Ask most clients what a well-fitting jacket looks like and sleeve length comes up first. The usual target is simple to say: with arms relaxed, a small band of shirt cuff shows below the jacket sleeve. Many shops aim for roughly a quarter to half an inch, about one centimetre give or take, though taste varies. Turning that into a number the factory can cut is where orders go wrong.
This post gives the fitter a short worksheet for sleeve length, covers the details that move the result, and shows how to write it on an MTM order so the sleeves come back right.
The target is a reveal, not a length
The client does not care about the sleeve length in centimetres. They care about the reveal — how much shirt cuff shows. The reveal depends on two garments: the jacket sleeve and the shirt sleeve the client wears. Measure both, and write the jacket length that gives the reveal you want.
The sleeve worksheet
Shirt sleeve, as worn, to cuff edge: left and right — the client's usual shirt, buttoned.
Target reveal: left and right — agreed with the client.
Jacket sleeve, finished: left and right — the shirt line minus the reveal.
Measured as: finished garment or body measurement — say which.
Wrist difference: note if one arm is longer.
Measure both arms. Many people have one arm a little longer than the other, and a single sleeve number makes one side look wrong. The whole measurement form is in the MTM measurement form.
What moves the result
The shirt: a client who switches from a cuff with cufflinks to a button cuff changes the reveal. Measure with the shirt they will wear most.
The watch: a large watch on one wrist may need a touch more length on that sleeve.
Posture and pitch: a sleeve that twists forward hangs shorter at the back. Sleeve rotation is a separate fault, covered in sleeve pitch adjustment.
Body or finished: a body measurement and a finished garment measurement are not the same number. Say which one you wrote.
Working cuffs: lock the length first
If the jacket has working cuff buttonholes, sleeve length cannot be changed later without moving the buttonholes. Lock the length on the sample before working holes go into later garments; how that sequence works is in working cuff buttonholes.
Reporting sleeves on the sample
At the sample fitting, photograph each arm from the side, arms relaxed, shirt worn. Write the reveal you see and the correction you want: "Left sleeve: no cuff showing, shorten to show about one centimetre. Right: correct." The same report discipline used for collars is in the collar gap report. Sample review steps are on our sample policy page.
MTM and bulk
Sleeve length per arm is an MTM from 1 detail: each client gets their own numbers. On bulk from 50 per style, sleeves are graded with the size and usually finished for shop alteration; decide the finished sleeve and any extra length left for alterations on the sealed sample. The sample takes 7–14 days; production takes 14–21 days after measurements, cloth and construction are locked. Production days are not delivery days. The MTM track is on our made to measure suit factory page.
Send the filled worksheet for one client on WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 and we reply with what is still open.
FAQ
What are Shi Yuan's order tracks and clocks? Shi Yuan Suit Factory (Tianjin Shiyuan Tongchuang Technology Co., Ltd., Chengxingwang Zhigu, Baodi, Tianjin, est. 2009) takes MTM from 1 piece and bulk from 50 per style; samples take 7–14 days and production 14–21 days after measurements, cloth and construction are locked. WhatsApp +65 8013 8838.
Should no shirt cuff show at all? Some clients prefer it. Write a reveal of zero and say so; the worksheet still applies.
What if the client wears short-sleeved shirts under the jacket? Then there is no reveal; measure to the wrist point and note it.
Can the shop shorten sleeves on arrival? Often yes, unless the cuffs have working buttonholes.
Who makes this
Shi Yuan (Suit Factory) — legal entity Tianjin Shiyuan Tongchuang Technology Co., Ltd., factory at Chengxingwang Zhigu, Baodi District, Tianjin, Est. 2009. Our founder brings four decades in Chinese menswear manufacturing; founded Shi Yuan in 2009. acumenwear.com is the export domain for Shi Yuan Suit Factory. Order threads: WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 · houzhenying226@gmail.com. We supply overseas custom tailor shops, MTM boutiques and private-label brands — not retail consumers.
Shi Yuan Suit Factory is not affiliated with Tianjin Shiyuan Clothing Co., Ltd.
Next step: sample or inquiry
Send one client's shirt sleeve, target reveal and jacket sleeve, left and right. Message us on WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 with your country, monthly volume and whether this is MTM or bulk, or email houzhenying226@gmail.com. We reply with the sample route and what we still need from you.
Last checked: 2026-10-30. Figures on this page were checked against Shi Yuan's own published terms (sample policy and process pages). Anything not listed here is confirmed in writing on the order thread.
