How to Measure Your Bra Size
Accurate measurements provide a useful starting point for finding a comfortable bra fit. Follow these simple steps to measure your band and bust at home, then use the Jean Lesley Bra Size Converter when shopping international lingerie sizes.
Use a soft measuring tape and measure in front of a mirror where possible. Wear an unpadded bra that fits comfortably, or measure without a bra. Keep the measuring tape level around your body and avoid pulling it too tightly.
1. Measure Your Underbust
Wrap the measuring tape around your rib cage directly beneath your breasts. Keep the tape level across your back and comfortably snug against your body. Do not hold your breath or pull the tape tightly enough to compress your skin.
Write down the measurement. This measurement provides the starting point for determining your band size.
2. Measure Around the Fullest Part of Your Bust
Place the measuring tape around the fullest part of your breasts, usually across the nipples. Keep the tape horizontal around your body and allow it to rest against your bust without compressing the breast tissue.
Check the mirror to make sure the tape remains level across your back. Record the measurement.
3. Compare Your Band and Bust Measurements
Bra sizing combines a band size with a cup size. The difference between your band and bust measurements helps determine an appropriate starting cup size.
Sizing methods differ between countries and manufacturers, so your calculated size should be treated as a starting point rather than an exact fit across every brand.
4. Check Your Current Bra Fit
Your measurements provide useful guidance, but the way your current bra fits also provides important information. Check the band, cups, center section and straps.
Check the Band
The band should sit level around your body and feel comfortably secure. It should not ride upward across your back. A new bra should generally fit comfortably without relying on the tightest hook setting.
Check the Cups
Your breasts should sit comfortably inside the cups without spilling over the top or sides. The cups should not wrinkle, gape or leave significant empty space.
Check the Center
On many underwire bra styles, the center section between the cups should sit close to the chest. Bra construction and individual body shape affect how closely this section sits.
Check the Straps
Shoulder straps should remain secure without digging into your shoulders. Most of the bra's support should come from the band rather than from over-tightened straps.
5. Use Your Measurements as a Starting Point
Bra sizing is not completely standardized. A size that fits well in one designer may fit differently in another because of differences in cup shape, band elasticity, materials and garment construction.
If you are shopping an unfamiliar brand, review the product's sizing information and consider your preferred fit before choosing a size.
International Bra Sizes
Shopping international lingerie adds another consideration. US, UK, European, French, Australian and Italian sizing systems use different band numbers and cup-size progressions.
Once you have established the bra size you normally wear, use our International Bra Size Converter to compare it with common international size designations.
Signs Your Bra Size May Need Rechecking
- The band regularly rides up your back.
- Your breasts spill over the top or sides of the cups.
- The cups wrinkle or gape.
- The underwire presses uncomfortably into breast tissue.
- You rely on tightly adjusted shoulder straps for support.
- Your bra size has not been checked for a long period.
- Your current bras no longer feel or fit as they once did.
Recheck your measurements when your current bras no longer fit comfortably. Use your measurements, international size conversion and the individual designer's sizing information together when selecting a bra.
Need Help Understanding Bra Sizing?
Read our Bra Size Information guide for more information about cup-size notation and international sizing differences, or convert a size before shopping.
