Why is the Calculator Wrong?

[leighweightacoma@lemmy.world]

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Calculator Inaccuracies

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There are many reasons that could cause our bra size calculator to over or underestimate your cup and/or band size. This page will go through most of the reasons that could cause this to occur.

Please bear in mind that the calculator is accurate in most cases, and you may have some of these characteristics but the calculator is still accurate, or you may not have any of these characteristics but the calculator is inaccurate. Most people will have at least some of these characteristics, the more you have increases your chances of having the calculator over or underestimate cup size for you.

Also note that while bras tend to be consistent in size, there is some variance between models. See Bratabase to check the measurements of your bra against other bras before buying!

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Breast Shape Characteristics

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Shapes that can Contribute to Overestimation in Cup Size

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• Conical breast shapes or shapes without a lot of upper or lower fullness can cause the calculator to overestimate as you are measuring around the fullest part of your breasts, but you don't have as much fullness as the average breast shape - the calculator is expecting more breast tissue than you have around the nipples, so you may need a smaller cup volume than the calculator predicts.
• If you have lots of projection (eg if you have a very pendulous shape), you may also find that the calculator overestimates cup size - this is because, when leaning forwards, your breasts may project much further out from your chest than they would in a bra, with your bust circumference measuring larger than the volume you really need.
• If you have a very outer full shape, then the calculator can overestimate cup size - this is because, when measuring your breasts, you only measure the outer half. If your outer half is larger than your inner half, the calculator will predict a larger breast volume than you have.
• If you have short roots, your breasts may have less overall volume than the calculator predicts, causing an overestimation in cup size.
• If your breasts are very widely set, you may be measuring extra space between your breasts that the calculator is assuming is breast tissue, leading to an overestimation in cup size.
• If your areolae are prominent, your bust measurements will be larger than your actual bust is (as your areolae tend to be compressed slightly when wearing a bra).
• If you have a tuberous shape, your breasts tend to have a small root, high projection and be widely set, and may have prominent areolae. These can all contribute to the calculator overestimating cup size because of the reasons listed above.

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Shapes that can Contribute to Underestimation of Cup Size

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• Breast shapes with lots of fullness above and below the nipple can cause the calculator to underestimate cup size as, while you are measuring around the fullest part of your breasts, you have more tissue than the average shape that is not being measured.
• If you have lots of inner fullness, you may find that the calculator underestimates cup size, as there is lots of tissue between the nipples that you aren't measuring, meaning you have more tissue than the measurements predict.
• If you have tall roots, the calculator may underestimate your cup size, as you have more breast tissue vertically distributed than the average breast shape, so you have more breast tissue than your bust measurements indicate.
• If your breasts are very closely set (particularly in <DD cup sizes), the calculator may underestimate cup size. This is because the gap between your breasts is smaller than average and so your bust measurement will be artificially reduced.
• If you have breast implants, your breasts are likely to both be firm (discussed below) and have lots of upper and lower fullness, increasing the chance that the calculator will underestimate cup size.

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#Ribcage Shape Characteristics

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Ribcage & Body Characteristics that can cause Cup Size to be Overestimated

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If your ribcage is V shaped - wider at the bust level than at the underbust measurement (this includes bone structure and muscle/fat distribution), the calculator is more likely to overestimate your cup size. This is because your bust measurements will be larger than someone with the same breast volume without a V shaped ribcage.

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Ribcage & Body Characteristics that can cause Cup Size to be Underestimated:

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If your ribcage is /\ shaped - wider at the underbust level than at the bust measurement (this includes bone structure and muscle/fat distribution), the calculator is more likely to underestimate your cup size. This is because your bust measurements will be smaller than someone with the same breast volume without a /\ shaped ribcage.

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Breast Composition Characteristics

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• If your breast tissue is soft, the calculator is more likely to overestimate cup size. This is because soft breasts take the shape of the bras they are in and can sometimes "pool" at the bottom of a cup. Sometimes soft tissue needs to be compressed to a degree to allow the breast to be supported properly.
• If your breast tissue is very firm (including if you have breast implants), the calculator is more likely to underestimate cup size. Firm breasts are less likely to take the shape of their bras and so need a bra that does not mould their tissue, which may mean wearing a larger cup size than someone with less firm breasts of the same volume.

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Factors that Affect Band Size

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• Band size may be overestimated by the calculator if you have more body fat around your ribcage, as you may prefer bands to be firmer to provide enough support.
• Band size may also be overestimated if you wear a larger band size, as bra bands get stretchy in larger band sizes.
• Band size may be underestimated if you have a muscular or bony ribcage, as you have less squish on your ribcage so a looser band can still provide enough support.
• If you wear a larger cup size (GG+), you may want to wear snugger bands than someone with a smaller cup size, as your breasts may require greater support. Also, bands tend to get looser with increasing cup size.
• Conversely, if you wear a smaller cup size (<F) you may wish to wear loose bands if you don't require as much support.

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Miscellaneous

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• People with very projected breasts that struggle to find bras to fit them often size up in the cup to get the extra depth they require (and deal with the cups being too wide).