Your shoe size comes from one number: the length of your foot from the back of the heel to the tip of the longest toe. Measure it in inches or centimeters, then look it up in the shoe size conversion chart, which lists foot length next to US, UK, EU and Japanese sizes.
What you need
- A sheet of paper bigger than your foot (letter-size works for most adults)
- A pencil held straight up
- A ruler or tape measure
- The socks you’ll wear with the shoes
Step by step
- Tape the paper to a hard floor, with one short edge against a wall.
- Stand on it with your heel against the wall and your weight on that foot. Standing matters: your foot spreads and lengthens under your weight.
- Mark the tip of your longest toe. Keep the pencil vertical, or ask someone to do it. On many people the second toe is the longest.
- Measure from the wall edge to the mark, in inches or centimeters.
- Do both feet. Most people’s feet differ slightly. Use the longer measurement.
- Find your size in the chart. If you fall between two sizes, take the larger one.
Need to switch units? 1 inch = 2.54 cm exactly. The cm to inches converter does it for any value.
Measure at the right time
Feet swell during the day, so measure in the late afternoon or evening. A size that fits in the morning can pinch by dinner.
Why sizes don’t always match
There is no single worldwide shoe size standard. Brands use different lasts (the foot-shaped forms shoes are built on), and athletic shoes often run smaller than dress shoes. That’s why foot length is the most reliable number to keep. Many brands publish their own length-to-size table, so check it when you buy online.
Women’s and men’s US sizes also differ for the same foot. In our conversion chart a women’s size is one size larger than the men’s (a women’s 8 is a men’s 7). Some brands use a difference of 1.5 sizes, so check the brand’s own table for unisex shoes.
Width
If shoes in your size feel tight across the ball of the foot, you may need a wide fit. To check, measure across the widest part of your foot while standing, and compare it with the brand’s width guide (in the US, B is medium for women and D for men; wider fits go up through E, 2E and so on).
Measuring kids’ feet
- Measure while the child is standing. Toddlers curl their toes, so check that the toes are flat.
- Leave about a thumb’s width (around 1/2 inch, or 1 to 1.5 cm) between the longest toe and the end of the shoe for growth.
- Young children’s feet grow quickly. Re-measure every few months.
The kids’ shoe size chart covers baby, toddler and big-kid sizes with foot length in inches and centimeters.