online bra calculators (help!)

silkysly
silkysly Posts: 701 Member
edited September 30 in Motivation and Support
Have you ever done those online bra calculators? I’m looking for the correct size sports bra & I tried to enter the info on many of the website calculators. (We ladies change there as we get closer to our goal.) Not one site has it calculated the same as the other. I’m anywhere from 32E to 36C & anywhere in between. I’ve tried some of the sizes that they say I am, I fall out all over the place or my chest is shoved up in my face. Why do they all say something different? It seems that every site has a different way of doing it. Anyone know of a good site that is accurate? Please & thank you!

Replies

  • Hello! I often wonder about this myself! I started wearing the Bally's gym brand b/c it's simple. they have s,m,l,xl. with adjustable straps. I live in south florida so i'm not sure if you have a bj's whole sale club (like a costco or sam's club) near by that's where i get em at the lowest price for a 3 pack. super comfy, great colors and they last!

    I was a 36c and wore a L from them, now i'm about a 34b and wear their M.

    Good luck!
  • whiskey9890
    whiskey9890 Posts: 652 Member
    personally, i would try and find a lingerie store that offers a bra fitting service and get it done there, lots of these stores are now stocking sports bras these days (certainly over in the uk at least), another thing to remember is that not all manufacturers use the same measurements for their sizing, i discovered this when buying some bras in a department store i picked up a couple in similar styles but different manufacturers and needed different sizes in them, ultimately you wont know if they will fit properly until you'ved tried them on. so if buying online check the returns policy
  • neonano
    neonano Posts: 3
    unfortunately for us women the companies that make bras don't follow the same size charts. In VS I'm a 36B in walmart George 38C in Vasseta or however its spelt I'm a 38D. I suggest a small measuring tape, to measure the inside dimensions of the cups. so far that's what I've been doing, yes I get weird looks but I have seen other endowed women do the same thing. but there is no true way to measure your bra size online.
  • ennaejay
    ennaejay Posts: 575
    you're going to have to go shopping. It depends on what you want. Sports bras offer cups, compression, and different strap sizes & coverage depending on your needs. Hit up a sports store and try on about 7 different kinds, chances are you'll find The One :)
  • silkysly
    silkysly Posts: 701 Member

    I tried the size they suggested on that site & my chest is shoved in my face. I tried the size I use in my everyday life & I bounce around when I run.., arg!
  • PeachyKeene
    PeachyKeene Posts: 1,645 Member

    I tried the size they suggested on that site & my chest is shoved in my face. I tried the size I use in my everyday life & I bounce around when I run.., arg!

    Maybe try doubling up or wearing a regular bra under your sports bra.
  • silkysly
    silkysly Posts: 701 Member
    unfortunately for us women the companies that make bras don't follow the same size charts. In VS I'm a 36B in walmart George 38C in Vasseta or however its spelt I'm a 38D. I suggest a small measuring tape, to measure the inside dimensions of the cups. so far that's what I've been doing, yes I get weird looks but I have seen other endowed women do the same thing. but there is no true way to measure your bra size online.


    I'm anywhere from a 32E to a 36c..., demending on what site I use to calculate. (Bat $h!T crazy if you ask me.) I think I'll take a measuring tape with me. Maybe that's the only way. Thanks a bunch!
  • silkysly
    silkysly Posts: 701 Member
    Maybe try doubling up or wearing a regular bra under your sports bra.
    That's what I've been doing...., sigh.
  • knittygirl52
    knittygirl52 Posts: 432 Member
    Women's sizing stinks! I just went to Goodwill to buy some slacks because I'm in the middle of my journey and didn't want to spend too much. The same size pants went from, "oops that's already a little loose" to having the waistband a full 6 inches too small! (And I do have a defined waist.) How can that be the same size?

    I was taught by a lady who does bra fittings to measure like this: wearing the best-fitting bra you currently have, measure your rib cage immediately under your breasts. That will be your band size: the 32, 34, 36.

    Now measure your torso under your arms, at the top of your breasts. Write that down.

    Now measure your torso around the fullest part of your breasts. Note the difference between this number and the number for under your arms. If it is approximately the same, that is an "A" cup. If it is larger by 1 inch - B, 2 inches - C, and so on.

    There's two problems: a lot of other instructions don't tell you to do the underarm measurement, but to measure the difference between the band and the larger part of the bust. Those say a 1 inch difference between band and bust is an A, a 2 inch difference between is a B and so on.

    And then there's the fact that I've discovered even the same manufacturer doesn't always size their bras exactly the same. I have 2 different Playtex 18 hour bras, same size, SAME STYLE -- the only difference is one is a back closure and the other is a front closure. The cups fit me completely differently. Go figure.

    I guess the sizing is just a general guideline and you still need to try them on. Good luck!
  • silkysly
    silkysly Posts: 701 Member
    Women's sizing stinks! I just went to Goodwill to buy some slacks because I'm in the middle of my journey and didn't want to spend too much. The same size pants went from, "oops that's already a little loose" to having the waistband a full 6 inches too small! (And I do have a defined waist.) How can that be the same size?

    I was taught by a lady who does bra fittings to measure like this: wearing the best-fitting bra you currently have, measure your rib cage immediately under your breasts. That will be your band size: the 32, 34, 36.

    Now measure your torso under your arms, at the top of your breasts. Write that down.

    Now measure your torso around the fullest part of your breasts. Note the difference between this number and the number for under your arms. If it is approximately the same, that is an "A" cup. If it is larger by 1 inch - B, 2 inches - C, and so on.

    There's two problems: a lot of other instructions don't tell you to do the underarm measurement, but to measure the difference between the band and the larger part of the bust. Those say a 1 inch difference between band and bust is an A, a 2 inch difference between is a B and so on.

    And then there's the fact that I've discovered even the same manufacturer doesn't always size their bras exactly the same. I have 2 different Playtex 18 hour bras, same size, SAME STYLE -- the only difference is one is a back closure and the other is a front closure. The cups fit me completely differently. Go figure.

    I guess the sizing is just a general guideline and you still need to try them on. Good luck!
    I tired that & I would be a 32E!!! I can’t get into that size at all. (ie: 38/32) My everyday bra is a 36c, but the girls don’t stay in place in a sports bra (of that size) when I run, grr! They need to hire more women in the sizing departments, at the bra manufacturing place!
  • Definitely see if you can find a store that does fittings. I know some exist in California and New York, because I've talked to people from there. In Virginia, there's a small chain called The Full Cup that specializes in hard to fit sizes (my daughter's a 34HH, so we've been going there for years). I'm sure they must exist in other places, too.
  • Forensic
    Forensic Posts: 468 Member
    A 36c is approximately the same as a 34d and a 32e. There sister sizes. The calculators aren't necessarily lying to you. Some, however, still use the 'measure the band and add 2' philosophy that is outdated. Here's what i'd do. Measure where you band lies. That's your band number, rounded down if it's odd. Then go try on a C cup in that band. Too big? Stick with the band and go down a cup, etc. Remember different styles fit differently, even from the same maker, though.
  • silkysly
    silkysly Posts: 701 Member
    A 36c is approximately the same as a 34d and a 32e. There sister sizes. The calculators aren't necessarily lying to you. Some, however, still use the 'measure the band and add 2' philosophy that is outdated. Here's what i'd do. Measure where you band lies. That's your band number, rounded down if it's odd. Then go try on a C cup in that band. Too big? Stick with the band and go down a cup, etc. Remember different styles fit differently, even from the same maker, though.

    Thanks a bunch! I'll give it a shot...
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