UK vs US vs EU bra sizing, explained

A 32E in the UK isn't a 32E in Europe, and neither is a 32E in the US. The same letter, three different cups. Here's why the three systems disagree, and how to translate between them with confidence.

If you've ever bought a bra abroad — or read a review by someone in another country — you've probably hit this wall. The conversion isn't intuitive. The good news is that once you understand the underlying logic, it stops being mysterious. The bad news is the logic isn't very logical.

Two parts of a size, two different problems

Every bra size has two parts: a band number and a cup letter. The number describes the measurement around your ribcage, just under the bust. The letter describes the volume of the cup. The three sizing systems disagree on both — but in different ways.

Bands: the easier difference

UK and US bands are measured in inches. EU bands are measured in centimetres. That's the entire difference, and it's mechanical:

• UK 30 = US 30 = EU 65
• UK 32 = US 32 = EU 70
• UK 34 = US 34 = EU 75
• UK 36 = US 36 = EU 80

The pattern: each step up in the UK/US system (an extra 2 inches) is an extra 5 cm in the EU system. EU bands always end in 0 or 5.

Australian sizing uses dress-size bands (8, 10, 12, 14...) which is yet another system, but most Australian retailers also publish the UK equivalent.

Cups: where it gets strange

This is where the systems break apart. Up to a D cup, all three systems agree. A is A, B is B, C is C, D is D. Above D, they diverge — and the divergence has nothing to do with cup volume. It's purely about which letters each country decided to use.

UK: doubles up the letters

The UK system goes A, B, C, D, DD, E, F, FF, G, GG, H, HH, J, JJ, K. Note that DD comes between D and E, and the system doubles up at every other letter to keep the alphabet manageable. UK skips the letter "I" entirely — easy to mistake for a number 1.

US: introduces "DDD"

The US system goes A, B, C, D, DD, DDD, then jumps to G, H, I, J, K. There's no E or F in modern US sizing for most brands (a few use them as alternative labels for DD and DDD). The "DDD" sits where UK calls "E", and US "G" lines up with UK "F". Then both systems use single letters for a while, but they're offset.

EU: keeps it simple

The EU system goes straight through the alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K. The catch: EU "E" is the same volume as UK "DD" and US "DD". So once you pass D, the EU letter is one ahead of the UK letter.

The conversion table

Here's how the three systems line up at the same cup volume. Read across — every row is the same cup, just labelled differently.

So a UK 32F is a US 32G is an EU 70G. Same bra, three different labels.

Common confusion points

"I'm a 32DD — does that mean US or UK?"

Up to and including DD, it doesn't matter — the cup volume is identical in both systems. Below 32E (UK), every brand from every country agrees. The confusion only starts above DD.

"This brand says I'm an E, but I thought I was a DD"

If the brand is European (Germany, France, Scandinavia, Poland), their E is the same volume as a UK or US DD. You haven't grown a cup size — the label just changed.

"My UK F doesn't fit the same as a US G"

They should fit the same in theory, but cup shape and depth vary by brand far more than the size charts suggest. A UK brand cutting for full-bust customers (Bravissimo, Curvy Kate, Panache) will have a deeper cup at any given letter than a mainstream US brand. The size charts say one thing; the bras themselves do another.

"Where does Australia fit in?"

Australian bands use dress sizing — 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 — corresponding to UK bands 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40. Cups follow the UK system above D. So an Australian 12DD is a UK 32DD is an EU 70E.

A note on accuracy

Cup conversions are theoretically standardised but practically inconsistent. Two brands that both call themselves "UK sizing" can fit a full half-cup apart. Brands sometimes update their sizing without saying so — Victoria's Secret, for example, has revised its US sizing twice in the last decade.

The system tells you what to look for. The brand tells you whether it actually fits.

The right approach is to use conversions to identify your starting size in any country's chart, then read that brand's specific fit notes — usually written in reviews or on retailer pages like Bravissimo's "fit notes" or Bratabase. Brand-level information beats system-level rules every time.

The shortcut

If you remember nothing else from this article, these three rules cover most everyday cases:

1. Bands: EU = (UK band − 28) × 2.5 + 60. Or just memorise: 32 ↔ 70, 34 ↔ 75, 36 ↔ 80.
2. Cups up to D: all three systems agree.
3. Cups above D: EU = UK letter + 1 alphabetic step (DD = E, F = G in EU), and US has its own quirky path through DDD before jumping to G.

Or, again — let the converter handle it. That's why it exists.