Bra Size Calculator: United States

Shopping for bras in United States

US sizing is the one most of the world converts away from, and its quirk is the top of the ladder: instead of continuing into E, F and FF, American labels stack D into DD, DDD and sometimes DDDD before jumping to G. That compression is why a UK 32F and a US 32DDD can be the same bra, and why anyone measuring past a D finds US letters vague where UK ones are precise.

The other American habit worth unlearning is plus-four. Adding four or five inches to the underbust was a workaround for non-stretch fabrics and is still printed on some store charts; on a modern elastic band it produces a band too loose to support anything, and the cup that goes with it is then too small. Measure snug and level, and take that number as the band.

Mall ranges concentrate on 32 to 38 in A to DD and thin out fast on either side. Above a DDD or below a 32, the depth is online: Bravissimo ships US, ThirdLove and Cuup grade further than the high street, and UK brands cover the range American ones skip.

Brands you will commonly see: Victoria's Secret, Aerie, ThirdLove, Cuup, Soma, Wacoal America.

How United States writes a bra size

United States prints the band in inches as an even number taken straight from a snug underbust, so a 34 tag means a 34-inch ribcage and nothing is added to it.

The ladder runs A to D and then stacks: DD, DDD, sometimes DDDD, before jumping to G. There is no E and no F, which is why anyone past a D finds United States labels vaguer than British ones.

Sizes are written band first, then cup, as in 34DD.