Bra Sizes

Bra Sizes (Measuring)

The system used in North America and the U.K. is not standardised, and there are large variations between manufacturers. Europe has a number of systems, with the EU system (based on the French system) becoming the standard.

Bra Band Size

Methods of calculating this vary a little, but the most common (for U.K. and North America) is the following: Measure around the torso just below the bust (in inches). If the measurement is an odd number, then add five inches to obtain the bra band size. If the measurement is an even number, then add four inches. For example, if the under-bust measurement was either 45 or 46 inches, then your bra size would be 50 inches.

For European bra band sizing, measure under the bust (unterbrustweite/dessous de poitrine) in centimetres. For many countries outside France (including Russia, Sweden, Switzerland and Germany) this measurement gives the bra size. For France and standard EU sizing, add 15cm to this measurement (dessous de poitrine + 15cm) to obtain the bra size.

Cup Size

Measure your bust around its fullest part. Subtract your bra band size from your bust measurement and then find the cup size from a bra size table, such as the one shown below. This is where manufacturers vary considerably, more so at larger cup sizes.

Bra Size Charts:

The table below shows the cup sizing for some plus-size bra makers:

Bust minus band size

Aviana

Berdita

Elila

Fancee Free

Fantasie

Freya

Glamorise

Goddess (Classic)

Goddess (NEW)

Leading Lady

Le Mystere

Lepel

Miss Mary of Sweden

Panache

Prima Donna

Rigby and Peller

Royce

Simply Me

Tatiana

Triumph

Ulla

Venus by Cortland

1"/2.5cm

A

A

A

A

A

A

B

A

A

2"/5cm

B

B

B

B

B

B

B

B

B

B

B

B

B

B

B

C

B

B

B

B

3"/7.5cm

C

C

C

C

C

C

C

C

C

C

C

C

C

C

C

C

D

C

C

C

C

C

4"/10cm

D

D

D

D

D

D

D

D

D

D

D

D

D

D

D

D

DD

D

D

D

D

D

5"/12.5cm

DD/E

DD

DD/E

DD/E

DD

DD

E

DD

DD

E

E

DD

DD

DD

DD

DD

E

DD

DD/E

DD

E

DD

6"/15cm

F

E

F

DDD/F

E

E

F

DDD

DDD

F

F

E

E

E

F

E/DDD

F

E

DDD/F

E

F

DDD

7"/18cm

G

F

G

G

F

F

G

F

G

G

G

F

F

F

G

F

G

F

F

G

DDDD

8"/20.5cm

H

FF

H

H

FF

FF

H

FF

H

H

H

FF

G

FF

H

FF

H

FF

G

H

9"/23cm

I

G

I

I

G

G

I

G

I

I

G

H

G

G

J

G

H

I

10"/25.5cm

J

GG

J

J

GG

GG

J

H

J

J

GG

GG

K

GG

J

11"/28cm

K

K

K

H

H

I

H

H

L

H

12"/30.5cm

L

L

HH

HH

J

HH

HH

HH

13"/33cm

J

J

J

J

14"/35.5cm

JJ

JJ

JJ

JJ

---

Bra Conversion Table

Here is a conversion table for bra band sizes between USA/UK sizes, Australian sizes, and European metric sizes (cm):

USA/UK	Australian	Standard EU/French (cm)	European (Russia/Suisse/Deutschland/Sverige) (cm)
32	10	85	70
34	12	90	75
36	14	95	80
38	16	100	85
40	18	105	90
42	20	110	95
44	22	115	100
46	24	120	105
48	26	125	110
50	28	130	115
52	30	135	120
54	32	140	125
56	34	145	130
58	36	150	135
60	38	155	140

Written by Sagar Basak, personal technology columnist and founder of Most Useful Tricks. You can follow him on the social web or sign up for the email newsletter for your daily dose of how-to guides and video tutorials.

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