Bought Your Bra Abroad? Convert It Here
The short answer: do not convert the label; convert the body. Measure your underbust and bust in inches, and the SHAPE chart gives you the letter: 34B is L, 36B is XL, 36D is 2XL. A size from a foreign brand tells us which chart they used, not what you need, and the charts disagree with each other.
In our survey of 651 women, 35 percent had bought bras abroad: India first, then Thailand, then the United States. Many wrote in with a size they had trusted for years, and found it was one thing in Bangkok and another in Kolkata. Here is why, and what to do.
Why the charts disagree
- Band rules differ. Some brands add four inches to an even underbust and three to an odd one; some add none and use the raw number; some use centimetres and round. The same ribcage can be a 32 or a 36 depending on the rule.
- Cup letters differ. A UK DD is a US DD is a European E; above D, the letters diverge fast. One brand's F is another brand's DDD.
- Bodies differ. A chart built on one population assumes its proportions. Bengali women often have a leaner torso and a fuller bust than the bodies those charts were drawn on, which is why an imported 34C can hold you at the band and spill at the cup (local or imported).
The conversion that works
- Measure. Underbust snug, bust relaxed, inches (how to measure at home).
- Find the code. Underbust odd, add 3; even, add 4: that is your band. Bust minus band: each inch is one cup. This is our founder's method, from thousands of fittings here (the SHAPE size chart).
- Find the letter. The chart maps the code to M through 6XL. Between two letters on a seamless style, go up one (between two sizes, go up one).
Find your SHAPE size in 30 seconds.
Two measurements in inches, and the Bust Size Calculator gives you your band, cup and SHAPE letter, M to 5XL. It is a guide, not a verdict: between two sizes on a seamless style, go up one, and our fit team will confirm it free on WhatsApp.
Rough equivalents, if you only have the label
| Label you were sold abroad | Likely SHAPE letter | But check |
|---|---|---|
| 32A, 32B, 32C, 34A | M | 32D is L |
| 34B, 34C, 36A | L | 34D is XL |
| 36B, 36C, 38A, 34D, 34DD | XL | 36D is 2XL |
| 38B, 38C, 40A, 36D, 36DD | 2XL | 38D is 3XL |
| 40B, 40C, 42A, 38D, 38DD | 3XL | 40D is 4XL |
"Likely" is doing real work in that table. If the foreign bra fit badly, its label is wrong too, and converting a wrong size gives a wrong letter. Two measurements settle it in one message (free size help on Messenger).
Questions women ask us
My M&S bra is a 36DD. What is that at SHAPE?
Probably XL, possibly 2XL if the cup was already tight. Send both measurements and we will confirm.
Indian brands use the same inches. Same size?
Same units, often a different band rule and always a different cut. Treat it as a starting guess (where to buy bras in Dhaka).
Why letters and not band-cup?
Because our seamless styles stretch to the body within a letter, so one letter covers several band-cup codes. Our wired and moulded styles still use band and cup.
Can I bring the foreign bra to a fitting?
Yes, please do. Seeing what fit and what did not is the fastest fitting we do, free and private (what happens in a fitting).
Free, private fittings. Every SHAPE fitting is free and private, in our stores or on WhatsApp, and you never have to buy. WhatsApp +880 1322 881062 · Find a store
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