Youth XL or Adult Small: How to Choose

Somewhere around ten to fourteen years old, a kid stops being obviously a youth size or obviously an adult one. The same question comes up for a slim teenager, for a team that runs from a twelve-year-old to a coach, and for a class order with a few oversized sixth graders. The honest answer is that youth XL and adult small are neighbors that overlap, and the better choice depends on what you want from the shirt, not on the number on the birthday card.

Everything below uses the maker's own flat measurements, the same ones on each garment's page. Widths are across the chest with the garment laid flat, so double a width for the distance around. Lengths run from the top of the shoulder to the hem.

Youth XL against adult small, garment by garment

Width x length, in inches:

Read down the last column and one pattern holds: through the chest the two sizes are within an inch of each other (the youth tee is 1 in wider, the adult performance tee 0.5 in wider, and the hoodie and crewneck match), and the adult small simply runs longer. That is the whole decision for most kids. Sleeves are left out of the table to keep it to the two numbers that decide the choice. Every garment's page has the full chart, sleeve included.

Which one fits your kid?

• Choose youth XL when

  • The shirt they already like matches the youth row on both width and length, within about an inch.
  • They are slight, or short for their age, and an adult hem would hang long.
  • It is the performance tee: the youth cut is the cheaper of the two.

• Choose adult small when

  • They are tall for their age, or you want the extra length: 3 inches on a tee, 1.5 on a hoodie or crewneck.
  • They are a teen on a team with adults and you want the whole group in one cut.
  • It is a tee and you want the lower price and the larger front print area.

A two-minute way to choose

1. Pick a shirt they like

   Choose one they already wear and like. Not the one that is a bit tight, and not the oversized hand-me-down.

2. Lay it flat and measure

   Across the chest from armpit to armpit, then from the top of the shoulder down to the hem.

3. Find the closest row

   Compare both numbers with the tables here, or with the full chart on the garment's page. Within about an inch on both is your answer.

4. Break a tie on length

   Want it to cover more, or tuck in, or to last another year of growing? Adult small. Want it shorter and neater? Youth.

5. Still stuck? Go up

   A shirt with room gets worn. One that is tight across the shoulders often does not.

Where age does and does not help

• Age is only a first guess

  The maker maps youth XS through XL on the performance tee to a youth 4 through an 18/20, which is a wide span, so a youth XL is already built for a big kid. Kids of the same age vary by several sizes, so use age for a first look at the chart and never as the answer.

• Teens are where the adult small wins

  It runs longer, it matches the cut the adults around them are wearing, and it keeps fitting for longer.

It is not only about fit: price and print area

Choosing the adult small can change what you pay and how large the print can be, and it is worth knowing before you build the cart.

• Tees

  The adult tee is the cheaper of the two, and its front print area is noticeably larger, so a big design prints bigger on it. Extra surfaces cost less on the adult tee too.

• Hoodies and crewnecks

  Same price either way, so pick on fit alone.

• Performance tees

  The youth cut is the cheaper of the two.

• Every size

  Every size within a garment costs the same, so moving from small to large on one shirt never adds to the bill.

Ordering for a mixed group

Youth and adult sizes sit in the same cart and ship together, so a team, class or troop does not need two orders. A few habits that save trouble:

• Borderline kids in adult small

  When the group is mostly teens or adults, put the borderline kids in adult small so the group looks like one set.

• Little ones in youth

  Keep the little ones in youth, where a long adult hem would hang past the hips.

• Collect real sizes

  If you are gathering sizes from families, a sizes link lets each person pick their own, and you can point them to this page for the borderline ones.

• Order one to try

  There is no minimum, and one shirt is a full order, so try one first if the date allows.

Common questions

More sizing help

• The full sizing guide

  How every garment fits, and how to break a tie between two sizes.

• Products and size charts

  Every size and price, and each garment's page has its complete size chart.

• Team shirts for every sport

  Free names and numbers, youth and adult in one order.

• Schools and class orders

  A class of kids and their adults, in one checkout.

Know the size? Design your shirts - free until checkout.