Sizing is the question behind most of the support messages we receive. Not complaints about the product, just buyers who weren’t sure what to expect from the cut and want to know before they order. That’s a reasonable thing to want answered clearly, so this page does exactly that.
The short version: ZB merch runs larger than most people expect, especially the hoodies. The longer version involves understanding why the cut is what it is, how to measure yourself correctly, and what to do when you’re between sizes. For a broader overview of the full merch range, including what’s available and where to buy, our complete Zach Bryan tour merch guide covers all of it. This page is just about sizing, and it goes as deep as that topic needs.
Most sizing confusion comes from buyers applying the logic of a standard fitted garment to a cut that was never designed to be fitted. The hoodies and tees in the ZB catalog use a relaxed, boxy silhouette with a dropped shoulder. That’s a deliberate aesthetic choice, not a manufacturing inconsistency.
A dropped shoulder means the shoulder seam sits lower on the arm than it would on a traditional cut, usually by an inch or two. Combined with a wider chest and a straighter body through the torso, this creates the oversized look that’s central to the ZB aesthetic. Wearers who understand what they’re buying into tend to love it. Wearers who expected something close to a standard tee fit sometimes don’t.
The tees follow the same logic but to a slightly lesser degree. They’re boxy and have that dropped shoulder, but the difference from true-to-size is smaller than it is on the hoodies. Somewhere between slightly large and one full size large, depending on how you normally wear tees.
One thing that only becomes obvious once you’ve handled multiple runs of these garments: the blank manufacturer affects the fit more than the size label does. Comfort Colors blanks, which are used across several ZB tee styles, run slightly roomier through the chest and have a softer hand than Gildan Heavyweight blanks. Both are good quality, but a large in one isn’t identical to a large in the other. If you’re ordering a style you haven’t bought before, the measurement chart is more reliable than your previous ZB order.
Before you look at any size chart, you need two measurements: your chest width and your body length preference. Everything else is secondary.
Chest width: Measure straight across your chest at the fullest point, with your arms relaxed at your sides. For a flat garment measurement (what size charts usually show), this number gets halved. So if your chest circumference is 40 inches, you’re looking for a garment with a flat chest measurement of around 20 inches.
Body length: Stand straight and measure from the top of your shoulder, at the highest point, straight down to where you want the hem to fall. Most people want a tee hem to sit somewhere between the hip bone and mid-thigh. For hoodies, most buyers want slightly longer, usually to the hip or just below.
Sleeve length matters more for hoodies than tees. Measure from the center back of your neck, across your shoulder, and down to your wrist with a slight bend in the elbow. This is your full sleeve length. The hoodie’s sleeve measurement on a size chart is typically taken from the shoulder seam to the cuff, so add approximately 3 to 4 inches to account for the distance from center back neck to the shoulder seam.
Once you have these numbers, compare them directly to the garment measurements on the product page, not to the generic size label. That comparison is what actually tells you which size to order.
The ZB hoodies consistently generate the most sizing questions, so they get the most space here.
Most buyers who want the intended oversized look should order their normal size. If you usually wear a medium in a standard hoodie, a medium here gives you the boxy, slightly oversized fit the garment was designed for. The shoulder seam will sit lower than you’re used to, the chest will be wider, and the body will be straighter through the torso. That’s correct.
Buyers who want a more fitted look, where the hoodie still has some shape through the body, should size down one. A medium-sized person ordering a small will get something closer to a standard relaxed fit, not a slim fit, but less exaggerated than the intended oversized silhouette.
Here’s a practical reference for the heavyweight hoodies, based on flat garment measurements:
These are approximate ranges because, as noted earlier, slight variation exists between blank batches. But they’re accurate enough to make a confident sizing decision if you’ve measured yourself correctly.
Explore the current hoodie selection at zachbryanmerchs.com/hoodies and cross-reference these measurements against the product-specific chart before adding to cart.
The graphic tees are more forgiving than the hoodies, but they still reward attention to the measurement chart over blind label-matching.
Most buyers find the tees run about half a size to one full size large. If you’re between sizes in standard tees and usually go with the smaller one, you’ll likely want to do the same here. The boxy cut means a medium in a ZB tee has similar chest width to a large in a slim-fit brand, but the length is usually shorter than a comparable slim-fit garment because the dropped shoulder changes where the hem lands relative to your waist.
Approximate flat measurements for the graphic tees:
One practical note for buyers who are petite or on the shorter side: the body length on these tees is generous. A medium on someone 5’4″ or under will likely sit at mid-thigh or lower, which can read more like a dress than a tee depending on what you’re pairing it with. If you’re shorter and want the hem to sit at your hip, sizing down is worth considering purely for length even if the chest fits fine.
If you’re thinking about how a particular fit will work in an outfit, our styling guide for ZB merch breaks down what works for different body types and occasions.
Buying ZB merch as a gift without knowing the recipient’s exact size is one of the more common situations we hear about, and it’s genuinely tricky given the boxy cut.
The safest default is to go one size up from whatever you think they normally wear. Because the cut is already relaxed, a slightly larger size reads as intentional rather than a mistake. A hoodie that’s one size too big in a standard brand looks sloppy. A hoodie that’s one size up in the ZB aesthetic looks like it was styled that way.
For tees, the same logic applies but with less margin. One size up works. Two sizes up starts to look like you just guessed.
Hats are the most forgiving gifting option in the catalog. Trucker caps use a snapback adjuster and fit most adults without any sizing decision required. Unstructured dad hats use a fabric strap and comfortably fit head circumferences between about 54 and 60 cm, which covers the large majority of adult sizes. If you’re unsure about clothing size, a hat sidesteps the problem entirely.
For anyone thinking through which pieces make the most sense as a gift, our ranked guide to the best Zach Bryan merch includes notes on wearability and which items have the broadest appeal.
Sizing guides work on averages, and averages don’t cover every body. If you have a proportionally wider chest relative to your height, or a longer torso than the average for your size, the flat measurements will get you close but may not be perfect. The chart tells you what the garment measures, not what it’ll look like on your specific body.
Sizing can also shift slightly between production runs of the same style. The ZB catalog uses different blank batches over time, and while the size labels stay consistent, the physical measurements can vary by half an inch or so from one print run to the next. This isn’t common, but it happens, and it’s why experienced buyers always check the garment-specific chart for each new order rather than assuming last time’s size still applies.
Zach Bryan Merch T-Shirt That Burns in the Right Color Red was always the right choice for the Burn Burn Burn version of this collab. Kerouac wrote about the ones who burn burn burn like fabulous yellow roman candles, and Zach Bryan turned that same fire into an anthem. Putting both of those things on…
Exchanges are available if something doesn’t fit, but the process takes time. Getting the size right before ordering is always faster. That’s the whole point of this page.
For hoodies: order your normal size for the intended oversized fit, or size down one if you want something closer to a standard relaxed fit.
For tees: true to size works for most buyers, but if you’re between sizes or shorter than average, size down one.
For hats: don’t worry about it. They fit.
Measure your chest and body length before you order, compare those numbers to the product page chart, and you’ll get it right the first time. That’s the whole system, and it works.
