Points of Measure (POM): Standard Lists by Garment Type

Points of measure, usually shortened to POM, are the defined points on a garment where a measurement is taken and recorded. They are the vocabulary of a tech pack's measurement chart, and the reason a factory can read your spec without sharing your language.

This guide covers what a POM entry contains, how points are coded and organised, the standard lists for common garments, how to build a list for a new garment and how many points you need. For the measuring method itself (where the tape starts, how to lay the garment flat, what tolerance each point needs), see our guide on how to measure a garment for a spec.

What is a point of measure?

A named, coded location on a garment where one measurement is taken in a stated way. Our how to measure garments guide defines it as one measurement with a code, a name, a written how-to-measure and a tolerance, for example "B, body length from HPS".

It is a location, not a number

The measurement is the value; the point of measure is where and how that value is taken. Two charts with identical numbers describe two different garments if their points are defined differently, which is why the definition matters more than the figure next to it.

It carries a code

Points are coded so they can be referenced on the flat, in the chart and in inspection reports without ambiguity. Letters (A, B, C) and numbers (1, 2, 3) both work; what matters is that the code means the same point every time. A code also survives translation in a way a name does not.

It carries a method

Where the measurement starts and ends, whether the garment is measured relaxed or extended, and whether the value is half or full. Factories measure garments flat, edge to edge, so widths are usually half measurements: a 1/2 chest of 54 cm is a 108 cm chest all round. Say which in the POM name.

It carries a tolerance

Each point has an acceptable range, set by how critical it is. A common starting point is plus or minus 0.5 to 1 cm on body measurements, and tighter on small details such as a neck rib. The tolerance belongs to the point rather than to one size, so it sits in its own column and applies across the row.

How are points of measure organised in a tech pack?

In one table, coded and grouped, with the codes drawn on the technical flat.

• Rows are points, columns are sizes. Points run down the left, sizes across the top, the value at each intersection and a tolerance column alongside. Quality control works from this table, so keep one authoritative version.
• Codes are drawn on the flat. Each code appears as a labelled line on the technical flat, showing where the measurement starts and stops. A factory then sees where point B is taken instead of interpreting a sentence in a second language.
• Grouped by area. Body first, then sleeve, neck and details, so whoever measures can work through the garment in order.
• Consistent across your range. The same code and definition for the same point on every style means a factory learns your conventions once, and your own measurements stay comparable from season to season.

Layout only: the first rows of the t-shirt chart on our measuring guide, with values left blank. Our free tech pack templates for eight garments each include a POM page in this layout, and a CSV spec sheet covers sizes XS to 2XL with a tolerance column.

What are the standard points on a top?

Chest, body length, shoulder, sleeve length, sleeve opening, armhole, hem and neck. These are the points our measuring guide uses for a t-shirt:

Variations by style

• Hoodie: sleeve length including the cuff, 1/2 cuff and 1/2 hem rib measured relaxed, hood height, pouch pocket width.
• Shirt: collar length (button centre to buttonhole end), body length at centre back, cuff length buttoned.
• Dress: 1/2 bust, 1/2 waist, 1/2 hip at a stated distance below the waist, length from HPS, strap or shoulder width, 1/2 sweep along the hem.
• Fitted wovens: across front and across back, taken a stated distance below the shoulder point, where fit through the upper body matters.
• Details: pocket size and placement, cuff depth, collar point, placket width. These make a chart specific to your garment, and a factory cannot guess them.

What are the standard points on bottoms?

Waist, hip, rise, inseam, outseam, thigh, knee and leg opening. Our measuring guide lists these for jeans and pants:

• Elasticated or drawstring waists need both relaxed and extended values. One figure describes neither state.
• Hip and knee need their reference distance, or the number cannot be compared between your chart and the factory's inspection.
• Back rise is worth adding for trousers where seat fit matters; front and back rise together shape how a trouser sits.
• Leggings add waistband height and a relaxed 1/2 waist, with a stretched value if your spec needs one.

How many points does a garment need?

Enough that nothing a customer would notice is left undefined.

• Simple garments need fewer. The core lists on our measuring guide run to seven to nine points per garment for a t-shirt, hoodie, jeans, shirt, dress and leggings.
• Structured garments need many more. A lined jacket with several pockets, a collar, a closure and shaped panels has dimensions on every one of those parts.
• Every visible or usable feature needs at least one. Pockets, cuffs, collars, plackets, hoods and vents are often left unmeasured, and then they are built to whatever the factory's own block carries.
• Too few is the usual problem. Each missing point moves a decision from you to whoever makes the pattern, and you only find out when the sample arrives.

How do you build a POM list for a new garment?

Start from the standard list for the type, then add every feature your garment has.

1. Take the standard list as the floor. Starting from the list for the garment type, rather than a blank page, prevents the usual omissions.
2. Walk the physical garment. Body, then sleeves, then neck, then every detail. Anything you can point at and call a feature needs at least one point.
3. Ask what a customer would notice. Pocket placement passes that test; the width of an internal facing usually does not.
4. Write the method and tolerance for each point, and draw it on the flat with its code.
5. Ask the factory what is missing. Send the chart with the flat and ask which points they would otherwise decide themselves.

What makes a point of measure well defined?

Someone who has never seen your garment could measure it and get your number.

• The start and end are unambiguous. Name the feature it starts from, such as the HPS or the shoulder point, and draw it on the flat.
• The condition is stated: relaxed or extended, half or full, before or after washing. Each changes the number.
• It is drawn, not only described. A labelled line on the flat is harder to misread than a sentence.
• It is used consistently across styles, so a factory can rely on what it learned last time.

How do points of measure relate to grading?

Grading decides how each point changes between sizes. Girths usually change most, lengths less, and some details such as rib depths, plackets or pocket sizes may not change at all. Applying one increment to every point is scaling, not grading, and it shows at the ends of the range. Our grading chart template covers how grade rules are written per point, and our size spec template covers the body standard the grading should follow.

To turn a base size into a graded chart with tolerances, try the free size chart generator.

How are points of measure used at inspection?

They are what a production run is checked against. Quality control measures garments from the run point by point against the chart and its tolerances; anything that is not in the table is not checked. Failures are recorded per point, which shows whether a problem is systematic (every unit long in the body) or random. Where the chart cannot settle a dispute, the approved sealed sample is the physical reference both sides agreed to.

Do conventions differ between factories?

Names and codes vary; what has to be defined does not.

• Terminology is not universal. The same point can have different names in different supply chains. Drawing the line on the flat lets the picture carry the meaning.
• Numbering varies. Some factories and retailers use their own codes. Keep your own numbering stable and mapped on the flat, so a renumbering elsewhere does not confuse your records.
• Half and full. Half measurements are the norm for widths, but say so in the POM name; an unstated assumption is how a chest comes out at twice the intended size.
• Units. Some supply chains work in inches and some in centimetres. State the unit on the chart, and do not mix both on one chart.

Frequently asked questions

Peter Midea is GarmentSpec's technical lead for brand development.

Sources

• GarmentSpec, How to measure garments: POM definition, the point lists and methods for a t-shirt, hoodie, jeans, shirt, dress and leggings, half measurements, tolerance guidance.
• GarmentSpec, Tech pack templates: the POM page and CSV spec sheet layout (XS to 2XL plus tolerance).

Related guides

• How to measure a garment for a spec
• Size spec template
• Grading chart template
• Technical flats
• Tech pack mistakes