Kart suits are sold three different ways on the same page. Some are on the numeric ladder, the same one that brand uses for its car suits. Some are on letters. The junior suits are sized on the child’s height in centimetres. Work out which one you are looking at first and the rest is straightforward.
Measure these three
AChestAround the fullest part, under the armpits, tape horizontal.
BWaistAround your natural waist, level with the navel.
CHeightAgainst a wall, no shoes. This is what sizes a junior suit.
Measure over the kart underwear you will actually wear. A long sleeve top and long johns take up more room than a t-shirt, and a kart suit is cut closer than a car suit to start with.
Numeric sizes
These are the same ladders each brand uses for its car suits, so if you already own a race suit in one of these brands you know your number.
SparcoSuperleggera-K and Prime-K Advanced, 44 to 62.▼
OMPKS-2X and KS-3X, 42 to 62. The widest kart range we carry.▼
AlpinestarsKMX-5 V3 and KMX-9 V3, 40 to 60. Cut for a taller driver than Sparco at the same chest.▼
From size 46 upwards Alpinestars add roughly a centimetre of height per size step over Sparco on almost identical chest measurements. If you are short and broad, or tall and slim, that is worth knowing before you order.
Letter sizes
Where a suit is sold in letters, each letter covers two numeric sizes. This is Sparco’s own grouping and OMP and Alpinestars follow the same pattern.
The Sparco Kerb Advanced Lady runs XXS to L and is cut on the women’s block, not this one. Send us your bust, waist and height for that and we will size it properly rather than convert from a men’s chart.
Junior suits
The OMP Summer-K Junior is sized 120, 130, 140 and 150, and those numbers are the child’s height in centimetres, not their age. Ages are a rough guide only. Measure them.
Body measurements from Sparco’s published youth chart, which uses the same 120 to 150 ladder. Use them as a cross-check on the height.
Do not buy a junior suit to grow intoA suit that is too long in the arm bunches at the wrist and catches on the wheel, and one that is loose across the shoulders drags every time they turn in. Size it to the measurement now. If they are right on a boundary, take the larger and turn the cuffs once.
Standards, and what they mean for choice
FIA 8877-2022 is the current kart clothing standard and Grade 1 is the higher of its two levels. It replaced the old CIK-FIA Level 2, which you will still see on older stock. Suits marked Non-CIK or Non-FIA are the rain suits, over-suits and indoor karting suits, which are not competition wear. All three appear in this category, so check the approval on the product before you buy if you are running in a championship.
What else changes the fit
Rain gear goes over the top
The OMP Rain-K and Sparco T-1 Evo wetsuit are over-suits, worn on top of everything else. Size those to go over your kart suit rather than to your own measurements, which usually means one size up.
Kart suits sit closer than car suits
There is no seat holding you in place, so a kart suit is cut to move with you rather than to sit over a harness. If you are used to a race suit it will feel tighter across the shoulders at the same nominal size, and that is correct.
Between two sizes, or buying for a child?Send chest, waist and height and tell us which suit you are looking at. Junior sizing in particular is worth a two minute conversation. Call 0115 989 3488 or email Sales@GSMPerformance.co.uk.
Numeric ladders are the manufacturers’ own published charts, the same ones used in our racing suit size guide. Sparco from sparco-official.com, OMP from their product size chart, Alpinestars from their size guide. Youth measurements from Sparco’s published youth chart. All checked 2 August 2026.