# Bra Sizes
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-sizes/151902
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 31, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-sizes/151902 "2003-01-31T17:16:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@empfsu1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/empfsu1)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-sizes/151902/1 "2003-01-31T17:16:55Z")
How come they go from A to B to C to D, then DD, then DDD then E?
It’s not like we’re gonna run out of letters, so why the double an triple D before we move to E???
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### Author:  [@SC\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SC_Wolf)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2003, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-sizes/151902/2 "2003-01-31T19:13:37Z")
There’s no universal industry standard. What one manufacturer calls DD, another manufacturer might actually call E (This is rare). A triple-D from one manufacturer may be equivlent to a second manufacturer’s F. In that case, the size that the first manufactuer calls F equates to the second manufacturer’s G.
What it boils down to though, is that once you get to the high end of the bell curve that reperesents the distribution of sizes, the customer’s only real option is some hands-on fitting work by a lingere salesman.
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-sizes/151902/3 "2003-01-31T19:25:28Z")
Same reason why we have Small, Medium, Large, and then XL, XXL, XXXL, rather than Small, Medium, Large, Enormosu, Majestic, Oh My God It’s Moving… beyond a certain point, the people making the decisions as to how to label things didn’t want to deal with the fact that there’s some huge ones out there… they thought that four sizes should be plenty. :rolleyes:
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### Author:  [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-sizes/151902/4 "2003-01-31T19:38:09Z")
Different manufacturers use different letter schemes – see Cecil’s[What’s the world’s largest commercially available bra size (revisited)?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/000714.html) for more details.
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### Author:  [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-sizes/151902/5 "2003-01-31T19:38:24Z")
…which led to the zebra.
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### Author:  [@squid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squid)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-sizes/151902/6 "2003-01-31T19:53:52Z")
Different sizes for different companies. I like it when i go to a fast food place and ask for a “small” drink. They reply with “we don’t have small, we only have medium, large and XL”. That always leads me to saying “OK I’ll have the smallest size you sell”. I guess i am changing the OP a bit.
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### Author:  [@merge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merge)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2003, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-sizes/151902/7 "2003-01-31T20:41:28Z")
Why is DDD bigger than D, but AAA is smaller than A???
Ethilrist
lol… that was good
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### Author:  [@squid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squid)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-sizes/151902/8 "2003-01-31T20:46:06Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by merge \*
> \*\*Why is DDD bigger than D, but AAA is smaller than A???
> Ethilrist
> lol… that was good \*\*
Are you talking about batteries. These’s AA and AAA. Where did the A battery go?:dubious:
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### Author:  [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2003, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-sizes/151902/9 "2003-01-31T22:18:05Z")
Cecil reviews the AWOL battery sizes in [How Come You Never See Any B Batteries?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_005b.html)
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### Author:  [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)
#### Post date: [February 1, 2003, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-sizes/151902/10 "2003-02-01T00:04:07Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by SC\_Wolf \*
> … the customer’s only real option is some hands-on fitting work by a lingere salesman.
I bet **he** has a great job, always busy, always with **his** hands full …
😃
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### Author:  [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)
#### Post date: [February 1, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bra-sizes/151902/11 "2003-02-01T00:39:39Z")
My car has a bra on it. I assume it’s a 52 ZZ?