Is it fair to say that 36C, 34D, 32E, 30F bras are all pretty much the same size?

[Shinydiscoballs1]

Just that really, I just did a bra calculator and I've put my measurements in. It says I would be a 34D, 32E or 30F
I also have a bra here which is 36C which fits well too.
What actual bra size do I go for?

Apart from my running bra which is a 34C.

None of the methods work for me.

Have implants so it's almost like I sit between cup sizes and band sizes.

And no one has answered how to stop the unsightly under band roll, when wearing a tighter back. I'm not fat, but as soon as i drop a back size there's a roll below the bra line?

Non cup-size bras are my big bug bear. I love the sloggi zero feel bras for lounging, but while a medium fits my boobs, it's too slack. A small is perfect, but my boobs are too big for it and the non adjustable straps are too short, so I end up with underboob.

My sports bras are shockabsorber and a size up in the band and down in the cup. But then, the latest shock absorber, the fly, isn't secure enough. Ffs, why do that? I thought I had it sorted.

Bob method was rubbish for me. Didn’t work at all. They put me in a 30DD. It didn’t even go round me to fasten!

@TommyShelby

Bob method was rubbish for me. Didn’t work at all. They put me in a 30DD. It didn’t even go round me to fasten!

Did the 30 back fit when you did the band test?

The easiest way I find to think about it is that the cup size is the difference between your ribcage and your boobs

So you measure below your boobs snug but not tight and then this is the size band you need

You then measure around your boobs at the widest part and subtract the band measurement from this and that’s how much your boobs stick out from your body =cup size
1’’ A
2’’ B
Etc

Example
34 below your boobs and 38 across them
Your boobs stick out 4 inches

So you need a 34 band and a D cup

That’s simple enough. The issue is that as the cups and the band are joined together (duh) then they interact and bigger cups make band length longer as well as bigger bands making cups larger. If you think about the construction of a bra you have essentially a long rectangle of fabric - the band and two cones/circles - the cups (plus some shoulder straps).

_
OO

The strap is cut up to add the cups so it goes strap - cup- strap- cup - strap

—o-o—
—O-O— this one is bigger though the band is the same size

so the bigger the size of the cup/circle the bigger the overall length of the band will get!

It works the other way round as well

—o-o—
—-o-o—- this one is bigger as the band is longer although they cups are the same size

Which means that
—O-O—
—-o-o—-
These too are roughly the same size in actual length (though not exactly as I’m doing this with o/- not actual material)

Bra sizes confuse me. I'm wearing a 36E, size 16/18ish. According to my actual measurements, I should be in a 44AA. My 14 year old daughter thought it was very amusing that I should be in a smaller cup size than her.

You are likely to get some back fat/skin because well, you're human
Like sock tops sometimes dig in
You can look for longline bras which are more smoothing but if you have a supportive firm band, it's going to show back fat/skin folds

@stingofthebutterfly

Bra sizes confuse me. I'm wearing a 36E, size 16/18ish. According to my actual measurements, I should be in a 44AA. My 14 year old daughter thought it was very amusing that I should be in a smaller cup size than her.

Do you measure 44 under your bust? If not, then that's not your back size

Posted before but this is me, a fat size 16/18 in a 34 band that was too big as it had stretched over time
It's not tight at all, my fist is under it. The band should be level all the way round and not ride up at all, I can feel mine is there when I breathe out. As in I'm aware I'm wearing it but I can sleep in it and not be uncomfortable
Different styles matter a lot as well, I find Elomi fits me, curvy Kate doesn't

I hate a tight band too but I'm going to take this thread onboard next time I go bra shopping!

Also complicated by some manufacturers not actually making the bands to the actual inches size. A 34” bra should measure 34” along the bottom of the band when gently stretched - that’s what the band test is measuring. If a tape measure at 34” goes around your chest a piece of fabric of that length must also do so. If it dosent it’s usually because the bra is not made right.

(History or the reason M and S can’t measure bras - Pre the invention of elastic material it was needed to add some “give” to the band measurements to allow people to breathe as the band couldn’t stretch with your breathing. This lead to the adding on of inches to the band measurement. Now bands stretch though this is unhelpful as it makes the bands to big but lots of places continue to do this. Some manufactures try and compensate by making the band smaller assuming that women are looking for a band that is 2 inches too big - their 34” is actually only 32” long because they assume that the customer actually measures 32” and has added on 2” so of course it dosent actually fit an actual 34” chest )

@Cbtb

The easiest way I find to think about it is that the cup size is the difference between your ribcage and your boobs

So you measure below your boobs snug but not tight and then this is the size band you need

You then measure around your boobs at the widest part and subtract the band measurement from this and that’s how much your boobs stick out from your body =cup size
1’’ A
2’’ B
Etc

Example
34 below your boobs and 38 across them
Your boobs stick out 4 inches

So you need a 34 band and a D cup

That’s simple enough. The issue is that as the cups and the band are joined together (duh) then they interact and bigger cups make band length longer as well as bigger bands making cups larger. If you think about the construction of a bra you have essentially a long rectangle of fabric - the band and two cones/circles - the cups (plus some shoulder straps).

_
OO

The strap is cut up to add the cups so it goes strap - cup- strap- cup - strap

—o-o—
—O-O— this one is bigger though the band is the same size

so the bigger the size of the cup/circle the bigger the overall length of the band will get!

It works the other way round as well

—o-o—
—-o-o—- this one is bigger as the band is longer although they cups are the same size

Which means that
—O-O—
—-o-o—-
These too are roughly the same size in actual length (though not exactly as I’m doing this with o/- not actual material)

But my boobs only stick out if I put them in a bra these days! (Thanks, kids)

I wonder how many women change their bra size over their lives, or just stick to the one they first worked out. When laid flat, my cups are pretty much equal to the amount of band. I think lots of people think the cups should stop straight at the front, whereas they should actually go more in line with your side.

These days, my boobs are slack at the top and more tear drop shaped. More of a stretched play doh than fresh from the tub. Balconettes work for them, but they fall to the bottom of full cups.

You have you try them on. Different brands also have a different take on how sizing works, then throw in different styles and it turns into a bit of a lottery. I have about 3 different sizes but they all fit.

@MrsPnut it didn’t do round me to fasten.

It feels like the main objective for BOB is to increase the cup size and decrease the band size. Some of us genuinely have a large rib cage/broad back and smaller boobs but BOB doesn’t think we exist!

[quote TommyShelby]@MrsPnut it didn’t do round me to fasten.

It feels like the main objective for BOB is to increase the cup size and decrease the band size. Some of us genuinely have a large rib cage/broad back and smaller boobs but BOB doesn’t think we exist![/quote]
If a tape measure goes around you at 30 inches then a bra that stretches to 30 inches will fit around you. Either the bra didn’t stretch to 30 inches (some come up small like Boux Avenue) or there was a problem with the original measuring.

If you have a larger rib cage then the tape measure will take account of this.
Boob or bust aren’t going to come round and force you into a bra that doesn’t fit because they have busy lives and could be doing something else. What they do want to help are all the women that think they can’t wear an underwired bra because they are uncomfortable.

You then measure around your boobs at the widest part and subtract the band measurement from this and that’s how much your boobs stick out from your body =cup size
1’’ A
2’’ B
Etc

Unsure about that. I measure 33" under bust and 36" across. I wear bralettes usually but in an actual bra I would wear a 34A... My breasts are triangle/pointy, and B cups leave a gape at the top of the breasts because my breasts are not round.

I’m so confused can someone with more knowledge than me try and make this make sense!!

Most people in here wearing a 36 band bra are saying they are between a size 16 and 20. I wear a 36 band and I’m a 12-14. I wear a 36C comfortably.

I’ve just measured around my under boob bit and I am 32 inches. My measurements over my boobs are 41 inches. I did the BoB test and it’s saying I’m a 32GG (I thought it was 32F but I remembered wrong) now the band should make sense as I’m literally 32 inches around but why then is a 36 snug and I can’t fit a 34 let alone a 32!

Make it make sense 🤣

36C will feel snug as the cup size is too small. The equivalent of 36C = 34D = 32DD. If you measure 32 and 41 then you measure as 32G so your 36C is a few cup sizes too small. When you scoop the sides do you get overspill? Does the central bit of the bra sit flat against your breastbone?

Try the band backwards (without arms in/cups up) to get an idea of whether the cup size is distorting it

“ Unsure about that. I measure 33" under bust and 36" across. I wear bralettes usually but in an actual bra I would wear a 34A... My breasts are triangle/pointy, and B cups leave a gape at the top of the breasts because my breasts are not round.”

It’s only a starting point and if your comfy in that then it’s not an issue

A proper 34” band would be 1” bigger than your rib cage tho - if you put it on backwards then it would be too loose. Going down the cup size to an A shrinks the band so it fits better.

If you got a 32” B (or even a c) then the band should also fit - the breasts might not fill the cups full in all areas as humans don’t have cone shaped boobs but that’s when you experiment with bra styles to find one the most like your boob shape. After breastfeeding I have found the need for a pad in my left cup if I want a equal visual appearance from up top as that one is a bit deflated! That hasn’t changed the size of my rib cage tho or the circumference of my boobs!

If your happy with your bras then no need to change. For me finding out the band was supposed to literally do the heavy lifting holding up the boobs from below rather than them hanging down from the shoulder straps was a game changer in terms of avoiding back pain.

How they fill the cups at the top is less of a concern to me - as long as the weight is supported correctly then I’m not in pain!

“ But my boobs only stick out if I put them in a bra these days! (Thanks, kids)”

It’s recommended to measure on all fours so that they hang down for this reason. I feel your pain as mine also deflated after breastfeeding.

All women are of course different! My boob tissue is all on the front of my chest at least when I lean forward. Try putting the bra on on all fours and see if it changes things as the breasts move to the front. The cups shouldn’t usually need to go round the side but deflated boobs do hang in odd places. Once mine are in the bra cups I do need to pad my left if I want them to fully fill the cup to the top as that one has deflated quite a bit but the actual circumference of the breast hasn’t changed it’s just no longer a perfect circle on its own!

Yes, so many women thing the straps are important bit. But that's when you end up with women wearing bras that ride up.

Again, game changer when the right size bra means vest tops actually sit above your bra band. The bra feels lower down the ribcage, but your boobs are pushed up, rather than pulling the bra down.

It makes a huge difference to mine - I was in 38E when I was actually 36F. I was much perkier in the right size!

@Marmarind I think this is where the style also becomes relevant. BoB sizing worked well for me, but because I'm also triangular/pointy I look dreadful in balcony/balconette styles and always go for plunge.