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. That's why we've written a short guide with everything you may need to know about American vs European bra sizes!
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! P.S. 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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