A kimono sleeve and a fitted cuff do not share a number, so putting one on the chart above would be inventing it.
For reference only: one public retailer guide (Alabayae) lists about 59 cm for S and adds roughly 1 cm per size up to 64 cm, and a wholesale guide gives 22–23″ for S to 26–27″ for XXL. Do not lift either of those onto your own label. Put your sleeve length in the spec and we cut to it.
| Size | Sleeve length (cm) | Sleeve length (in) |
|---|---|---|
| S | 59 cm | 23.2″ |
| M | 60 cm | 23.6″ |
| L | 61 cm | 24.0″ |
| XL | 62 cm | 24.4″ |
| 2XL | 63 cm | 24.8″ |
| 3XL | 64 cm | 25.2″ |
Public retailer values, not a ModestRise spec. Your own sleeve measurement overrides both.
Abaya length chart: what the Gulf numbers (52, 54, 56, 58, 60) mean
Gulf abayas are cut loose, so on most styles the fit comes down to one measurement: length against the wearer’s height. That is the whole reason the label carries a number instead of a letter. Gulf retailers pair the two roughly like this — Alabayae is one of the guides we compared:
| Gulf size | Garment length | Typical height (retail guides) | UK size, rule of thumb | US size, rule of thumb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50″ / 127 cm | about 4’9″–5’1″ (guides differ) | — | — |
| 52 | 52″ / 132 cm | 156–160 cm (5’2″–5’3″) | S | US 2–4 |
| 54 | 54″ / 137 cm | 161–165 cm (5’4″–5’5″) | M | US 4–6 |
| 56 | 56″ / 142 cm | 166–170 cm (5’6″–5’7″) | L | US 6–8 |
| 58 | 58″ / 147 cm | 171–175 cm (5’8″–5’9″) | XL | US 8–10 |
| 60 | 60″ / 152 cm | 175–180 cm (5’10″–5’11”) | XXL | US 10–12 |
| 62 | 62″ / 157 cm | about 6’0″ and taller (guides differ) | — | US 12–14 |
Read that table loosely. The guides we compared do not agree to the inch: a woman of 5’2″ is a 52 in one and a 54 in another, and the tables on abayaforwomen.com run a full size longer than Alabayae’s — the same 5’4″ customer is a 56 there and a 54 here. That is not a rounding difference. It is two retailers telling one customer she is two different sizes, and both of them sell abayas.
So the label is not the answer. The length is. Stuck between two of them? Go up for a floor-length look and down for an ankle-length one — the hem decides it, not the label. If you are buying for yourself, take a dress whose length you already like, lay it flat and measure shoulder to hem — that number is your size, whatever the tag in the shop said. If you are making abayas to sell, put the sample on three different people before you approve it. That will teach you more about your market’s length than any table, including this one.
Abaya sizing for Gulf and UK buyers: what they actually order
Two markets, two answers — and this is where a lot of first orders quietly go wrong. Gulf buyers want the hem grazing the floor: 56″–58″. UK and EU buyers want 52″–55″, which on the same woman ends at the ankle. Send one length to both and one of those markets is going to be unhappy.
Put both lengths in your first message and we grade each run separately, so nobody has to settle for a single length. Find out after the samples arrive instead, and you have paid for a sample run you cannot sell.
Cut changes the number too. An open-front abaya or a kimono abaya hangs differently from a closed one at the same chart length, so check the length on a sample of every cut you plan to stock, not just the first style you approved. Abaya sets need the same check.
How to measure an abaya for a size chart (garment method)
Unworn, front up, sleeves out to the sides. On a table, not on a hanger — a hanger pulls the shoulder out of shape and your length comes out short.
From the top of the shoulder beside the neckline, straight down to the hem. Not from the collar, and not from the back. This is the number the Gulf size refers to.
Straight across the garment at the fullest point under the arms, side seam to side seam. A width, not a circumference.
Shoulder seam to shoulder seam. Then shoulder seam to the cuff for the sleeve.
Both units, every time. Every measurement into the tech pack in cm and inches, and the tolerance confirmed in writing before anyone cuts.
The quickest route: measure a garment you already like and send us the numbers — it beats sending a size label, every time. To convert, divide centimetres by 2.54, so 137 cm is about 54″. A photo of a tag is not enough for us to grade from. A tape measure and a flat garment is.
Common sizing mistakes in wholesale abaya orders
Five things go wrong again and again in abaya orders. None of them are about sewing.
Two suppliers’ “L” can differ by several centimetres. Compare the numbers on the garment and ignore the letter on the tag.
A 54″ abaya can end at the ankle on one customer and well above it on a taller one, and Gulf buyers expect the hem to graze the floor.
A table cannot show how a cape, an open front or a belted style hangs. Put a sample on a person before you sign off the bulk.
If your customers wear 4XL and above, ask whether the style grades that far before you fall for the style, not after.
Without an allowed difference in writing, “52 inches” can arrive as 50 or 54 and nobody is technically wrong. You are still the one explaining it to a customer.
What to put in your size spec before a wholesale order
Want numbers for your own styles? The wholesale abaya supplier page carries our published price bands, and the custom abaya manufacturer page covers made-to-pattern work.
The figures above are an industry reference (for example in the Alibaba.com seller guide to garment size tolerance), not a ModestRise guarantee. Washed garments usually need a wider range, so confirm the tolerance for your style in writing.
Free abaya size chart template (Excel)
The chart above, the Gulf length table and a simple order planner, in one Excel file. Type your own quantity per size and style and it adds up the totals. No sign-up, and no email address to hand over — take it and edit it.
Abaya size chart: frequently asked questions
The number is the garment length in inches, measured shoulder to hem: a 54 is about 137 cm, a 56 about 142 cm. It tells you nothing about bust, hips or sleeve. Because an abaya is cut loose, that one number is what decides whether it fits — which is why two women in the same dress size can wear two different abaya numbers.
Two ways, and they do not always agree. The fast way is height: guides put 52 at about 5’2″–5’3″, 54 at 5’4″–5’5″, 56 at 5’6″–5’7″ and 58 at 5’8″–5’9″. The accurate way is to take a dress you already like the length of, lay it flat and measure it shoulder to hem. When the two disagree, trust the tape measure.
No, and this is the mix-up we see most. Gulf numbers (50–62) are lengths, while S to XL describes the body. Shops do print them side by side — 52 ≈ S, 54 ≈ M, 56 ≈ L — but no standard body sits behind those letters, so two brands can put the same woman in two different letters at the same length.
Lay the garment flat and unworn. Measure the length from the top of the shoulder beside the neckline down to the hem, then the bust width across the fullest point, shoulder seam to shoulder seam, and the sleeve from shoulder seam to cuff. Send those four numbers rather than a size letter — nobody can grade a run from the word “medium”.
S to 3XL comes off an existing block, and 4XL–6XL on most styles. Say at enquiry stage if plus sizes matter to your market, because not every cut grades that far. If you already work from a measurement chart of your own, we grade to yours instead.
Yes, and most of our buyers do. Put the lengths in your first message — the Gulf run at 56″–58″ and the UK/EU run at 52″–55″ is the usual split — and we grade the two separately. Sorting it out after the samples land costs you another round of samples.
Per style and colour, 50 pieces. There is no floor on the order as a whole — two styles or ten, the answer does not change. That is why online stores test the water with a few styles at 50 each and reorder the two that sell. Mixed styles still travel in one carton.
7–10 days. Measure it the day it arrives, on a person, before you approve it — that is the last moment a length problem is still free to fix. After approval, bulk runs 25–40 days.
Only a starting point, because abaya numbers follow height rather than body shape. One retailer guide maps 52 to US 2–4, 54 to 4–6, 56 to 6–8, 58 to 8–10, 60 to 10–12 and 62 to 12–14. If your customers shop by US size, print the length alongside it — the length is the number they will message you about.
For woven garments the usual reference is ±2 cm on bust, body length and sleeve, and ±1.5 cm on shoulder. Treat it as a reference rather than a rule: washed fabric often needs a wider band. Write the figures you will accept into the order and ask us to confirm them for your style before cutting.
Yes — woven label, hang tags and polybag, from 50 pieces per style, the same as the garment minimum. Not ready to commit to a brand yet? Take it plain and label it yourself once it lands; plenty of our buyers start that way.
Both. Give us a volume and we will price the two side by side; the answer usually picks itself once you see the duty line. DDP door to door, duty already in the figure, is what most of our smaller buyers take. FOB becomes the better answer once you already have a forwarder and rates you trust.
Why Buyers Request a Quote From Us
- ✓50 pieces per style and colour, with no order minimum
- ✓An itemised FOB quote back within 24 hours
- ✓Every closed abaya light-box tested for opacity
- ✓Your label, hang tags and polybag from 50 pieces
- ✓DDP door to door, duty already in the price
What to Include in Your Inquiry
- Style (closed, open-front, kimono, butterfly, embroidered)
- The garment length you need, per market (Gulf standard 56–58", or UK/EU 52–55")
- Opacity requirement (full light-proof nida, or lightweight crepe)
- Quantity per style and colour
- Preferred fabric or material
- Branding needs (label, hangtag, packaging)
- Destination country
