A suit size has two parts: the chest number and a letter. 42R. 40L. 38S. The letter is the jacket length — short, regular or long — and with it the sleeve length and often the trouser inseam that come with that body. Clients rarely think about it until a jacket covers their seat entirely or stops above it.
For a private-label brand, the letter is a stock decision. Every chest size could come in three lengths. A run of 50 cannot carry thirty combinations. Deciding which chest sizes get which lengths is one of the quieter choices on the size chart, and one of the most expensive to get wrong.
What S, R and L change
Short (S): cut for shorter men at that chest size; shorter sleeve, and button stance and pocket position move with it.
Regular (R): the middle of your client base; the reference grade.
Long (L): cut for taller men at that chest size; longer sleeve, with stance and pockets moving too.
The length increment between S, R and L is set on your size chart and approved on the graded sizes. The sealed sample is usually a Regular; Short and Long are graded from it.
Lengths and our two tracks
A bulk run is from 50 per style, graded across the sizes and lengths you choose. Every extra length is another column the 50 pieces are spread across. MTM from 1 has no length letters: the jacket length is measured on the client. For the 34S or the 48L your run should not carry, MTM is the answer.
A new style's sample takes 7–14 days. Production takes 14–21 days after the size chart (lengths included), cloth and construction are locked. Production days are not delivery days.
A worksheet: which chest sizes get which lengths
Start from sales by size and letter, if you have them, or from fitting notes if you are new. Then give each chest size the lengths that earned rail space.
38: Regular 5. Total 5.
40: Short 3, Regular 9, Long 3. Total 15.
42: Short 2, Regular 10, Long 4. Total 16.
44: Regular 7, Long 3. Total 10.
46: Regular 4. Total 4.
Total: 50 pieces in nine size-length combinations. Short appears where the store's notes showed demand; Long follows the store's taller clients at 42 and 44. Everything else goes to MTM.
Rules for the length columns
Regular first. If a chest size earns one length, it is Regular.
Add a length where it sold, not where it is missing. An empty 44S column is not a gap; it is a decision.
Keep length and drop separate. Length answers how tall; drop answers how tapered. Drop is covered in suit drop size.
Check the graded lengths on a body. A Long that is simply longer, with pockets left where they were, looks wrong. Ask for the graded lengths to be checked — see size run grading for bulk from 50.
A worked case: the tall-client store
A store in a market with many tall clients finds that 40L and 42L outsell 40R. It makes Long its reference length for those chest sizes, seals the sample as a 42L, and grades Regular from it. Same factory, same 50-piece minimum; different centre of gravity. The sizing method from till data is in building a 50-piece size curve.
Sealing is on our sample policy page, bulk runs on our private label suit manufacturer page. Send your size-and-length sales on WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 and we tell you what the size chart needs.
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.
Can the sealed sample be a Long? Yes, if Long is your reference length. Say so on the size chart.
Do trousers change with S, R and L? Often the inseam does. Write it on the size chart so the suit travels as a set.
What about extra long or portly? Treat them as separate decisions. Low-volume bodies are usually better served on MTM from 1.
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 last season's sales by chest size and length letter. 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: 2026-10-28. 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.
