How to Know Your Bra Fits: The 10 Checks

7 sizing systems25+ country calculatorsBands 28-60, cups AA-PZero data stored

A bra fits when ten physical checks pass at once, and each check takes seconds. Put the bra on properly first, hook the band, lean forward and scoop tissue fully into the cups, set straps to light tension, then run the list.

1	Band sits level	Front and back at the same height, parallel to the floor. A back riding up means the band is too big.
2	Band anchors on the loosest hook	Snug enough that two fingers slide under with effort. New bras fit on the loosest hook, saving tighter hooks for elastic aging.
3	Center gore tacks	The panel between the cups rests against your sternum through movement.
4	All tissue inside the wires	The underwire traces the natural crease under and beside the breast, touching ribs, never sitting on tissue.
5	No spillage	Nothing shelves over the top edge or escapes at the sides, including when you move.
6	No gaping	Cup fabric lies against tissue at the top edge without standing away or wrinkling.
7	Straps hold lightly	Two fingers slip under easily; no digging, no slipping. Straps steady the cup, the band does the lifting.
8	Nothing digs by hour eight	Redness lines at day's end mean an edge is doing work it should not.
9	The bra stays put	No hiking, spinning or tugging adjustments through a normal day.
10	You forget you are wearing it	The honest final test: a correct fit disappears from your attention.

What failures mean

Every failed check maps to a specific fix, which is exactly what the fit problem solver automates: band checks failing point to sister sizing down, cup checks to letter or style changes, strap checks back to the band nine times out of ten. Fix the band first whenever multiple checks fail together, since a wrong band produces false failures downstream.

Print this page (your browser's print dialog gives a clean copy) and take it fitting: ten passes on the loosest hook means buy it, and anything less means keep looking, whatever the label says. Start from your measured size and let the checks make the final call.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most important sign of a good bra fit?

A level, firmly anchored band. About 80 percent of support comes from the band, and most other symptoms, digging straps, floating gore, sagging cups, trace back to a band that is too loose.

How do I do the scoop and swoop?

Lean forward after hooking the band, lift each side's tissue fully up and into the cup with the opposite hand, then stand and adjust. It seats tissue where the cup expects it and reveals the bra's true fit.

How many fit checks should a new bra pass?

All ten, on the loosest hook, in the fitting room. A bra that fails band or wire checks new will only get worse as the elastic relaxes with wear.

Written by the BraSizeConversion fit team. Last updated August 2026.