Cherry Size
Data: the Cherry Size catalogue of 617 bra brands, October 2026. Each share counts only the brands with data on that point; the others are left out.
Band fit: tight is the most common verdict
290 of the 617 brands have a band verdict drawn from fit reports. 141 run tight (49%), 90 are true to size (31%) and 59 run loose (20%): tight bands outnumber loose ones by more than two to one. The 327 brands without a band verdict are left out of these shares.
Band fit of 290 bra brands
- Tight 141 (49%)
- True to size 90 (31%)
- Loose 59 (20%)
Examples Tight: Panache, Wacoal America, Bravissimo · True to size: SKIMS, ThirdLove, Penti · Loose: Freya, Victoria's Secret, Lindex
Cup fit: small is the most common verdict
292 brands have a cup verdict. 142 run small (49%), 104 are true to size (36%) and 46 run large (16%). The other 325 have none and are left out.
Cup fit of 292 bra brands
- Small 142 (49%)
- True to size 104 (36%)
- Large 46 (16%)
Examples Small: SKIMS, Victoria's Secret, Wacoal · True to size: Freya, Panache, Wacoal America · Large: Empreinte, Ewa Michalak, Fantasie
Band and cup together
For the 273 brands with both verdicts, the most common pair is a tight band with small cups: 72 brands (26%). Only 49 (18%) are reported true to size in both.
Band verdict × cup verdict, 273 brands
These fit records are the ones the Cherry Size iPhone app works from: from your two measurements, it estimates the size to try at each of the 617 brands.
By category: sport and DTC brands run tight most often
Among the categories with at least 15 band verdicts, sport bras run tight most often (60%, and none of the 20 runs loose), followed by direct-to-consumer brands (58%). Premium brands run tight least often (41%).
Band fit by category
- Tight
- True to size
- Loose
In the cup, full-bust specialists stand apart: 33% of them run large, about twice the average of 16%, and fewer run small (31%, against 49% overall).
Cup fit by category
- Small
- True to size
- Large
By market: cups differ more than bands
The share of tight bands goes from 44% for US brands to 59% for India, Australia and other markets.
Band fit by market
- Tight
- True to size
- Loose
Cups differ more. Japanese brands (68%) and brands from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine (68%) run small most often. European brands are the most likely to run large (22%), partly because most full-bust specialists with a cup verdict are European (35 of 45).
Cup fit by market
- Small
- True to size
- Large
Largest cup: most brands stop at FF
456 brands have a documented largest cup. In UK letters, the usual reference for large cups, 29% stop at DD or smaller, 43% at E, F or FF, 14% reach G or GG and 14% go to H or beyond. Put the other way, only 28% make a G cup or larger.
Largest cup made, 456 brands (UK letters)
- Up to DD 133 (29%)
- E to FF 195 (43%)
- G to GG 62 (14%)
- H and up 66 (14%)
Full-bust specialists go furthest: 86% of them make a G cup or larger, and none stops at DD. Among mass-market brands, 16% do.
Share of brands making a UK G cup or larger, by category
Furthest of all: Bravissimo, Ewa Michalak, Kris Line, up to a UK L cup.
Band range: few brands go below a 30
466 brands have a documented band range (UK band numbers). The smallest band on offer is most often a 30 (46%; EU 65) or a 32 (37%; EU 70). Only 11% start at a 28 (EU 60) or smaller.
Smallest band offered, 466 brands
At the other end, 48% go up to a 44 band (EU 100) or more, and 27% to a 46 (EU 105) or more. Only 27 brands (6%) cover both a 28 and a 44.
Largest band offered, 466 brands
A small band with a large cup is rare: of the 456 brands with both ranges documented, 30 (7%) list a band of 28 or smaller and a UK G cup or larger, not always in the same bra.
Method
- Data. The Cherry Size brand catalogue as of October 2026: 617 bra brands, each with its label system, category, market and, where documented, a fit verdict and a size range. The market is the one the catalogue files the brand under: the Japanese or Chinese line of an international label counts in Japan or China.
- Fit verdicts. A band is recorded as tight, true to size or loose, and cups as small, true to size or large, when the fit reports gathered for the brand agree on a direction. A verdict describes the brand as a whole, against its own size labels.
- Sources. Each of the 309 verdicts comes with a note naming its sources. Sorted by keyword, 285 notes cite community fit reports or customer reviews (106 of them Bratabase, a community database of bra fit reviews), 97 cite fitters, lingerie bloggers or the press, and 41 the brand's own size guide or FAQ. A note often cites several kinds of source.
- Confidence. Each entry is rated high (40), medium (309) or low (268). Only medium and high entries carry a fit verdict. Tight is the most common band verdict at both levels: 76% of the 38 high-confidence band verdicts, 44% of the 252 medium ones.
- Left out. Each share counts only the brands with data on that point: 327 brands have no band verdict, 325 no cup verdict, 161 no documented largest cup and 151 no band range. Categories and markets with fewer than 15 verdicts are not shown on their own.
- Ranges. The band range (smallest and largest UK band) and the largest cup are the sizes the catalogue records for the brand's bras; 144 of the 466 band ranges keep a link to the page they were read from. A given style often comes in fewer sizes.
- Rounding. Shares are rounded to the nearest whole per cent, so a split can add up to 99 or 101.
Limits. Fit varies with the style (a moulded T-shirt bra and a balconette from the same brand can fit differently), the fabric and the shape of each body. A verdict tells you which way the reports lean for a brand, not how each of its bras will fit you: a starting point for trying on, not a rule. This is a study of a catalogue, not a survey of shoppers or a measurement of garments.
Cite this study
Journalists, bloggers and researchers are welcome to use these figures and charts. Please credit Cherry Size and link to this page.
CC BY 4.0 · Data and charts are published under the CC BY 4.0 licence: you may reuse them, including commercially, as long as you credit Cherry Size with a link to this page.
Suggested citation
Cherry Size (2026). Which bra brands run small? A study of 617 brands. Data: Cherry Size brand catalogue, October 2026. https://cherrysize.com/brand-sizing-study/
Summary to paste
A study by Cherry Size of 617 bra brands finds that 49% of the brands with band data run tight, and 49% of those with cup data run small. Only 18% are reported true to size in both band and cup, and 28% of brands make a UK G cup or larger. Method and data: https://cherrysize.com/brand-sizing-study/
Key numbers
- 49% of bra brands with band data run tight in the band (141 of 290); 20% run loose.
- 49% run small in the cup (142 of 292); 16% run large.
- 18% are true to size in both band and cup (49 of 273).
- 28% make a UK G cup or larger (128 of 456); 29% stop at DD or smaller.
- 11% offer a band of 28 or smaller (49 of 466).
Aggregated figures only, in the same groups as on this page: no brand-by-brand rows.
Other cuts of the data, or a question about the method: support.cherrysize.com Press kit
