12-07-2012, 03:22 PM
I posted the following back more than a year ago on the topic.
http://www.breastnexus.com/showthread.php?tid=7862
Short summary: Due to the difference in male rib cage shape compared to female rib cage shape, men usually can't measure using the women's rules.
Here's one way to approach it. Measure your underbust. Round it up to an even number if working in inches like many people do. That is your starting band size. Measure over the nipples, either using the more involved method in the post I linked, or just do the usual around the chest over the nipples one, although I don't think it works as well. How well it works isn't a big deal when you understand the how the proper fit magic works for this. If you use the usual around the chest over the nipples one, then use the women's sizing rule for cup size with your band size being your actual underbust size, *without adding anything*.
The magic to getting a proper fit? Whatever method you use, it is only a starting point. There is no standard for the shaping, support, width, projection, compression, or stretch in bras. Pick six random bras with the same bra size on their labels. They will all fit differently. You have to try them to know. The tape measure can only give you a starting point. A bra fitter is likely a much better starting point than a tape measure but unrealistic as an option for most of us. I also think that the band sizing gets more squirrely as the size goes up because they don't use the same ratio of measurement to manufactured size as the smaller band sizes. No doubt this is due the difference in how women put extra inches on in the upper body compared to how men do it.
http://www.breastnexus.com/showthread.php?tid=7862
Short summary: Due to the difference in male rib cage shape compared to female rib cage shape, men usually can't measure using the women's rules.
Here's one way to approach it. Measure your underbust. Round it up to an even number if working in inches like many people do. That is your starting band size. Measure over the nipples, either using the more involved method in the post I linked, or just do the usual around the chest over the nipples one, although I don't think it works as well. How well it works isn't a big deal when you understand the how the proper fit magic works for this. If you use the usual around the chest over the nipples one, then use the women's sizing rule for cup size with your band size being your actual underbust size, *without adding anything*.
The magic to getting a proper fit? Whatever method you use, it is only a starting point. There is no standard for the shaping, support, width, projection, compression, or stretch in bras. Pick six random bras with the same bra size on their labels. They will all fit differently. You have to try them to know. The tape measure can only give you a starting point. A bra fitter is likely a much better starting point than a tape measure but unrealistic as an option for most of us. I also think that the band sizing gets more squirrely as the size goes up because they don't use the same ratio of measurement to manufactured size as the smaller band sizes. No doubt this is due the difference in how women put extra inches on in the upper body compared to how men do it.