Abstract Background Calf circumference (CC), the greatest girth of the lower leg, is a simple tool for assessing sarcopenia. Its significance in patients with resectable non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unknown. Methods A total of 684 NSCLC patients who underwent surgery were included in the present study. The relationship between parameters of sarcopenia [i.e. the CC and skeletal mass index (SMI)] and the short‐term and long‐term outcomes was retrospectively analysed. Results The median CC (34.5 cm for men and 32.0 cm for women) was selected as the cut‐off value of the CC for the analysis in this study, and the patients were classified into the smaller CC (SC) and normal CC (NC) groups. The mean age of the SC group was significantly older than that of the NC group (70.8 vs. 65.8 years, P