Right bra size, how to calculate it: the table

As with clothes, we also need to choose the right bra to find our bearings among the various international sizes

The possibility of being able to buy clothing and underwear wherever we want and at any time thanks to online shopping makes it essential before each purchase to know the international sizes well and not just the Italian ones. Even before buying a bra, most of the time at the time of purchase both online and in a physical retailer we may not find a table on the tag with the correspondence of the Italian sizes and in that case it will be up to us to know which is the right size to buy . How to do? Here are some tricks to keep in mind in order to identify our size in any language!

Italian and European bra sizes: nomenclature and differences

Let's start by comparing the Italian sizes with the European ones, because the abbreviations are different. In both cases they indicate the precise lengths, but as we anticipated there is often no specific match so the first question that arises is "Will this bra fit me"? Considering that often making foreign returns is not always simple and free, solving the underlying problem is always better, also in order not to run the risk of leaving the bra in a drawer.

For example, the French sizes start from the number 80, which corresponds to the first in Italy, then follows the 85 and 90, respectively second and third in Italy and thus always continues by 5 in 5. This is the difference that we will have to take as a reference to identify if the brand in question adopts the French sizing system. Another difference is in the nomenclature: in Italy we indicate the bra size with Roman numerals, in other European countries capital letters of the alphabet are used instead, which refer to the cup size.

How to find the right bra size: Measure your chest and cup

Once these differences have been identified, however, there are other details to keep in mind to make sure that the Italian size we normally wear is really the one for us or at least comes close. In fact, in recent years there has been an attempt to pay particular attention to the creation of bra fits, creating less standardized shapes, more sizes and greater awareness that every body is unique and different.

Knowing the precise measurement of the circumference of our chest is therefore very useful even if you intend to choose a made-to-measure bra or one that provides us with many details on size and fit. In the case of Italian sizes it is a general rule, to identify our size, always subtract 60 cm and then divide by 5 from the measurement of the circumference of our chest. The result will be the right size. The Italian sizes specifically follow these measurements:

• 65cm= size I
• 70cm= size II
• 75cm= size III
• 80cm= size IV
• 85cm= size V
• 90cm= size VI
• 95cm= size VII
• 100cm= size VIII

Then we move on to measuring the circumference of the breast to identify the size of the cup at the height of the nipple, taking care to keep the shoulders and back straight. This measurement is the result of subtracting the bust circumference from the chest circumference, to which add 12.5 cm. Generally the cup sizes are divided as follows:

• 0cm= AA cup
• 2.5cm= cup A
• 5cm= cup B
• 7.5cm= cup C
• 10cm= cup D
• 12.5cm = E cup
• 15cm= F cup
• 17,5 cm= FF cup
• 20cm= cup G

European and American sizes: how to orient yourself

In addition to the European sizes, some brands may choose to adopt American bra sizes and very often even in these cases there will be no correspondence with the Italian ones and not always with the European ones, which is therefore further good to know. For European sizes, keeping in mind the measurement of our chest circumference, it will be enough to add more and more 15 cm.

In the case of American sizes, the perspective already changes from the unit of measurement, expressed in inches and not in centimeters: the chest circumference must therefore first be converted into inches – 1 cm corresponds to 0.39 inches – and then just add 5 more inches. For example 90cm x 0.39 will make 35, adding 5 we will get 40, which will therefore be the chest measurement in US and UK sizes.