Developing accurate industrial standards to facilitate production in apparel manufacturing based on anthropometric data

Clothing and apparel are high value-added products, and body measurement standards are crucial industrial standards in apparel manufacturing. These standards enable manufacturers to predict sales of different sizes and set production quantities accordingly, resulting in accurate material control and production planning. Many standards use a range of approximate girth differences based on anthropometric data to determine figure types, but these figure types cannot be accurately classified. Moreover, little research has been done to apply the girth ratio approach to identify figure types. This study proposes an accurate girth ratio approach to identify figure types for middle-aged women; the approach can then be used to develop industrial standards. By applying these findings, figure types can be precisely classified. New body measurement standards can then be developed. These industrial standards can help manufacturers improve the fit of mass-produced apparel, and their application in manufacturing can reduce production costs and increase market competitiveness. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.