How to Measure Your Bra Size at Home

The short answer: you need a soft measuring tape and two numbers. Your band is measured snugly around your ribcage, just under your bust. Your bust is measured around the fullest part, with the tape level and relaxed. Write both down in inches. Those two numbers, plus what you want the bra to do, are what a fit advisor uses to find your size.

Most of us were never taught this. If you have been guessing your size for years, you are not alone, and your body is not the problem. Here is how to do it properly at home, in about five minutes.

Before you start

• A soft tape. The kind used for sewing, not a metal one.
• An unpadded bra, or no bra. Padding adds inches to the bust number.
• A mirror. It helps you see that the tape is level at the back.
• Stand relaxed and breathe normally. Don't hold your breath or pull your shoulders back.

Step 1: Measure your band

Wrap the tape around your ribcage, directly under your bust, where a bra band sits. It should be snug but not tight, and level all the way round. Check in the mirror that it hasn't dipped at the back. Write down the number in inches.

Step 2: Measure your bust

Wrap the tape around the fullest part of your bust. Keep it level and relaxed; don't pull it tight. Write down this number too.

Step 3: Turn two numbers into a size

Here is the honest part: a number alone is not a size. Every brand cuts its bras differently, so your size in one brand may not match another. At SHAPE, a fit advisor looks at three things together: your measurements, how a particular style is built, and what you need it to do (all-day comfort, more support, no lines under a kameez).

A worked example: a woman who wears 34C in a band-and-cup brand usually lands at L in a SHAPE seamless bra. If the L feels snug on the cup, she goes up to XL, because on seamless the rule is to size up, not down.

For reference, most SHAPE styles run M to 3XL, with core styles reaching 5XL and a plus size line to 7XL. Band-and-cup styles come in bands 34 to 44, cups A to DD.

The easiest next step is to send us your two numbers on WhatsApp. We will suggest a size and a style that suit you, privately, and you never have to buy.

When your bra arrives: the 5-point check

This is the same check our fit advisors use in the fitting room. Put the bra on, hook it on the loosest hook, and look in the mirror.

1. Band: snug around your ribcage. You should be able to slide two fingers under it. If it rides up at the back, it is too loose. If you can't breathe comfortably, it is too tight.
2. Cups: no gaping and no spilling. Gaping usually means the cup is too big; spilling means it is too small.
3. Straps: not digging, not falling. Adjust them first. If they still dig or slip, the style may not be right for you.
4. Centre: the middle of the bra sits flat against your chest. If it lifts away, the cup may be too small or the wrong shape.
5. Comfort: you can move, breathe and raise your arms without the bra shifting or pinching.

If something is off, tell us what you notice. You can exchange within 7 days of delivery if the fit isn't right, as long as the item is unworn and unwashed. Read the exchange policy.

Questions women ask us

Should I measure with a bra on or off?

Either an unpadded bra or no bra. A padded bra adds inches to your bust measurement and can push you into the wrong size.

What if I'm between two sizes?

This is the question we hear most, so here is the rule our fit advisors use. On seamless styles, go up one size. They hold you with stretch, and the larger size gives the cup room without loosening the band. On push-up styles, stay at your exact cup. A push-up only lifts when the cup matches you. Send us both numbers and the bra you are looking at, and we will confirm which way to go.

My size from another brand is different. Which one is right?

Both can be right for their own brand. Use your old size as a starting point, but trust your measurements and the 5-point check more than the label.

How often should I measure again?

Whenever your body changes: after weight gain or loss, pregnancy or breastfeeding, or when a bra that used to fit suddenly doesn't.

Related in The Fitting Room

• The SHAPE size chart: what 34C means in M, L and XL
• Between two sizes? Go up one
• The five red flags you are wearing the wrong bra
• Free size help on Messenger and WhatsApp

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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

Part of The Fitting Room by SHAPE.