Bra Size 42: The 42 Band

The band number is a ribcage measurement. Wrap a tape snugly around the torso directly under the breasts, level all the way round, on a normal exhale, and read it: 41 or 42 inches is a 42 band. Nothing is added. Charts that add four or five inches would call the same ribcage a 46, which is why so many people have worn a 46 band that rides up and a cup two letters too small; the methodology page explains why this site never adds inches.

A snug tape reading of 41 rounds up to the 42; a reading of 43 rounds up to the 44. When the tape lands on the odd number it is worth trying both neighboring bands with the cup adjusted a letter, which is what sister sizes are for. Bands are cut in two-inch steps because the elastic covers the inch between; a 42 on the loosest hook fits 41 and 42, and the tighter hooks are there for when the elastic relaxes.

A sister size holds the same cup volume on a different band: one band down and one cup up, or one band up and one cup down. The table shows two steps in each direction from every 42 size, which is as far as sister sizing is useful; beyond that the band is four inches from your ribcage and no cup letter fixes it. Use the first step when a brand runs tight or loose, or when the cups fit and the band does not. Use the second only to understand why a 46 with a small cup never fitted.

The sister size calculator explains which direction to step from any symptom; the bra too big and bra too small pages read the signs.

The 42 band is a full-figure core band, well served in the middle cups. Mass-market lines still cut it, usually to a DDD, and full-figure and full-bust specialists cut it to a K, so the size you can find depends on the cup more than the band. A 42B or 42C is easy; a 42G is a specialist purchase. Two things change at this band. Wires get wider, because cups at the same letter are broader on a larger ribcage, and bands get taller, because a wider wing distributes load better on a softer torso. A 42 band that rides up is loose; a 42 band that folds is usually too short in the wing rather than too small.

Brands whose charts cut the 42: Elomi, Cacique, Parfait, Fantasie, Curvy Kate, Playtex, Bali, Hanes and Wacoal. Each brand page on this site lists the exact band and cup range and notes how that brand’s 42 runs; the best bras by size hub groups them by the cup you need.