Collecting Crew Sizes Without the Group-Chat Chaos
You send a message to the crew: "what size shirt is everyone."
Three days later you have one reply that says "L", one that says "idk whatever I usually get", and one guy who hasn't opened the message. So you guess, order, and end up with a large that fits like a crop top on the biggest guy and a 2XL the new kid swims in.
The fix takes ten minutes and one tape measure.
The short answer
Measure the crew, don't ask them. Take two numbers per man — chest circumference and body length — and match those to the size chart. Asking for a letter gets you a guess based on whatever brand he bought last, and brands don't agree with each other.
Why "he's a large" isn't information
There is no standard behind that letter. A large from one brand is a medium from another and an XL from a third, and everyone in the trades has a drawer proving it.
Three things make self-reported sizes worse than useless:
- Guys report the size they wore at 25. Not maliciously. It's just the number in their head.
- Vanity sizing. Consumer brands quietly inflate cuts, so the letter drifts over time.
- Nobody accounts for how they'll wear it. A shirt over a hoodie in February is a different garment than the same shirt in July.
A tape measure has none of those problems. Two numbers, done.
The ten-minute method
Do this once, at the truck, before a shift. Bring one soft tape measure.
- Chest. Around the fullest part, under the arms, tape level and snug but not pulled tight. Arms down.
- Body length. From the high point of the shoulder straight down to where he wants the hem to sit.
- Write it on your phone next to his name, right then. Not later.
- Ask one question: "snug or roomy?" Some guys want a working fit, some want room over a base layer. One word each.
- Match to the chart. Our size chart has real measurements for every style — chest and length in inches and cm, not just letters.
Where the two numbers disagree — chest says L, length says XL — size up. A shirt that's slightly long is fine. A shirt that rides up when a man reaches overhead is a shirt he stops wearing.
The size sheet that saves you next year
Keep it somewhere permanent. Notes app is fine, a spreadsheet is better:
| Name | Chest | Length | Fit | Ordered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave | 44" | 30" | Roomy | XL |
| Marcus | 40" | 29" | Snug | L |
Next year's reorder takes thirty seconds instead of another round of the group chat. And when someone says the fit was off, you have the number that produced it, so you can fix it rather than guess again.
The two situations that cause most problems
Big and tall. Guys who wear 3XL and up often don't say so, because they've spent years being told it's a special order. Ask privately, not in front of the crew, and tell them it isn't a problem — sizes run to 6XL. Sizes 3XL and above are $2 more per shirt, which is worth knowing before you total the order rather than after.
New hires. You won't have their measurements and you want them in uniform on day one. Two options that both work: measure them at the interview, or keep one spare shirt in the truck in the most common size on the crew so nobody's ever in a random t-shirt in front of a customer.
Before you press order
- Every man measured, not asked
- Chest and length both written down, next to his name
- Disagreement between the two numbers → size up
- Anyone over 2XL flagged, so the $2 uplift isn't a surprise
- Sheet saved where you'll find it in a year
Nothing prints until you approve the mockup, and mockups take 1–3 business days — so there's time to double-check the size list before anything is committed.
Common questions
How do I measure chest size for a work shirt?
Run a soft tape around the fullest part of the chest, under the arms, with arms relaxed at the sides. Keep the tape level and snug without pulling. That circumference in inches is the number you match against the size chart.
Should I size up for work shirts?
Size up when chest and length point to different sizes, or when the shirt will be worn over a base layer in cold months. A slightly long shirt is comfortable; one that rides up when reaching overhead gets left in the truck.
What if I can't measure someone before ordering?
Order one shirt in your best estimate and have him wear it before you commit to the rest. There's no minimum order, so a single test shirt costs about $35 and removes the guesswork from the full crew order.
Do work shirts run big or small?
It varies by brand, which is exactly why letters aren't reliable. Match measurements to the published chart for the specific garment rather than assuming a size runs true — our chart lists chest and body length for every style in inches and cm.
Once you've got the sizes, the next question is quantity — five per man plus one in the truck is the number that makes a uniform actually stay on the crew.
Open the size chart → — real measurements for all ten styles, S through 6XL.