Getting sizes right is the difference between a leavers hoodie everyone wears all summer and a pile of swaps nobody can untangle in the last week of term. CentralCustom prints and embroiders custom leavers hoodies for primary schools, secondary schools, sixth forms, colleges and university year groups right across the UK, and we help whoever is organising it collect sizes properly before a single hoodie goes to print.
This guide explains how leavers hoodie sizing actually works, how to measure, and how to run a size collection for a whole year group.
Why Choose CentralCustom for Your Leavers Hoodies
Sizing is where most leavers hoodie orders go wrong, so it is where we put the effort in.
- The size chart for the exact garment you have chosen. Hoodie sizing is not standardised between brands, and an adult medium in one make can be a full inch different to another.
- Youth and adult sizes on one order. Year 6 and Year 11 groups almost always span both, and mixed size runs do not complicate the price.
- Ask us about a size set. Where the garment allows, we can arrange sample sizes for students to try on before you confirm the order. One lunchtime, almost no guesswork.
- Ask about individual bagging. Hoodies bagged and labelled per student turn distribution into a ten-minute job.
- One contact, UK production. The same person from artwork to delivery, made to your term dates.
Leavers Hoodie Sizes Explained
Youth sizes
Youth hoodies are usually sold by age band, typically 5-6, 7-8, 9-11 and 12-13 years, with a to-fit chest measurement in inches alongside each. Age bands are a starting point only: a Year 6 cohort can easily span three sizes, and plenty of pupils are already comfortably into adult small.
Adult sizes
Adult hoodies normally run XS to 2XL or 3XL, occasionally further, sized by chest in inches. As a rough guide, sizes step up by around two inches at the smaller end and slightly more at the top of the range. Always confirm against the chart for the garment you have picked.
To-fit chest versus garment chest
This trips people up constantly. Most charts quote a to-fit chest, which is the body measurement the size is designed for, with the ease already built in. A garment chest is the hoodie itself laid flat and doubled, and it always reads larger. Compare like with like before deciding anyone needs to size up.
How to Measure for a Leavers Hoodie
Two reliable methods, no tailoring skills required.
- Measure the person. Run a tape measure around the fullest part of the chest, under the arms, over a t-shirt. Keep the tape level and snug but not tight, then compare that number to the to-fit chest column.
- Measure a hoodie they already like. Lay it flat, measure straight across from armpit to armpit, then double it. That gives you the garment chest of something you already know fits.
If someone falls between two sizes, size up. Leavers hoodies get worn over school uniform, and cotton-rich fabrics can tighten slightly after repeated hot washes. Nobody has ever complained that their leavers hoodie was too roomy.
Who This Guide Is For
- Year 6 primary leavers, mostly youth sizes with a handful needing adult small.
- Year 11 and Year 13 leavers, almost entirely adult sizing across a genuinely wide spread.
- University societies, courses and sports teams, adult sizing plus staff and coaches.
- Teachers and support staff, the group most easily forgotten until it is too late to add them.
Leavers Hoodie Sizing FAQs
What size should a Year 6 pupil order?
Most fall in the 9-11 or 12-13 youth bands, but the spread is wide. Measure rather than assume, and expect a few pupils to need adult XS or S.
Should we order a size up so it lasts?
One size up is sensible if it is borderline. Two rarely works: the shoulder seams drop, the back print sits too low, and it stops looking like a leavers hoodie.
Can we mix youth and adult sizes in one order?
Yes. Mixed size runs are completely normal on leavers orders.
Do hoodies shrink in the wash?
Cotton-rich fabrics can shrink slightly on a hot wash. Wash at 30C, inside out, and both the fit and the print last considerably longer.
What if someone orders the wrong size?
Personalised hoodies cannot be restocked, so sizes are locked once the order goes into production. That is why we push so hard on confirming sizes early.
Get Your Leavers Hoodies Sorted
Send us your year group size, your design idea and your end-of-term date, and we will come back with a quote, the size chart for your chosen garment, and a realistic production schedule.
Browse the leavers hoodie range, read up on printed leavers hoodies, or check when to place your order so nothing arrives after the last day of term.
