Online size calculators ask two questions — how tall are you, how much do you weigh — and return a jacket size. For buying off the rail, that is a reasonable start. Shops selling made-to-measure are often asked, usually by a client who would rather not be measured, whether those two numbers are enough to place an order.
For a made-to-measure garment, they are not. Two numbers predict a size; a made-to-measure pattern needs the shape. This post sets out what height and weight can tell a factory, what they cannot, and where they are useful anyway.
Same height, same weight, different suits
Picture two men, both 180 cm and 80 kg. One played rugby: broad chest and thighs, short neck, forward shoulders. The other runs: narrower chest, longer arms, flat seat, upright posture. A calculator gives them the same size. Their jackets differ in chest, waist, shoulder width, sleeve length and balance; their trousers in seat, thigh and rise. Cut both from the calculator size and at least one of them is altered heavily — or both.
What height and weight can and cannot tell you
Approximate jacket size: roughly, from height and weight.
Short, regular or long length: roughly, from height; confirm with back length.
Chest versus waist (the drop): no; measure chest and waist.
Shoulder width and slope: no; take the shoulder measurement and a side photo.
Arm length: no; take the sleeve measurement.
Posture: no; take a side photo.
Seat and thigh: no; measure seat and thigh.
Preferred ease: no; write the client's fit preference.
Two rows out of eight can be estimated. The other six are where made-to-measure earns its name.
Where height and weight are useful
Planning a bulk run. For bulk from 50 per style, a brand plans a size split. Height and weight data from past clients can inform which lengths and sizes to carry, alongside sales records. The sizes themselves are graded from a sealed sample, not from a calculator.
Sanity checks. On an MTM from 1 order, height and weight written next to the measurements let anyone reading the sheet spot a slip — a 90 cm chest on a client listed at 110 kg is a typo to check before cutting.
Choosing a try-on size. In the shop, they help pick which try-on jacket to hand the client first.
What a factory needs for an MTM order
A measurement sheet taken the same way every time, with units stated; posture notes; front, side and back photos; and the client's fit preference in words. Our sheet and how it is used are covered in the MTM measurement form; body versus finished-garment numbers in body vs finished garment measurements; and units in inches vs centimetres on the sheet. Clients at the edges of a size chart are covered in big and tall MTM briefs.
The sample takes 7–14 days; production takes 14–21 days after measurements, cloth and construction are locked. Production days are not delivery days. A sheet with missing measurements means the order cannot be locked, so the gap costs days before anyone cuts.
A worked case (illustrative)
An online menswear seller collects height, weight and a fit preference, and wants to offer made-to-measure. Its first idea is to send those three fields. Instead it adds a self-measure guide for six measurements, a side photo and a back photo. Its first ten orders go in with sheets the factory can cut from. Two come back with questions — a sleeve measured over a watch, a waist taken at the hip — and are fixed on the thread before cutting. The calculator stays on the website, as a size guide for its ready-made line.
Rules for shops
Use height and weight for the try-on, not the cut.
Always pair them with a measurement sheet on MTM orders.
Photograph posture. It is the measurement clients cannot give you in numbers.
Write the unit on every sheet.
The single-client route is on our made to measure suit factory page and order steps on our process page. Send one filled sheet on WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 and we tell you what is missing.
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 a client measure himself? With a clear guide and photos, often yes; expect more questions on the first order.
Is a size calculator useless for MTM? No. It picks the try-on size. The order needs the measurements.
Do you need weight at all? It is a useful cross-check next to the measurements. It does not replace them.
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 the measurement sheet or self-measure guide you use today. 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: 2026-10-29. 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.
