help needed with bra measuring!

Anyone know any good ways to measure your bra size at home please. I dont want to go and get mesured in a shop just yet. So i want to do it at home does anyone know any good ways of measuring!

Hey, I used to be a bra specialist for a lingerie company.

Find a good measuring tool online, Ann Summers' is very close to size.

Firstly, measure around your back where your bra would sit underneath your boobs. This will give you your back size.

Then measure around your back but bring the tape up over your nipples and this will give the cup size.

Measure in inches and best to do it with a bra on! 

If you Google and chose images then you will have loads of charts to take your pick of.

Make sure you use UK in the search.  Because that will give you a UK size.

So it will be back to front under boobs, then back to front over the fullest part of your boobs, then check the chart for Band size and Cup size.

Hope this helps.  x

When meauring for band size, if you measure an odd number you should go down to the next even number, for example if you measure 37 inches then your bra band size is 36, also a new bra should be a snug fit on the loosest setting, that way as it stretches over several wears you can start using the other tighter settings to get more life out of the bra, if you need to fasten the bra on the tightest setting on the first wear then it will not last long as it will soon stretch and no longer be a snug fit.

As for cup size many people do not realise that a 36b cup for example has the same volume as a 38a cup and so on, when people sometimes buy a bigger band size they dont realise they should buy a cup size down to get the correct cup size,

A few more examples is

A 34c has the same cup volume as a 36b and a 38a, so if for example you hold a 34c bra against a 36b the underwires should be the same size, but if you hold a 34b against a 36b the underwire on the later should be bigger, so lets say you have been buying a 36b cup and the cups fit fine but you are finding the band size a bit loose, you should then go down to a 34c, a lot of people would make the mistake of going out and buying a 34b and then can not understand why the cups and underwire are now bigger, as they think the cup size is the same no matter what size band. 

Hope this helps and makes sense.

If you don't have any well-fitting bras then do it without a bra on and lean forward horizontally to measure for cup size. You can find a guide online, and between measurements you should generally go for the smaller back size, and larger cup size. Once you've worked out your bra size, know that it might not be correct but it's somewhere to start. If the band is loose or riding up you need to go down a back size (and up a cup size). When buying a new bra it should fit you on the loosest hook. If the cups are wired, the wire should sit flat against you. Where the cups meant your boobs, they should be smooth. If there is extra space of wrinkled fabric, go down a cup size. If there is a bulge at the top of sides, go up a cup size. I hope I helped some but, and good luck! :)

^ So many typos it my post but I hope it made sense...

There are lots of bra size calculators on the net my favourite for accuracy is http://www.calculator.net/bra-size-calculator.html?bustsize=32&bustsizeunit=inch&framesize=28&framesizeunit=inch&x=0&y=0

The one i'd avoid at all costs is 85b there is no way i'm 4 cup sizes smaller than it thinks i should be

Ive had allsorts of experiences trying online calculators today i got from a 32 dd To 36 A ! Ive given up now!

This is how my mum told me to do it when I was a teenager and it worked for me:
1. Take your underbust measurement in inches, if it's an even number add 4, if it's an odd number add 5 off, this is your band size. For example, if you measure 32 inches, your band size is 36.
2. Then measure your overbust, either in a well-fitting bra, or (presuming you don't have one or you'd know your size), lean over and let gravity take its place, and measure around the nipples making sure the measuring tape is straight all around. Measure this in inches too, and if it's between full inches, round up. Take the band size (the 36 in this example, not the 32) away from it. So, if your overbust measured 39, take the 36 away and you have 3. The cup sizes then go like this: 0=AA, 1=A, 2=B, 3=C, 4=D, 5=DD, 6=E etc etc
So in this example the bra size would be 36C.
This calculation is for UK bra sizes.
Since then I've just know when my bra size has changed because the cups/band started to feel too tight. It can be a little different in each bra though, and some bras will be too big in one size and too small in another!

I can't help but urge you strongly to get a proper fitting! All of the above stuff is helpful, but for all sorts of reasons, it won't guarantee the best fit. As has been mentioned, different styles and brands will fit different women in different ways. That's a whole lot of different!

I used to reckon I had the process sorted, but after I had my first fitting at the tender age of about 48, I haven't looked back.

Sure, you can pick up a bra at Tesco's or M&S, but now I've worn better bras fitted by professionals, I can feel the difference. Not that I never buy a bra without being fitted, but I make sure I get a fitting several times a year.

OK, so I'm a guy, but I have boobs just the same, and being male my boobs are perhaps not totally run of the mill. But since you ladies are also all beautifully varied, you do need to try before you buy. Or buy online and be prepared to return a few (or many) bras ...

That said, I can't get Mrs P. to have a fitting, so I have to get her undies and do some swapping about until we get there. It really would be better doing it directly! And I can't for a moment imagine Mrs.P. leaning forward to get an overbust measurement and coming up with the right figure - ain't gonna happen!

Oh, and I meant to add that I tried the f****aves bra fit calculator an found it worked OK - but it checks the bra you're wearing so you do need one that more or less fits and isn't stretched out of its marked size. I ran it with a couple of different bras on and it gave the right answers for me.

Libra lovers method I've found to be the best. Found great for sizing floozey, ultimo, and gossard, etc.

AS bra sizing I'd avoid personally and found their sizes to be the worse when trying other brands.

The calculators always are off with me, leaving unfilled or tight cups.

Personally always found it best to measure without a bra on too.

Bra/cup size guides and calculators are kind of insane - today I have been ogling some bras (I need a couple of new, plainish ones for day to day wearing) and just out of curiosity I clicked on their bra fitting calculator. Well, I have always been convinced I was more or less a 38D (85D) girl - the calculator told me I should go for an E cup. I went on to try several more calculators and I got lots of totally different results; most of them agreed I should go for a 38 (85) band (though one suggested a 36 inch one, and another a 40 inch one) but the cup size is just crazy - I got each and every result between D and FF (UK sizes) and between D and G (EU sizes)... well, that is what I call weird... and oh-so-helpful...

I've got lots of bras, and they're in all sizes - 36D. 36DD, 38B, 38C and 38D, not to mention bigger ones to use with breast forms. I've been fitted into all that range of sizes, and my size/shape hasn't altered significantly for some time. Granted, you'd expect the calculators to come up with similar sizes, but I've pretty well given up on measuring systems.

If I'm picking a bra myself, I'll start with 38C. If the band's OK but the cups are a bit small, I'll try a 38D. If I have to go down a band size, I'll start with a 36D and then a 36DD. If I haven't got there ny then, it's a style of bra that isn't going to work for my male shape! I haven't had to go up to a 40 band for years (20?), and I often buy a 36 band so I can get a fashion bra which may not be available in a 38 band. Mrs P takes a 36D/DD at the moment, so we can swap a bit.