The fastest answer for a parent or a coach: ignore the age on the label and use the height. Our youth soccer uniforms run YS to YXXL, graded for children from 115 cm to 168 cm. A child of 145 cm takes YL whether they are nine or twelve. Everything below is a garment measurement from the finished piece, published on our sportswear size chart, with a 1–3 cm allowance for manual measurement.
This page covers two youth blocks: the youth soccer uniform, which is jersey plus shorts, and the kids running vest. They are more closely related than they look, and the relationship is useful when you are ordering both.
Youth soccer uniform size chart in cm
| Measurement | YS (6–7) | YM (8–9) | YL (10–11) | YXL (12–13) | YXXL (14–15) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wearer height (cm) | 115–127 | 128–140 | 141–150 | 151–160 | 161–168 |
| Jersey length | 46 | 50 | 54 | 58 | 62 |
| Jersey chest (around) | 74 | 78 | 83 | 89 | 95 |
| Jersey hem (around) | 73 | 77 | 81 | 87 | 93 |
| Shorts length | 30 | 32.5 | 35 | 37.5 | 40 |
| Shorts waist (relaxed) | 50 | 53 | 56 | 59 | 62 |
Youth soccer uniform size chart in inches
| Measurement | YS (6–7) | YM (8–9) | YL (10–11) | YXL (12–13) | YXXL (14–15) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wearer height (in) | 45–50″ | 51–55″ | 56–59″ | 60–63″ | 64–66″ |
| Jersey length | 18.1 | 19.7 | 21.3 | 22.8 | 24.4 |
| Jersey chest (around) | 29.1 | 30.7 | 32.7 | 35.0 | 37.4 |
| Jersey hem (around) | 28.7 | 30.3 | 31.9 | 34.3 | 36.6 |
| Shorts length | 11.8 | 12.8 | 13.8 | 14.8 | 15.7 |
| Shorts waist (relaxed) | 19.7 | 20.9 | 22.0 | 23.2 | 24.4 |
Kids running vest size chart
The running vest is labelled with a Chinese size code rather than a letter. The first number in that code is the wearer height in centimetres, which makes it easy to line up with the soccer chart.
| Measurement | 120/60 | 130/64 | 140/68 | 150/72 | 160/80 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approx. wearer height (cm) | 120 | 130 | 140 | 150 | 160 |
| Body length (cm) | 46 | 50 | 54 | 58 | 62 |
| Chest, around (cm) | 68 | 72 | 77 | 83 | 89 |
| Hem, around (cm) | 70 | 74 | 79 | 85 | 91 |
| Body length (in) | 18.1 | 19.7 | 21.3 | 22.8 | 24.4 |
| Chest, around (in) | 26.8 | 28.3 | 30.3 | 32.7 | 35.0 |
The two youth charts share one length block
Put them side by side and something clean falls out. The body lengths are identical — 46, 50, 54, 58, 62 in both — because both are graded to the same set of children’s heights. What differs is the girth, and it differs by exactly the same amount every time.
| Chest, around (cm) | 120/60 ≈ YS | 130/64 ≈ YM | 140/68 ≈ YL | 150/72 ≈ YXL | 160/80 ≈ YXXL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soccer jersey | 74 | 78 | 83 | 89 | 95 |
| Running vest | 68 | 72 | 77 | 83 | 89 |
| Difference | −6 cm | −6 cm | −6 cm | −6 cm | −6 cm |
| Soccer jersey hem | 73 | 77 | 81 | 87 | 93 |
| Running vest hem | 70 | 74 | 79 | 85 | 91 |
| Hem vs chest — soccer | -1 cm | -1 cm | -2 cm | -2 cm | -2 cm |
| Hem vs chest — vest | +2 cm | +2 cm | +2 cm | +2 cm | +2 cm |
The running vest is 6 cm narrower in the chest at every size — not roughly, exactly — and its hem is 2 cm wider than its chest, while the soccer jersey’s hem is 1 to 2 cm narrower than its chest. So the vest is a slight A-line race fit that hangs away from the body, and the jersey is a gently tapered training fit. Same child, same height, same body length, deliberately different shape.
If you are ordering both for the same athletics or soccer programme, this means one thing in practice: use the same size code for both items, and do not size the vest up to compensate for it feeling narrower. It is meant to be narrower.
Age labels are a shortcut. Height is the specification
YS is printed as 6–7 and YXXL as 14–15, and those brackets are genuinely useful for a first pass across a squad list. They are not the spec. The spec is the height range: 115–127, 128–140, 141–150, 151–160, 161–168 centimetres.
The reason this matters is that children of the same age vary far more in height than adults do. A 145 cm nine-year-old and a 132 cm nine-year-old are two different sizes on this chart — YL and YM — despite sharing an age label. Ordering a whole youth squad by age is the single most common cause of a reorder we see. Collect heights instead. It takes one extra column on the spreadsheet and it is far more accurate than asking parents to guess a letter.
Where youth ends and adult begins
YXXL tops out at 168 cm. Our adult chart starts at XS, graded for 170–175 cm. There is a narrow band between them, and there is a real step in the measurements across that gap.
| Measurement (cm) | YXL | YXXL | Adult XS | Adult S |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wearer height | 151–160 | 161–168 | 170–175 | 175–180 |
| Jersey length | 58 | 62 | 68 | 70 |
| Jersey chest (around) | 89 | 95 | 102 | 106 |
| Shorts waist (relaxed) | 59 | 62 | 69 | 72 |
| Step up from previous size | — | +6 length, +6 chest | +6 length, +7 chest | +2 length, +4 chest |
So the jump from YXXL to adult XS is +6 cm of length and +7 cm of chest, which is a full youth-size step plus a little more — and then adult grading immediately slows to +2 length and +4 chest. Adult XS is the biggest single step on the whole ladder.
For a player between roughly 163 cm and 172 cm the practical rule is straightforward. If they are still growing quickly and the kit needs to last a season and a half, order adult XS. If the kit is for one season and they want it to look like a modern match shirt rather than a hand-me-down, order YXXL. There is no wrong answer, but there is a 7 cm difference in the chest, so make the call deliberately.
The youth grade accelerates. The adult grade does not
Youth body length climbs by a flat 4 cm per size. Shorts length climbs by a flat 2.5 cm and shorts waist by a flat 3 cm. But chest does something different: +4, +5, +6, +6. The hem follows the same curve at +4, +4, +6, +6.
That is not a rounding artefact, it is the chart tracking how children actually grow. Between six and eleven a child mostly gets taller; between twelve and fifteen they broaden as well. If you are buying for the top two youth sizes, the chest is moving faster than anything else on the garment, which is a good argument for taking a chest measurement on those players specifically rather than relying on height alone.
Ordering for a youth club or a school
A few things that make youth orders cheaper and less painful than they usually are:
- Our minimum is 10 pieces per design, not 10 per size. A single youth team of 14 spread across four sizes is one order at one price.
- You can run one design across youth and adult sizes. Sublimation prints to the pattern piece, so the badge, sponsor and colour blocking scale to each size rather than being applied as a fixed-size transfer. Youth and adult shirts from the same order match on the pitch.
- Order a size sample before the bulk run. One shirt in YL, 5–7 days, is the cheapest way to settle an argument about fit before you commit forty pieces.
- Build in the growth spares. Youth squads change shape mid-season more than adult ones. One or two spares in the two most common sizes costs far less than paying freight twice.
- Send heights, not ages. Name, number, height in one spreadsheet, and we will map them to sizes and send it back for approval.
Custom sizing, minimums and lead times
- Minimum order: 10 pieces per design, any mix of youth and adult sizes.
- Custom grading: send your own youth spec sheet and we grade to it at no extra charge.
- Written measurements: we will send pattern measurements for any size in writing before you order.
- Sample: 5–7 days for a jersey sample.
- Bulk lead time: 15–20 days after sample approval.
- Tolerance: 1–3 cm on any measurement.
Frequently asked questions
What size youth soccer jersey should I order for a 145 cm child?
YL. Our youth large is graded for 141–150 cm and gives a 54 cm jersey length with an 83 cm chest measured around the garment. Use the height band rather than the age printed on the label — the height is the actual specification.
What age is YL in your youth soccer sizing?
YL is printed as 10–11 years, but it is graded to a height of 141–150 cm. Children of the same age vary widely in height, so order by height and treat the age bracket as a rough first pass only.
Are these body measurements or garment measurements?
Garment measurements, taken from the finished piece. Rows marked (around) are the full circumference of the garment, not half-flat and not the child’s body. Allow 1–3 cm for manual measurement.
What is the biggest youth size, and what comes after it?
YXXL, graded for 161–168 cm, with a 62 cm jersey length and a 95 cm chest. After that the adult chart starts at XS for 170–175 cm, which adds 6 cm of length and 7 cm of chest. Players between about 163 and 172 cm can reasonably go either way.
Can I order the same design in both youth and adult sizes?
Yes, and there is no surcharge. The design is printed to each pattern piece, so the badge and colour blocking scale correctly at every size and the youth and adult shirts match.
Is the kids running vest the same size as the youth soccer jersey?
The body lengths are identical at every size, but the vest is exactly 6 cm narrower in the chest and its hem is slightly wider than its chest, giving an A-line race fit. Order the same size code in both; the vest is meant to feel narrower.
Do you make youth sizes smaller than YS?
YS is graded for 115–127 cm, which covers most six and seven year olds. Below that we grade to your measurements as a custom pattern rather than extending the stock block, and there is no extra charge for the grading.
Where to go next
All of our published tables, adult and youth, sit on the sportswear size chart. For the adult numbers referenced above, see the soccer jersey size chart, and for other sports the basketball and baseball charts.
Ready to price a youth kit? Custom soccer jerseys covers fabric and decoration options, the team uniform cost and MOQ guide has current price bands, and the bulk teamwear buying guide is written for clubs, schools and leagues ordering across multiple teams at once.
All measurements on this page are taken from the size charts published on eliian.com and were last reviewed on 11 August 2026. Ask us for written pattern measurements before placing a bulk order.