By the Dropship Stair team. Last reviewed: November 2026.
Key takeaways
- How to add a size chart to Shopify comes down to three parts: a size chart page, a metafield that links it to products, and a popup beside the size selector.
- Place the size guide link next to or directly under the size selector, and open it as a popup so the buyer never leaves the product page.
- Use a real table, not only an image, so the chart is searchable, readable by screen readers, and easy to read on a phone.
- Start with one storewide chart, then move to per-product charts when your products genuinely need different tables.
How to add a size chart to Shopify: build a size chart page, link it to each product with a metafield, and show it in a popup beside the size selector. The setup takes under an hour, needs no code, and works in most themes.
Why does a size chart belong beside the size selector?
Buyers decide on size at one moment: when they reach the size selector on the product page. A chart buried in the footer or in a tab further down does nothing about that hesitation, and the buyer either guesses, orders two sizes and returns one, or leaves. That is why placement matters more than the chart itself, and why this guide puts the chart one tap from the decision.
A good size chart answers two questions. The first is what size the garment is, which the table handles. The second is how it will fit the buyer, which needs fit notes, model measurements, and a short how-to-measure guide. Most stores only answer the first, and their return rate shows it. This guide covers both, in seven steps you can finish in under an hour.
Step 1: What should your size chart include?
Before you build anything, gather the measurements for each product type. A clothing chart needs body measurements for chest, waist, and hips, plus the garment length. A shoe chart needs foot length and the matching shoe size, plus a conversion for international sizing if you sell abroad. Note whether your table shows body or garment measurements, because mixing the two is the most common size chart mistake.
Add fit notes for each product: runs small, true to size, relaxed, or cropped. Put those notes on the product page itself, not only in the chart, because the buyer reads the product page first. If you sell internationally, show both inches and centimeters, and note fabric stretch or shrinkage where it changes the fit. Our guide to best Shopify fashion stores shows how strong apparel stores present fit information.
Step 2: How do you build the size chart page?
Start in your Shopify admin. Go to Online Store, then Pages, and click Add page. Title it Size Chart, or name each chart by product type if you need several, such as Tops Size Chart and Pants Size Chart. Add your table in the content box, or upload an image of the table if you prefer, though a real table is better: it is searchable, readable by screen readers, and it resizes on a phone. Save the page.
If every product shares one chart, this single page is all the content you need. If different products need different charts, build one page per product type now, because the next step links each product to its own page.
Step 3: How do you create a metafield for per-product charts?
A metafield turns one setup into many charts. In your Shopify admin, open Settings, then Custom data, then Products, and click Add definition. Name it Size Chart and choose the Page reference type, then save the definition. This creates a field on every product that can point to one of your size chart pages.
Metaobjects work too if you want to store the measurements as structured rows. For most stores, a Page reference metafield is the right call: simple to set up and easy to edit.
Step 4: How do you show the chart on the product page?
Go to Online Store, then Themes, then Customize, and open the product template. Add a block such as a popup or a collapsible row, and connect its content to the Size Chart metafield using the dynamic source option. Move the block directly under the size selector, then check it on a phone. When a product has no metafield value, the block should not show, so test one product with a chart and one without.
Some themes already ship a size guide block on the product page. Check the product page section in the theme editor for a block named something like Size Guide or Size Chart before you build your own. If it exists, connect it to your page or metafield and place it near the variant picker. Either way, the result should be the same: a chart that opens in a popup in one tap, with no page reload.
Step 5: How do you assign the right chart to each product?
Open a product, find the Metafields section, and choose the size chart page for that product. Save, and repeat for the rest of the range. For many products, use bulk editing in the product list to set the metafield in one pass instead of opening each product by hand.
Women tops point to one page, men trousers to another, shoes to a third. Keep a simple list of which product type uses which chart, so a new product gets the right chart on its first day. A chart assigned to the wrong product is worse than no chart, because it gives the buyer a confident wrong answer.
Step 6: How do you make the chart work on mobile?
Most buyers shop on a phone, so test the chart there first. Make the size guide link a full-width tap target, and make the popup scrollable, so a buyer can read the whole table without pinching and zooming. Wide tables that force sideways scrolling get ignored, so keep columns few and labels short: size, chest, waist, hips, length.
Check the chart on a small screen with real thumbs, not only in the theme editor preview. If the table still feels cramped, split it by product type, or show the key sizes first. A chart that is easy to read on a phone is a chart that gets used, and a chart that gets used is one that cuts wrong-size orders.
Step 7: When should you use a size chart app?
Apps make sense when you have a large catalog, charts that must change by variant, or you want fit recommendations and a find-my-size flow instead of a static table. SmartSize is one app that generates size charts and runs interactive find-my-size quizzes, and MP Size Chart and Size Guide by Shopplaza is another option on the Shopify App Store. Compare apps on price, mobile behavior, and speed impact before you commit.
The tradeoffs are real: a monthly fee, one more script on the product page, and a vendor to depend on. A simple rule is to start with the page and metafield method, and move to an app only when manual upkeep is clearly costing you more than the subscription. Do not add an app to fix a chart that is badly placed, because no app fixes a link the buyer never finds.
Which method should you pick?
The right method depends on your catalog. Under about 30 products with similar fit, one static page in a popup near the size selector is enough. Several product types or many charts call for a metafield pointing to a page per type. Variant-specific charts, many products, or fit quizzes call for an app, after checking its speed impact. At any size, add model size and fit notes to every product page, because a table alone never tells a buyer how a garment fits them.
| Method | Best for | Cost and effort |
|---|---|---|
| Theme size guide block | Stores whose theme already ships one | Free, fastest setup, no code |
| Page plus metafield | Most stores, several product types | Free, under an hour, no code |
| Chart in product description | One or two products only | Free, quick, hard to keep updated |
| Size chart app | Large catalogs, variant charts, fit quizzes | Monthly fee, extra script, most flexible |
Start with the method that matches your catalog, not the method with the most features. A simple chart beside the size selector will outsell a fancy quiz that lives in the footer.
How do you know the chart is working?
Tag returns by reason and track the share marked as wrong size or poor fit. That is your baseline. After launch, compare the add-to-cart rate and the returns on products with the chart against products without it, and change one thing at a time. Read support emails and chat too: repeated size questions mean the chart is missing something, such as a fit note or a measurement.
We do not have a universal number for how much a size chart reduces returns, and you should be wary of anyone who quotes one. Your own return reasons are the only data that count. If wrong-size returns fall after launch, the chart is working. If not, move the link or add the fit note buyers keep asking for. For the words that carry the fit story, see product page copywriting for Shopify.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add a size chart to Shopify without an app?
Create a page with your size table, add a Page reference metafield definition for products, assign the page to each product, then add a popup or collapsible block in the theme editor and connect it to that metafield. Some themes include a size guide block, so check your theme first.
Where should a size chart go on a Shopify product page?
Put the size guide link next to or under the size selector, and open it as a popup or drawer so the buyer stays on the page. On mobile, make the link easy to tap and the chart scrollable. A chart buried in the footer does nothing for the buyer.
Can I show a different size chart for each product?
Yes, you can show a different size chart for each product with a product metafield that references a page. Create one chart page per product type, assign the right page to each product, and connect your theme popup block to the metafield. Apps can also vary the chart by variant.
Do I need a size chart app?
Not to start. A page plus a metafield covers most stores, and it costs nothing extra. Consider an app when you have a large catalog, need variant-specific charts, or want a find-my-size quiz, and check its impact on page speed before you commit to it.
What measurements should a Shopify size chart include?
Include body measurements for chest, waist, and hips, plus the garment length, and state whether the table shows body or garment measurements. Add both inches and centimeters if you sell internationally, plus fit notes such as runs small or true to size.
How to add a size chart to Shopify is a small job with a big payoff: a chart beside the size selector, opened in one tap, with fit notes that tell the buyer how the garment fits. Build the page, link it with a metafield, test it on a phone, and watch your wrong-size returns. Dropship Stair designs Shopify stores where fit information sits exactly where the buyer decides. For more product page help, read how to create a Shopify collection, and for keeping buyers coming back, see email marketing for Shopify stores.
Sources: eComX guide on how to add a size chart in Shopify, checked November 2026; Avada guide on size chart pages, checked November 2026; the Dropship Stair guides linked in this article.