Swim trunks size chart: what size do you need?

Lay your waist, in centimeters, on the tape. With the Tampa, pick the first dot at or to the right of your waist. With the Venice and Miami, a waist almost always falls inside more than one bar; there the letter that belongs to your inch size decides, and you will find it in the chart further down. Measure at home: shorts that pinch are something you notice on the coast, and shorts that have been in the water cannot be exchanged.

Do swim trunks run small, and why does a Tampa 32 not fit like a 32 waist?

Because the size on the label is a name, not a measurement, and because the Tampa band does not give a single centimeter. The same tape shows three measurements taken on the shorts.

The label in your jeans is not a centimeter measurement. Our own wearer is 182 cm and 80 kg and usually buys jeans in W32. Yet he wears the Tampa 33, with a band of 87 cm all round: 5.7 cm more than the 81.3 cm that the label W32 promises.

A Venice M stretches 19 cm, from 79 to 98 cm. The Tampa closes with a zip, and the buckles can only take it in: a Tampa 32 stays at 85 cm. A tailored cut is also narrow over the hip. A Tampa 33 measures 107 cm there, the Venice L that goes with it 111 cm; for the Tampa 38 and the Venice XXL it is 117 against 121 cm.

You can see it in our orders from 2017 to 2026. Of the 451 Tampas we delivered to consumers, 53 went back for a larger size and 12 for a smaller one. 8 of 10 exchanges were exactly one size off. Plot those exchanges per size on the tape and you see where it goes wrong: most often at the 38, the 33 and the 32, least often at the 31. The 38 is also the size most often exchanged down, 3 of 54.

If you are between two Tampa sizes, take the larger. A Tampa that fits a little loose can be taken in with the buckles; one that is too tight cannot be let out anywhere.

How do you measure your size for swim trunks?

The quickest way is with a pair of swim trunks that fits you well, from any brand: lay them flat, measure the waistband from fold to fold and double it. Put that number, in centimeters, on the tape or next to the band in the size chart.

No trunks to hand? Put a tape measure around your waist, at the height where the waistband will sit. Then check whether a size chart gives you your body measurement or the measurement of the shorts themselves; for a Tampa 30 the difference is almost 5 cm (waist 76.2, band 81). A fixed band has to reach your waist; with an elastic band your waist has to fall between relaxed and stretched.

What is the swim trunks size chart in inches, centimeters and S to XXL?

A Tampa 30 goes with an S, 31 and 32 with an M, 33 and 34 with an L, 36 with an XL and 38 or 40 with an XXL. That is how the size adviser on our product pages works it out. We tested that split on customers who kept both a Tampa and a Venice or Miami: for 51 of 53 it was at most one size off.

Your height says little. The model on our product photos is also 182 cm and wears a Tampa 32 and a Venice M; our wearer of 80 kg takes a Tampa 33 and a Venice L. You can find every color per model at the Tampa swim shorts, the Venice swim shorts and the Miami swim shorts. How short they sit is covered in our guide to short swim shorts for men.

Tampa or Venice: which fit suits you?

Look at the tape once more: the Tampa is a dot, the Venice and Miami are a bar. If you want a short that looks like chino shorts and fits exactly, choose the Tampa by inch: tailored, with a zip, buckles with the Sanwin logo and an inner brief of fine mesh. If you want some give in the band, choose the Venice or Miami by letter: an elastic band with a luxe drawcord and an inner brief with elastic leg openings. What the fabric does after a swim is covered in quick-dry swim trunks.

Choose your color and size in the Tampa

Swim trunks sizing questions: length, shrinking, exchanges and delivery