How to Measure Thobes: Step-by-Step Thobe Measurement Guide (Size Chart + Video)

A thobe is cut differently from a shirt, so your usual S, M or L tells you little about how one will fit. Measuring takes about five minutes, and all you need is a tape and a friend. This guide walks you through each measurement, gives you a size chart, and lists the mistakes that most often lead to the wrong size.

Thobe Measurement Overview: What You Need to Measure

Every thobe fit comes down to five core measurements. Custom made thobes use three more.

What You Need Before You Start

• A soft tailor’s tape. No tape? Use a piece of string, mark it with a pen, then lay it against a ruler or a metal tape measure.
• A helper. Length and shoulder width are hard to measure accurately on yourself.
• Light clothing. Measure over a thin T-shirt, never a sweater or hoodie.
• Good posture. Stand straight with feet together, arms relaxed and eyes looking ahead. Measure barefoot or in the shoes you’ll wear with your thobe.
• Somewhere to write. Note each number in inches straight away, and measure everything twice.

How to Measure for a Thobe: Step by Step

1. Thobe Length (Shoulder to Ankle)

• How to measure: Stand straight against a wall, looking ahead. Ask your helper to hold the end of the tape at the highest point of your shoulder, where it meets the side of your neck. Run the tape straight down the front of your body to just above your ankle bone, or wherever you want the hem to land.
• Standard sizing rule: The number on a ready-made thobe (52, 54, 56, 58, 60) is this length in inches. A quick rule of thumb: take your height in inches and subtract about 12. A 5’4″ man (64 in) usually wears a 52, and a 5’8″ man (68 in) usually wears a 56.
• Tailor’s tip: Most men like the hem just above the ankle bone so it doesn’t drag. If you have a fuller chest or stomach, add about 1 inch (2.5 cm), because the fabric rises over the body and shortens the hem.

2. Chest Width

• How to measure your body: Wrap the tape around the fullest part of your chest, right under your armpits. Keep it level all the way around your back. It should be snug, with room to slide two fingers underneath. Breathe normally; don’t puff out your chest.
• How to measure a thobe that fits you: Button it, lay it flat, and measure straight across the front from armpit seam to armpit seam. Double that number for the full chest: 26 inches flat means a 52-inch chest.
• Standard sizing rule: Width is shown as a letter size (S, M, L, XL and up). Match your body chest to the size chart below. If you fall between two sizes, choose the larger one.
• Tailor’s tip: Measure over a thin T-shirt only. A sweater or hoodie can add 2 to 3 inches and push you up a whole size.

3. Shoulder Width

• How to measure: Stand relaxed with your arms by your sides. Your helper measures straight across your upper back, from the outer edge of one shoulder bone to the other (the point where the arm begins). Keep the tape straight and level; don’t curve it around your back.
• Standard sizing rule: The shoulder seam should sit right on the edge of your shoulder bone. If it drops down your arm, the thobe looks borrowed. If it sits inside the bone, it pulls across your back when you raise your arms.
• Tailor’s tip: Always measure from behind, and don’t hunch. This is the measurement people most often get wrong on their own.

4. Sleeve Length

• How to measure: Place the tape at the outer edge of your shoulder bone. With your arm hanging naturally and slightly bent, measure down the outside of your arm, past the wrist bone, to where you want the cuff to end.
• Standard sizing rule: For a modern, tailored look, end the sleeve at the wrist bone. For a traditional look, add 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) so the cuff still covers your wrist when you raise your hands.
• Tailor’s tip: Keep the arm slightly bent. A sleeve measured on a straight, locked arm rides up when you move. If you wear a watch, add about half an inch.

5. Neck Size

• How to measure: Wrap the tape gently around the base of your neck, just below the Adam’s apple, where a collar would sit. Leave about one finger’s space between the tape and your neck.
• Standard sizing rule: Thobe collars usually follow dress-shirt neck sizes, such as 15, 15½ or 16 inches. If you know your dress-shirt collar size, it’s a reliable starting point.
• Tailor’s tip: Neck size matters most on collared, buttoned styles such as Saudi and Qatari thobes. Too tight restricts movement; too loose and the collar sags and loses its shape.

Extra Measurements for Custom-Made Thobes

Ordering a custom made thobe? Add these three measurements so our tailors can cut it to your body.

• Waist: Wrap the tape around your natural waist, just above the belly button. Stand relaxed and don’t hold your stomach in. This decides whether a straight or tapered cut suits you.
• Armhole: Wrap the tape around the top of your arm where it joins the shoulder, passing under the armpit. This gives you room to raise your arms and move freely in prayer.
• Wrist: Wrap the tape around your wrist bone and add one finger’s space. This sets the cuff width, which matters most on cuffed and cufflink styles.

Video Guide: How to Measure for a Thobe

Prefer to watch? In this short video, our tailor takes each measurement on camera, so you can follow along with your own tape.

Thobe Size Chart (Inches and cm)

Pick your length from your height and your width from your chest. If you fall between two widths, take the larger one.

These are body measurements, not garment measurements. Fit varies slightly between styles, so always check the size chart on the product page. Above 4XL? See our plus size thobes.