A guide to bra cup sizes

The Oprah Winfrey show once touted that 85% of women are wearing the wrong bra size. So, where did all the confusion come from? Women can easily be wearing the wrong bras due to shifting in weight, differences in brand sizing, or lack of proper sizes available. Wearing a size that fits your breasts properly can help with posture, lift, potential back problems, and even breast shape. Find a lingerie store that measures breasts or simply measure yourself.

Measuring tape

Measuring your breasts may be difficult, since for a proper measurement there will be a lot of shifting in your arms. You may choose to ask a friend or family member to help you accurately to measure.

Bra or no bra

It is up to you whether you would like to wear a bra or go all natural for the measurement. Wearing a bra that is already a designated size may take away from the accuracy of the measurement. If you do wear a bra, make sure that it is not a water or push up bra.

Band size measurement

Start with your band size. This is the size that usually has numbers "38B". Make sure that you are using a sewer's measuring tape, which is usually a soft measuring tape that is almost like a fabric in flexibility. Measure the tape from under your armpits around to the area above your breasts. The number that you reach will be your band size.

Cup size measurement

Measure from your back and then around to the largest part of your breasts. If you have a friend helping, have them to do the measuring while your arms lay at your side. The measurement should be loose and should not be pushing up against the breasts, nor should there be any discomfort or pulling. Round up the size to the nearest inch, and then subtract the measurement from the band size. If you were a 34 in bands size and your measurement with breasts is 36, your final size after subtraction will be two, which is a B. Therefore, you should be wearing a 34B bra.

Measurement chart

This is a list of the differences in inches after subtracting the band amount. If you have less than one inch, you are a AA bra cup. 1 inch = A Cup
2 inches = B Cup
3 inches = C Cup
4 inches = D Cup
5 inches = DD Cup
6 inches = F Cup
7 inches = G Cup