HOW TO MEASURE BRA SIZE

Did you know that most women are wearing the wrong bra size and don’t even realize it? The most common mistake women make when judging bra size is choosing too big a band and too small a cup. In addition, most women are unaware of the many different types of bras on the market today and how that can impact the way a bra fits them.

There’s every chance that you can find a bra to fit your body perfectly no matter what you wear. Use our Bra Size Calculator below to find a great starting point. Then, use Sister Bra Sizes to fine-tune your bra size until you find the fit that best matches your unique shape and personal preference.

HerRoom Bra Size Calculator

You will need:

A non-padded bra
A tape measure

Calculate Your Bra Size In 3 Easy Steps

Step 1. Measure for Band Size

A. Measure your underbust using a tape measure, making sure the tape is parallel with the ground. It should not be loose or binding. Exhale to get the smallest measurement possible.
B. Find your number (inches or centimeters) and enter it in the box below. Be sure to round all fractional measurements to the nearest whole number.

My band
measurement is:

inches or centimeters

Step 2. Measure for Cup Size

A. While wearing a non-padded bra, stand straight with your arms at your sides and measure the fullest part of your bust. Make sure the measuring tape is parallel with the ground and not loose or binding.
B. Find your number (inches or centimeters) and enter it in the box below. Again, round all fractional measurements to the nearest whole number.

My cup
measurement is:

inches or centimeters

Note: Although it's quite easy to find a bra size with these two steps, any bra sizing system using a tape measure will not always give a totally accurate bra size. Several factors can influence your measurements, including:

the bra you're wearing
the firmness of your breasts
the broadness of your back
the narrowness of your shoulders

We suggest watching our 'Bra Sizing Video' for tips on accurate measuring.

Video: How to Fit a Bra

A video tutorial on how to measure for the proper bra fit.

Transcript:

Knowing your right bra size can be life changing.

The tape measuring system is just one of many ways to calculate your best fit.

This method isn't always completely accurate but it will give you a great starting point.

Keep in mind if your bust is larger this measuring system will give you the right band size but not the right cup size.

Lets get started, first grab your measuring tape and put on your newest, best fitting bra that has an underwire, is not padded or a minimizer bra.

If your breasts look like they are sagging, tighten the straps until your center breast is halfway between your shoulder and elbow.

Finding your band size.

You can do this part yourself in front of a mirror or grab a friend to help.

Wrap the measuring tape directly under your bust, making sure its parallel to the floor.

This is critical because if the tape measure isnt straight you will get an incorrect measurement.

Let out all the air from your lungs, making sure you get the smallest measurement possible.

Our model measures 29 and a 1/4. If your band measurement isnt an exact number, round to the nearest inch.

Using this number go to our band size chart and find your measurement and your estimated band size.

If your measurement is 39 inches or more round to the nearest even number to find your band size.

Adding inches to your band measurement came about just after World War II when the ideal hour glass figure measured 36, 24, 36.

Women wanted to think their measurements were close to this ideal.

However a 36 inch bust measurement doesn't translate to a 36 inch underbust measurement.

So bra makers added several inches to make a womans bra size sound more desirable.

But with todays stretch fabric technology few more inches need to be added to your underbust measurement in order to find your band size.

Finding your cup size.

Standing straight with your arms at your sides and breathing normally, wrap the tape measure around your body at the fullest part of your bust.

The tape measure should just touch you and not feel binding.

Again the tape measure should be parallel to the floor.

Our model measures 35.

If your bust measurement isnt an exact number round to the nearest inch.

So now you have two measurements, our models band size is 32 and her bust measurement is 35.

We subtract our band size from our bust measurement to get a difference of 3.

A three on our chart translates to a C cup.

So according to the tape measuring system our models bra size is a 32C.

Now lets show you examples where the result is incorrect.

We know our next model is a 34D4. After exhaling, her underbust measurement is a 32 and a 1/2.

Referring to our chart, her band size is a 34.

There's an alternate measuring method to find your band size. measure above your bust, under your arms and around your back.

This measurement doesn't need any additional numbers added but presents problems.

Where exactly should the tape measure land?

On our model this measurement is 35 and a 1/2 but you can see that the tape is not parallel to the floor.

We get 38 and a 1/4 when we put the tape measure lower.

For these reasons we dont recommend this method to find your band size.

Moving to cup sizing our model is wearing a 34D4, so her measurement should be a 41 but its a 39, which is incorrect.

We measured our model again in a less supportive bra, this time she measured 37 and a 1/4.

As you can see, results can vary based on the type and fit of the bra you wear. The tape measuring system isnt always perfect.

If your not happy with the results, check how your bra fits using some basic techniques at HerRoom.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and select bra fitting, from there click on our perfect bra fit checklist.

Here you'll see a long list of bra fit problems, the reason for these and suggestions to give you the correct size.