woman in bra looking in the mirror

Measuring Your Bra Band The Right Way

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The right bra band is key for getting the best-fitted bra. Most support comes from our bra band. How tight should the bra band be? Check your Bra Band

woman wearing everyday bra push up

See-Through Lace Push-Up Transparent Everyday Bra | See Amazon.com


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See my bra calculator or shop for bras at:

Lulalu Bras | Women's AAA-A cups »

HerRoom | Training and teen bras »

ThirdLove | Asymmetric Breasts »


Can I measure my bra size at home?

woman holding measure tape for taking underbust measurements


Sure! It’s perfectly fine to get a bra fitting somewhere. If you do I advise you to write down the measurements as well (you need them to compare sizes in a chart or calculator).

You’ll feel a bad-fitted bra all day long.


Lulalu offers a wonderful collection of bras for women with AAA, AA, A cups | bands 30-42 | See Lulalu.com


Measuring yourself at home can be done easily and as many times as needed.

Ask a friend or partner to help you if needed.

  • measure around your body, underneath your breasts
  • write down the inches or centimeters
  • secondly, measure your bust size
  • look up your bra size in a size chart or in my bra calculator

A slightly different measurement can change your bra size altogether. Wearing the right bra size will make all the difference in the world.

A well-fitted bra does give you more confidence and makes your clothes look better.


How tight should a bra band be?

woman in bra looking in the mirror to check her bra band


Your bra band should feel a bit tight, or you might say firmly. But it sure mustn’t feel too tight.

The elastic fiber of your bra will relax a bit when it gets warm. So if you put on a bra it may and should feel quite firm for about 10 minutes. After some time the fabric will respond to the warmth of your body.

Is your bra band too tight? Using a bra extender may be your solution to lengthen the band a bit.

Remember that the most support from our bra comes from its band. If the band is too loose you will lose a lot of support.


What if I’m in between two possible band sizes?

woman wearing strapless bra cup aa push up

DOBREVA Strapless Padded Push-up AA – DD cups | See Amazon.com


If I measure myself and check the size chart I would usually go for a 34 band size.

I’m however quite close to a 36 band size also. For years I bought 34 bras in a cup AA.

Lately, I started wearing some 36 bras in a cup AAA. I find the cups to be a bit wider set and the bra cups look more natural on me. The cups of a 34AA and a 36AAA are the same in size, however, positioned a bit wider.

Also depending on the brand or bra style you may vary in bra sizes. Different bra sizes may fit you just fine. Learn more about your bra sister sizes


Do I need another cup size when changing my band size?

calvin klein t shirt bra different band sizes

Calvin Klein Women’s Perfectly Fit Lightly Lined Memory Touch T-Shirt Bra A-DDD | See Amazon.com


Remember when you change your band size up or down, your cup size volume will change too.

Best explained with a few examples:

 40B – you want a bigger band and choose 42A (if you want to keep the same cup volume)

 34A – you want a smaller band and choose 32B (if you want to keep the same cup volume)


Other articles you might like

Full guide on measuring
How to measure a small cup?
Teens bra cups AA-B
Small bra chart AAA-B cups
Bras for asymmetrical breasts
Bras for sagging breasts
A cup vs B cup, the difference
The average cup size US


Lulalu offers a wonderful collection of bras for women with AAA, AA, A cups | bands 30-42 | See Lulalu.com



Her Room Banner

See my bra calculator or shop for bras at:

Lulalu Bras | Women's AAA-A cups »

HerRoom | Training and teen bras »

ThirdLove | Asymmetric Breasts »