What’s the difference between US and European bra sizing?

We get it - it can be hard enough to figure out your correct bra size without throwing international differences into the mix. When you find out that a 36DDD/F bra in US sizing is a 36E in the UK, but an 80E in Europe, it’s easy to get confused! 

Here at Lavinia, we aim to make it as easy as possible for you to shop for lingerie which is why we convert all of our intimates to US sizing when we place them on the website. This way you can feel confident ordering your usual size, regardless of whether the bra was made in the US, the UK or Europe.

We know, however, that it can be confusing when you receive your new order only to find that the size differs on the label, so here’s a short guide on what you need to know about American vs European bra sizes. 

US	EU	UK	FR	IT	AUS
XS	33 - 36	XS	36 - 38	XS	8
S	36 - 38	S	38 - 40	S	10
M	38 - 40	M	40 - 42	M	12
L	40 - 42	L	42 - 44	L	14
XL	42 - 44	XL	44 - 46	XL	16
XXL	44 - 46	XXL	46 - 48	XXL	18
XXXL	46 - 48	XXXL	48 - 50	XXXL	20
XXXXL	48 - 50	XXXXL	50 - 52	XXXXL	22
XXXXXL	50 - 52	XXXXXL	52 - 54	XXXXXL	24
2XL	44	2XL	2XL	2XL	18
3XL	46	3XL	3XL	3XL	20
4XL	48	4XL	4XL	4XL	22
5XL	50	5XL	5XL	5XL	24
OS	OS	OS	OS	OS	OS
4	34	8	36	40	8
6	36	10	38	42	10
8	38	12	40	44	12
10	40	14	42	46	14
12	42	16	44	48	16
14	44	18	46	50	18
16	46	20	48	52	20
18	48	22	50	54	22
20	50	24	52	56	24
22	52	26	54	58	26
4/6	36/38	S/M	38/40	42/44	10/12
8/10	40/42	M/L	40/42	44/46	12/14
28DD/E	60E	28DD	75E	00E	6DD
28DDD/F	60F	28E	75F	00F	6E
28G	60G	28F	75G	00G	6F
28H	60H	28FF	75H	00H	6G
28I	60J	28G	75J	00J	6H
30A	65A	30A	80A	0A	8A
30B	65B	30B	80B	0B	8B
30C	65C	30C	80C	0C	8C
30D	65D	30D	80D	0D	8D
30DD/E	65E	30DD	80E	0E	8DD
30DDD/F	65F	30E	80F	0F	8E
30G	65G	30F	80G	0G	8F
30H	65H	30FF	80H	0H	8G
30I	65J	30G	80J	0J	8H
32A	70A	32A	85A	1A	10A
32B	70B	32B	85B	1B	10B
32C	70C	32C	85C	1C	10C
32D	70D	32D	85D	1D	10D
32DD/E	70E	32DD	85E	1E	10DD
32DDD/F	70F	32E	85F	1F	10E
32G	70G	32F	85G	1G	10F
32H	70H	32FF	85H	1H	10G
32I	70J	32G	85J	1J	10H
34A	75A	34A	90A	2A	12A
34B	75B	34B	90B	2B	12B
34C	75C	34C	90C	2C	12C
34D	75D	34D	90D	2D	12D
34DD/E	75E	34DD	90E	2E	12DD
34DDD/F	75F	34E	90F	2F	12E
34G	75G	34F	90G	2G	12F
34H	75H	34FF	90H	2H	12G
34I	75J	34G	90J	2J	12H
36A	80A	36A	95A	3A	14A
36B	80B	36B	95B	3B	14B
36C	80C	36C	95C	3C	14C
36D	80D	36D	95D	3D	14D
36DD/E	80E	36DD	95E	3E	14DD
36DDD/F	80F	36E	95F	3F	14E
36G	80G	36F	95G	3G	14F
36H	80H	36FF	95H	3H	14G
36I	80J	36G	95J	3J	14H
38A	85A	38A	100A	4A	16A
38B	85B	38B	100B	4B	16B
38C	85C	38C	100C	4C	16C
38D	85D	38D	100D	4D	16D
38DD/E	85E	38DD	100E	4E	16DD
38DDD/F	85F	38E	100F	4F	16E
38G	85G	38F	100G	4G	16F
38H	85H	38FF	100H	4H	16G
38I	85J	38G	100J	4J	16H
40A	90A	40A	105A	5A	18A
40B	90B	40B	105B	5B	18B
40C	90C	40C	105C	5C	18C
40D	90D	40D	105D	5D	18D
40DD/E	90E	40DD	105E	5E	18DD
40DDD/F	90F	40E	105F	5F	18E
40G	90G	40F	105G	5G	18F
40H	90H	40FF	105H	5H	18G
40I	90J	40G	105J	5J	18H
42A	95A	42A	110A	6A	20A
42B	95B	42B	110B	6B	20B
42C	95C	42C	110C	6C	20C
42D	95D	42D	110D	6D	20D
42DD/E	95E	42DD	110E	6E	20DD
42DDD/F	95F	42E	110F	6F	20E
42G	95G	42F	110G	6G	20F
42H	95H	42FF	110H	6H	20G
42I	95J	42G	110J	6J	20H
44A	100A	44A	115A	7A	22A
44B	100B	44B	115B	7B	22B
44C	100C	44C	115C	7C	22C
44D	100D	44D	115D	7D	22D
44DD/E	100E	44DD	115E	7E	22DD
44DDD/F	100F	44E	115F	7F	22E

European bra sizing vs the US sizing explained 

You may already know this, but what's unique about our lingerie shop is that we travel thousands of miles to bring you some of the finest European lingerie there is! We handpick beautiful intimates from dozens of suppliers and stock new collections shortly after we meet brands personally after the fashion and trade shows.

Now, let's discuss international bra sizing! First, the good news: Your band size number will be the same in both the UK and the US. When it comes to European sizes, though, it’s a different story. For example, the UK/US band sizes go from 28 to 52 whereas in most European countries it's 60-120. In France, however, they like to do things differently, so the corresponding band sizes are 75-105 instead.

As for cup sizing, everything is in sync up to the letter D — and after that, confusion reigns. A DDD/F in the US corresponds to an E cup in the UK and Europe, which then throws everything else out of alignment. To add to the confusion, the UK doubles up, with FF, GG, and HH, while the US and Europe progress in single letters up the alphabet. The letter I, meanwhile, is used as a cup size in the US, but not in the UK or Europe.

It's easy to see how all this American vs European bra sizing could send your head into a spin. Don’t panic, though, because we’ve done all the hard work for you and converted everything to the US sizing on every product page!

What's more, you can find the exact measurements by inches (or centimeters) when you've found the collections you line. When visiting any of our product pages, simply click on Size Chart just next to the size selector to reveal the individual size guide for that brand or item.

Check out our article on how to buy lingerie online at Lavinia if you'd like to know more about how to make the most of shopping on our website.

Discover more options with sister sizing

Have you heard of sister sizing? It’s a clever way to work out which size to try if your bra doesn’t quite fit — if you’re trying out a new brand, for example — and you need to move up or downsize while keeping the same cup volume.

So, how does it work? The key is to remember that the cup size (the letter) is always related to the band size (the number) and that they work together. So let’s say you are wearing a 32C and it feels a little tight in the band. If you were to simply size up to a 34C, the band might fit but the cups would be too big.

To find the cup size equivalent, you need to size down in the cup every time you size up in the band, and vice versa. So the sister sizes for a 32C are 34B and 30D.

Got it? To find your sister sizes, look for your bra size in the chart above. Your sister sizes will be the ones immediately before and after it, working horizontally. For more sizing help with bras as well as panties, and other lingerie, visit our fitting room page.

The differences in sizing among bra types and brands

Before we let you go, we wanted to make a note that if you want to achieve the perfect fit, you should consider two other things in addition to your bra size and these are the brand you choose and the type of the bra. Why are these important, you may ask?

Well, just like shops on the main street, every brand will do their sizing a little differently, that's why we recommend double-checking the measurements every time you buy a collection from a new brand. More importantly, perhaps, is to consider the style of the bra you're purchasing, especially if the type of fit is wildly different. For example, you may need to size up or down when shopping for a lace bralette compared to a deep plunge bra.

That's it for our sizing guide!

Did you enjoy our article about the differences in European bra sizing vs the US? Let us know by leaving a comment as we'd love to know!

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