Points of measure, a practical guide

What a point of measure is

Each POM has a code, a name and a how-to-measure line. "Chest width, 1 inch below armhole, measured flat, edge to edge" is a POM. "Chest" on its own is not: two technicians will measure it in two places.

The value for each size, and the tolerance either side of it, sit on the spec sheet for a style. The POM itself, the name and the instruction, should come from a shared library so the same measurement means the same thing on every style.

Common points of measure

Most teams start from a short list per category and add only what the style needs. A typical starting set:

• Tops: body length from high point shoulder, chest width below armhole, sweep or bottom opening, shoulder width, sleeve length, sleeve opening, armhole, neck width, front neck drop.
• Bottoms: waist relaxed and extended, low hip at a set distance from the waist, front rise, back rise, inseam, thigh, knee, leg opening.
• Dresses: the tops list plus waist position and full length from high point shoulder.
• Knits: add a note on whether the garment is measured relaxed or stretched, and how.

Write instructions a factory can follow

Measure flat, on a table, garment buttoned or zipped, with no stretching unless the POM says so. Name the start and end points by something the technician can see: a seam, the high point shoulder, a set distance below the armhole.

Use one unit per spec sheet and say which. Add a sketch with each POM marked by its code; a picture settles most arguments before they start.

Tolerances and grading

A tolerance is how far a measurement can be off and still pass. Your own manual, or your buyer's, sets them. A common pattern is a wider tolerance on large body measurements (length, chest, sweep) and a tighter one on small ones (neck drop, cuff, collar).

Grading is how each POM changes from size to size. Write the grade per point of measure, not only the base size, so the factory does not have to guess how the sleeve grows from a small to an extra large.

Keep a POM library, and presets per category

The fastest way to consistent specs is to stop writing points of measure from scratch. Keep one library of them, each with its code and instruction. Build presets from it: a knit top, a woven bottom, a dress, per brand if your brands fit differently.

A new style starts from its preset, and the designer edits values, not names. When the instruction for a POM changes, it changes once, in the library.

Use the same codes in fit comments

When a fit sample comes back, record comments against POM codes, not in a paragraph. "Chest width minus 1/2 inch, all sizes" is something a factory can act on; "feels tight" is not.