What Is Big and Tall Size? Big vs Tall Sizes Explained for Shirts

Big and tall size is clothing cut for men whose bodies run wider, longer, or both, than regular sizes allow. Big sizes add room in the chest, belly and shoulders, while tall sizes add length to the body and sleeves. Our Hawaiian shirts run from S to 6XL at one price, up to 35.5 inches across the chest laid flat.

Here’s the short version:

• Big: labels like 2XL to 5XL add width through the body without much extra length [9].
• Tall: labels like LT and XLT add torso and sleeve length for men around 6’2″ and up [9].
• Both: labels like 2XLT and 3XLT add width and length together [9].
• Sizes: our men’s Hawaiian shirts run S to 6XL, from 20.5 to 35.5 inches across the chest laid flat.
• Length: there is no separate tall fit. Length grows with each size, from 29 inches on S to 37 inches on 6XL.
• Price: $39.90 for one shirt in any size, and less per shirt from the second shirt in the cart.

Type	Common labels	What it adds	Who it suits
Regular	S to XL	Standard proportions	Most men under about 6’2″
Big	2XL, 3XL, 4XL, 5XL	Width in chest, waist and shoulders	Broader or heavier builds of average height
Tall	LT, XLT	Length in torso and sleeves	Taller, leaner builds
Big and tall	2XLT, 3XLT, 4XLT	Width and length	Men who are both broad and tall

What does big and tall size actually mean?

Big and tall is a shopping category for men who do not fit regular sizes. “Big” means a wider cut for a larger chest, waist or shoulders. “Tall” means a longer cut for a taller frame. Many stores put both on one rack, which is why the name confuses people: most men need one or the other, and some need both.

The confusion has old roots. US men’s sizes were built around one number, the chest, and the other measurements were assumed to be in proportion or easy to alter [2]. That works for an average frame. It works less well once a man carries his size in his belly, his shoulders or his height.

Bigger sizes are also far from rare. In 2017 to 2018 national survey data, 34.1% of US men were overweight and 43.0% had obesity [1]. Together that is about three in four men, so a shirt that stops at XL leaves a lot of buyers out.

ASTM International publishes body measurement tables for mature big men in sizes 46 to 64 [4], and separate tables for men 35 and older in sizes 34 to 52, in short, regular and tall [3]. Manufacturers can use them as a baseline, but each brand still cuts its own pattern.

How do you read labels like XLT, 3XL and 2XLT?

Read the number of X’s as width and the letter T as length. A 3XL is a wide shirt of standard length, an XLT is an XL with extra length, and a 3XLT is wide and long at once [9]. Then check the brand’s chart, because the same label can measure differently from one store to the next.

Label	What it usually means	Our closest Hawaiian shirt option
XL, 2XL, 3XL	More width through the body	XL, 2XL, 3XL (26.5 to 30.5 in chest, flat)
4XL, 5XL	More width again	4XL, 5XL (32.5 and 34 in chest, flat)
LT, XLT	More length, little extra width	No tall cut: compare the length column
2XLT to 4XLT	More width and more length	Pick by chest, then check length (33 to 36 in)
Extra tall	Extra torso or sleeve length for men over 6’8″ [9]	Not offered

How do you know if you need a big size, a tall size, or both?

Look at where your current shirts fail. Buttons that pull across the belly or chest point to a big size. Sleeves and hems that stop short while the chest feels loose point to a tall size. If both happen in the same shirt, you need both.

What happens in a regular shirt	What it points to	What to check on a chart
Buttons gap across the chest or belly	Big	Chest width
Hem rides up when you lift your arms	Tall	Body length
Chest fits, but loose fabric everywhere	You sized up for length	Length first, then chest
Middle fits, shoulder seams hang down the arm	The cut, not only the size	Shoulder width
XL is tight and 2XL feels baggy	Between sizes	Measure a shirt you like

That last row comes up again and again in big-and-tall threads. So does the complaint that many brands scale a size L pattern up evenly past 3XL, ignoring how bodies change shape at larger sizes [8]. Measuring before you pay avoids both problems.

How do you measure for a big and tall shirt?

The easiest way is to lay a shirt that fits you well on a table and smooth it without stretching it. Measure straight across the chest from one armpit seam to the other, then from the top of the shoulder beside the collar down to the hem. Compare both numbers with our size guide, which lists the garment, not the body.

A body measurement helps when you have no shirt you like. For the waist, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute says to “stand and place a tape measure around your middle, just above your hipbones. Measure your waist just after you breathe out” [5]. Measure your chest the same way at its fullest point.

Measurement	How to take it	Why it matters
Chest, flat (on a shirt)	Armpit seam to armpit seam, shirt smoothed, not stretched	Our chart’s main number
Length (on a shirt)	Top of the shoulder by the collar to the bottom hem	Decides whether it covers your belt untucked
Chest, around (on you)	Tape level around the fullest part of the chest	Compare with double the flat chest
Waist, around (on you)	Just above the hipbones, after breathing out [5]	Shows if the belly, not the chest, decides the size

A worked example

Say your favorite button shirt measures 29 inches across the chest and 34 inches long. Our 2XL is 28.5 by 33, half an inch narrower and an inch shorter than that shirt. Our 3XL is 30.5 by 35, which adds 1.5 inches of width (3 inches all the way around) and one inch of length. The 3XL is the pick. Each shirt can vary by about 1 inch, so a half-inch gap alone should not decide it.

How should a Hawaiian shirt fit a bigger frame?

A Hawaiian shirt is meant to hang loose with a straight hem, worn untucked. On a bigger frame, aim for buttons that lie flat without pulling, enough room to raise your arms, and a hem that covers your belt. If a shirt only closes when you hold your breath, go up a size.

The loose cut goes back to the start. The aloha shirt appeared in Hawaii in the 1920s or 1930s, probably when local Japanese women turned kimono fabric into men’s shirts [6]. The University of Hawaii credits it with shaping the casual business dress that offices in Hawaii and beyond now accept [7]. Our post on aloha shirt vs Hawaiian shirt covers the rest of that story.

Big men often hear that tucking looks sharper. That advice suits dress shirts with long tails. A camp-collar shirt with a straight hem is cut to be worn out, so length matters more than tucking: the hem should sit at your belt or a little below. Our shirts have a camp collar, and the chest pocket is optional and free, with the print matched across it.

What sizes do our Hawaiian shirts come in, and is there a tall fit?

Our men’s Hawaiian shirts come in S to 6XL, all at one price. The 6XL measures 35.5 inches across the chest laid flat and 37 inches long. There is no separate tall fit: each size gets longer as it gets wider, so pick by chest first and then check the length.

Size	Chest, flat (in)	Chest, around (in, flat x 2)	Length (in)	Shoulder (in)	Sleeve (in)
S	20.5	41	29	17	10
M	22.5	45	30	18	10
L	24.5	49	31	20	10
XL	26.5	53	32	21	10
2XL	28.5	57	33	22	11
3XL	30.5	61	35	24	11
4XL	32.5	65	36	26	12
5XL	34	68	36	26	12
6XL	35.5	71	37	27	12

These are garment measurements, taken by hand, so each shirt may vary by about 1 inch (2 to 3 cm). The 4XL and 5XL share a 36-inch length; the 5XL adds width only. Every print in these sizes is on our big and tall Hawaiian shirts page.

Some stores charge extra from 2XL up, a common gripe in big-and-tall forums [8]. Ours does not: a 6XL costs the same $39.90 as a small.

Will a face or logo print look right on a 5XL or 6XL shirt?

Yes. Each shirt is printed all over with dye sublimation, then cut and sewn to your size, so the pattern covers the whole shirt in every size, 6XL included. You can upload your photo in the live preview and see where the faces sit in the pattern before you pay.

Big-and-tall buyers often say the bigger sizes come only in plain colors. A custom print fixes that, since every design comes in every size. The preview takes JPG, PNG and WebP files up to 8 MB, background removal is free, and every design is checked before printing. If a photo will not print well, we email you first. Browse custom face shirts for prints with one face or several.

How do you order matching shirts for a group with mixed sizes?

Put every size in one cart. Men’s sizes S to 6XL cost the same and can share one order, and the price per shirt drops with the total number of shirts, counted across every design. A group of eight pays $31.90 per shirt, whether the sizes run M to L or L to 5XL.

Shirts in the cart	Price per shirt (USD)
1	$39.90
2	$35.90
3	$33.90
4 to 10	$31.90
11 to 49	$28.90
50 to 99	$25.90
100 or more	Ask for a quote

US shipping is free from $79. Below that, a flat rate is shown at checkout. See group pricing for the quote form and the calculator.

Order size	Allow door to door
One shirt or a few	7 to 17 business days (1 to 2 to check the photo, 3 to 5 to print, 3 to 10 to ship)
Up to 40 shirts	About three weeks
41 to 200 shirts	Four to five weeks
November and December	Allow longer

Timing comes from our shipping policy.

A group example with dates

A family reunion on Saturday, March 13, 2027 needs eight shirts: two M, two L, one XL, one 2XL, one 3XL and one 5XL. Eight shirts cost 8 x $31.90 = $255.20, with free US shipping. Up to 40 shirts take about three weeks door to door, so Saturday, February 20, 2027 is the latest sensible order day. Ordering by Monday, February 15 leaves a few days of slack for late size answers.

Check sizes before you order. On a single order you can change the size within 24 hours; after that, a wrong size chosen at checkout is not returnable, as our refund and reprint policy explains. Misprints, damage or the wrong size sent are reprinted or refunded with a photo sent within 14 days of delivery.

Conclusion

Big and tall covers two different fixes under one name. Big adds width, tall adds length, and the labels only hint at the real numbers. Measure a shirt that already fits you, compare the chest first and the length second, and you will know your size before you order.

Our custom Hawaiian shirts come in S to 6XL at one price, so the biggest guy in the group pays what the smallest does. Upload a photo in the live preview, pick your size from the chart, and see your shirt before you pay.

FAQs

Is 3XL considered big and tall?

3XL is a big size: it adds width, not extra length. Our 3XL Hawaiian shirt measures 30.5 inches across the chest laid flat and 35 inches long.

What height counts as tall for clothing?

Men under about 6’2″ usually fit regular lengths, and taller men often need tall sizes. Our shirts have no tall cut, but the 6XL is 37 inches long.

Do big and tall sizes cost more?

At some stores they do. Ours do not: every size from S to 6XL costs $39.90 for one shirt, and $31.90 each for 4 to 10 shirts.

What is the difference between XL and XLT?

XLT is an XL with extra length in the body and sleeves and little extra width. If you wear XLT elsewhere, compare your shirt’s length with our 32-inch XL and 33-inch 2XL.

Can I change my size after ordering?

Yes, within 24 hours on a single order, by replying to the confirmation email. After that the shirt is in production, so check the size guide first.

Sources

1. Overweight and Obesity Statistics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
2. U.S. standard clothing size, Wikipedia
3. D6240/D6240M Standard Tables of Body Measurements for Mature Men, Sizes 34 to 52, Short, Regular and Tall, ASTM International
4. D8077/D8077M Standard Tables for Body Measurements for Mature Big Men Type, Size Range 46 to 64, ASTM International
5. Aim for a Healthy Weight, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
6. The History of the Hawaiian Shirt, Smithsonian Magazine
7. UH Manoa’s Historic Costume Collection unveils online aloha shirt exhibit, University of Hawaii News
8. Past a certain size, big and tall clothing is largely an afterthought, r/bigmenfashionadvice, Reddit
9. Big and Tall Size Charts Explained, Kiwi Sizing