How to measure your bust or chest at home, with a tape, a string or your phone

No measuring tape? Prop your phone, turn around twice, and the Silai scanner takes every measurement on this page in about two minutes, free, for men and women. Try the scanner

How to measure, step by step

Wear what you will wear under the garment: for women a normal, non-padded bra and a thin top or nothing over it; for men a t-shirt or bare skin. A padded bra or a sweater adds 3 to 6 cm that the tailor will faithfully build into the garment.
Stand straight in front of a mirror, feet together, arms relaxed at your sides. Raised arms lift the tape and shrink the reading.
Find the fullest point. For women that is across the nipple line; for men it is the same line across the pectorals. Wrap a soft tape around it, passing under the arms and across the shoulder blades at the back.
Make the tape level, parallel to the floor all the way round. The commonest error is a tape that dips at the back; the mirror shows it.
Pull it snug, not tight: the tape should sit against the body with room to slide half a finger underneath. Breathe normally and read at the end of a normal breath out, not with your chest puffed.
Read the number where the tape overlaps, to the half centimetre. Measure twice; if the two readings differ by more than 1 cm, take a third and use the middle one.
Write it down with its unit and date. If you are ordering online, compare it with the brand's chart; if you are ordering from a tailor, send the body number and let them add ease.

The companion measurements

Use a soft tape over thin clothing. Give body measurements only; the tailor adds ease for the style you choose.

Underbust or bra band: around the ribcage directly under the bust, tape level and snug. The gap between bust and underbust tells a tailor how much shaping a bodice needs, and it is the number Silai uses to calibrate the phone scan.
Upper bust or high bust: above the bust, under the arms, across the top of the chest. Used for blouses and princess-cut bodices so the neckline lies flat instead of gaping.
Chest width (front): across the front from armpit crease to armpit crease, tape flat. Shirts and jackets are drafted from it.
Back width: across the back between the same two creases, taken with the arms slightly forward. Sets how much room you have to reach forward in a fitted jacket or blouse.
Bicep: around the fullest part of the upper arm, arm relaxed. A fitted sleeve with no bicep measurement is the usual reason a blouse pinches.

Bust and chest size chart

Size	Women's bust	Men's chest	Blouse or kurta label
XS	78 to 82 cm (31 to 32 in)		32
S	83 to 87 cm (33 to 34 in)	86 to 91 cm (34 to 36 in)	34 to 36
M	88 to 93 cm (35 to 37 in)	92 to 99 cm (36 to 39 in)	36 to 38
L	94 to 99 cm (37 to 39 in)	100 to 107 cm (39 to 42 in)	38 to 40
XL	100 to 106 cm (39 to 42 in)	108 to 115 cm (42 to 45 in)	40 to 42
XXL	107 to 114 cm (42 to 45 in)	116 to 124 cm (46 to 49 in)	42 to 46

Body measurements, before any ease. Indian blouse and kurta sizes are simply the bust or chest in inches: a 36 blouse is cut for a 36 inch (91 cm) bust. Men's kurta and sherwani sizes work the same way on the chest.

Why it matters

The bust or chest is the lead measurement for every garment worn above the waist. Size charts, pattern blocks and tailors all start there, then shape down to the waist and out to the hips. Get it wrong by 3 cm and a blouse either gapes at the front or will not close; a kurta pulls across the chest or hangs like a tent.

The relationship between the bust and its neighbours matters as much as the number itself. Bust minus underbust decides how much shaping the front needs and, for a fitted blouse or anarkali, whether darts or princess seams are the better cut. Bust versus hips decides whether a kameez or dress can be straight or must flare. A tailor who has all three can cut without a fitting.

Ease is added afterwards, and it is the tailor's job, not yours. A saree blouse carries 2 to 5 cm of ease, a kurta 8 to 12 cm, a shirt 10 to 15 cm, a jacket or sherwani 12 to 18 cm. Sending a body measurement with room already added is the classic way to receive something a size too big.

Mistakes that ruin the fit

Pulling the tape tight enough to compress. A snug tape gives the body measurement; a tight one gives a smaller garment.
Letting the tape drop at the back. It should cross the shoulder blades at the same height as the front.
Measuring over a padded bra, a sports bra that compresses, or a thick top.
Holding the breath in, or standing with the chest thrown out.
Measuring the band and calling it the bust: the two can differ by 10 to 20 cm.
Raised elbows or hands on hips, which lift the tape above the fullest point.

Or skip the tape entirely

Scan yourself with your phone camera on Silai: about 2 minutes, free, no tape and no second person. You get every measurement on this page, and you can see your own sheet right now, no account needed.

Try the scanner free How the scan works

Common questions

Should I measure my bust with a bra on?

Yes, in the bra you will wear under that garment, as long as it is not padded. The tailor is fitting the shape you will actually have inside the outfit. For a padded blouse or a specific bridal bra, wear that one.

Is bust measurement the same as cup size?

No. Bra size has two parts: the band, which is the underbust measurement, and the cup, which is the difference between bust and underbust (roughly one cup letter per 2.5 cm or one inch). A 36C and a 34D share a bust measurement but not a band.

What is the difference between bust and chest?

Only the word. Both are the girth around the fullest part of the chest at nipple level, tape level under the arms. Women's charts say bust, men's charts say chest, and tailors use both.

How do men measure chest for a kurta or sherwani?

Arms relaxed at the sides, tape around the fullest part of the chest at nipple level, level at the back across the shoulder blades, snug after a normal breath out. Give the tailor that number; the kurta size on the label is that chest in inches and the tailor adds the ease.

How much bigger than my bust should a blouse be?

The finished blouse is usually 2 to 5 cm bigger than the body at the bust for a fitted saree blouse, more for a loose style. That is the tailor's decision, so send the body measurement, not a padded one.

Can I measure my bust without a measuring tape?

Yes: wrap a non-stretch string or a phone cable level around the fullest point, pinch the overlap and lay the string against a ruler or the long edge of an A4 sheet (29.7 cm). Or let the Silai phone scan read it; the bust, underbust and upper chest come from a two minute scan.

More body measurement guides

Body measurement chart: what size am I? · How to measure your waist · How to measure your hips · How to measure your inseam and trouser length · How to measure sleeve length and arm length · How to measure shoulder width

Measuring for a garment? Saree blouse measurements · Kurta size chart, sizing and measurements · Lehenga measurements · Salwar kameez measurements · Gown and anarkali measurements · What measurements does a tailor need?