International Shoe Size Converter
8 sizing systems · Men / Women / Kids / Toddler · Foot-length anchored for maximum accuracy
Your Shoe Size
Measure heel-to-toe while standing. Use cm for best accuracy.
Enter your foot length in cm (or select a known size) to see all 8 international sizing systems instantly.
Width Guide & System Explainers
📐 US Shoe Width Guide
Width is the most ignored factor in sizing. EU and JP systems don't use width codes — but your foot still has one.
Tip: New Balance offers the widest range of width options (B → 6E). If you struggle with width, they're your best bet for off-the-shelf availability.
⚡ Does EU shoe sizing use half sizes?
No — and this trips people up constantly when shopping from European brands. The EU Paris-point system progresses in whole numbers only (39, 40, 41…). If you're a true half-size, size up and check the return policy. Many European brands compensate by offering two widths: standard and wide.
System Explainers
Full Reference Charts
Complete size tables for all systems. All values derived from ISO 9407 (Mondopoint) and official brand guides.
| Foot (cm) | EU | US Men | US Women | UK | JP/KR | MX | Mondopoint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 cm | 35 | 3 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 22 | 1.5 | 220 |
| 22.5 cm | 36 | 3.5 | 5 | 3 | 22.5 | 2 | 225 |
| 23 cm | 36 | 4 | 5.5 | 3.5 | 23 | 2.5 | 230 |
| 23.5 cm | 37 | 4.5 | 6 | 4 | 23.5 | 3 | 235 |
| 24 cm | 38 | 5 | 6.5 | 4 | 24 | 3.5 | 240 |
| 24.5 cm | 38 | 5.5 | 7 | 4.5 | 24.5 | 4 | 245 |
| 25 cm | 39 | 6 | 7.5 | 5 | 25 | 4.5 | 250 |
| 25.5 cm | 39 | 6.5 | 8 | 5.5 | 25.5 | 5 | 255 |
| 26 cm | 40 | 7 | 8.5 | 6 | 26 | 5.5 | 260 |
| 26.5 cm | 41 | 7.5 | 9 | 6.5 | 26.5 | 6 | 265 |
| 27 cm | 41 | 8 | 9.5 | 7 | 27 | 6.5 | 270 |
| 27.5 cm | 42 | 8.5 | 10 | 7.5 | 27.5 | 7 | 275 |
| 28 cm | 42 | 9 | 10.5 | 8 | 28 | 7.5 | 280 |
| 28.5 cm | 43 | 9.5 | 11 | 8.5 | 28.5 | 8 | 285 |
| 29 cm | 44 | 10 | 11.5 | 9 | 29 | 8.5 | 290 |
| 29.5 cm | 44 | 10.5 | 12 | 9.5 | 29.5 | 9 | 295 |
| 30 cm | 45 | 11 | — | 10 | 30 | 9.5 | 300 |
| 30.5 cm | 46 | 11.5 | — | 10.5 | 30.5 | 10 | 305 |
| 31 cm | 46 | 12 | — | 11 | 31 | 10.5 | 310 |
| 31.5 cm | 47 | 12.5 | — | 11.5 | 31.5 | 11 | 315 |
| 32 cm | 48 | 13 | — | 12 | 32 | 11.5 | 320 |
| 32.5 cm | 48 | 14 | — | 13 | 32.5 | 12.5 | 325 |
| 33 cm | 49 | 15 | — | 14 | 33 | 13.5 | 330 |
Sources: ISO 9407:1991 (Mondopoint), Brannock Device chart, Nike official size guides, ASICS JP official guide (2024).
The Problem With Every Shoe Size Chart on the Internet
You've been burned by a size chart before. We know. You measure your foot, look at the chart, order the shoe, and it still doesn't fit.
The Cost of Bad Sizing
Sizing-related returns account for roughly 67% to 70% of all online footwear returns (according to 2025 industry data from Perfitt). While brick-and-mortar stores see a 5–10% return rate, online footwear return rates hover between 25% and 40%. It's a logistical nightmare that costs you $15–$33 per return in hidden fees and lost time.
The "Bracketing" Epidemic
To avoid getting stuck with the wrong size, many shoppers now order two or three sizes of the same shoe with the intention of returning the ones that don't fit. While this protects you, it creates a massive environmental and operational cost for the industry.
Why Our Calculator is Different
There is no global standard for shoe sizes. We are dealing with six incompatible systems built over 700 years (US, UK, EU, JP, KR, MX, Mondopoint). Every other "converter" treats this as a math problem. It's not math; it's an interpretation problem.
That's why we anchor everything to the one metric every system shares: your actual foot length in centimeters. Measure your foot once, enter the cm value, and we map it to all 8 systems simultaneously, accurately split by gender and age category.
How to Measure Your Foot at Home (The Right Way)
Most online guides skip the details that actually matter. Here is the definitive way to get the measurement you need for our converter.
The 3-Step Process
- 1
Time It Right & Stand Up
Feet swell up to 8mm throughout the day. Measure in the late afternoon or evening. Place a piece of paper against a wall on a hard floor. Stand on it with your full weight, wearing the socks you intend to wear, and press your heel against the wall.
- 2
Find Your Longest Toe
Mark the tip of your longest toe on the paper. Crucial detail: Your longest toe is not always your big toe. Roughly 10–20% of people have a "Morton's toe" (where the second toe is longer).
- 3
Measure in Centimeters
Measure the distance from the edge of the paper (the wall) to your mark in centimeters. Do this for both feet, and use the larger measurement. This cm value is your JP/KR size and the anchor input for our calculator.
The Hidden Measurement: Heel-to-Ball
The standard Brannock Device you see in shoe stores actually measures three things: overall length, width, and heel-to-ball length. The distance from your heel to the ball of your foot determines where your foot naturally flexes. If a shoe bends in a different place than your foot does, you'll experience arch fatigue, heel slip, and eventual pain. While you can't easily measure this at home, it explains why a shoe that is the "correct length" might still feel terribly wrong.
The "Remove the Insole" Hack
Want to know if an online purchase will actually fit? Take the insole out of a pair of shoes that fits you perfectly. Stand on it. There should be exactly a thumb's width (about 1 to 1.5 cm) of space between your longest toe and the front edge of the insole. If you can, measure the length of this insole and compare it directly to the manufacturer's cm size chart.
700 Years of Disagreement: Where Each Sizing System Came From
Why doesn't the world just agree on one shoe size system? Because they were all invented hundreds of years apart, using completely different underlying logic.
The Barleycorn System (US/UK)
In 1324, England's King Edward II decreed that an inch was the length of "three grains of barley, dry and round, placed end-to-end." To this day, a full size jump in UK and US sizing equals one barleycorn (⅓ of an inch).
The US system was adapted from the UK, shifting the scale by about one size for men and 1.5 sizes for women. This system was later standardized by the Brannock Device in the 1920s. Both systems measure the length of the wooden mold (the last), not your foot.
The Paris Point System (EU)
Adopted in France after the French Revolution formalized the metric system, the European sizing scale uses the "Paris point." One Paris point equals ⅔ of a centimeter (6.67mm).
Like the US/UK system, EU sizes measure the last length plus an allowance for toe room, which is why an EU 42 does not mean a 42cm foot. The EU system does not use half sizes—the gap between a 42 and 43 is exactly one Paris point (6.67mm).
Mondopoint (The Scientific Answer)
Created by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 9407) in the 1970s, Mondopoint measures foot length and width directly in millimeters (e.g., 280/110).
It is the most rational system in existence, completely bypassing the "last" problem. Unsurprisingly, it is almost entirely ignored by consumer retail, with the exception of ski boots, NATO military boots, and some Japanese/Chinese sizing standard derivatives.
Regional Sizing Quirks You Should Know
- Indian Shoe Sizes = UK Sizes: If you are shopping in India, your local size is exactly the same as the UK size. No conversion math is necessary.
- Chinese Sizing: China often uses a system based on foot length in millimeters (e.g., 240, 245, 250), which is essentially Mondopoint without the width component.
- Mexican (MX) Sizing: Derived from old military standards, MX sizing follows the US Men's system but runs roughly 1.5 sizes smaller (an MX 7 is roughly a US Men's 8.5).
The "Shoe Last": Why EU 42 Doesn't Always Mean EU 42
The biggest secret in footwear manufacturing is why two shoes with the exact same size number can fit completely differently.
What is a Shoe Last?
A last is the physical 3D mold around which a shoe is constructed. Historically carved from wood, they are now typically made from high-density plastic or 3D-printed materials.
The last dictates the shoe's entire internal geometry—over 100 points of measurement including the toe-box volume, forefoot width, instep height, and heel seat depth. When you buy a "Size US 10", you aren't buying a shoe that is 10 inches long; you are buying a shoe that was built around a specific brand's "Size 10 last."
Our converter gives you the correct size number. But whether the shoe actually fits your foot depends entirely on the shape of the last.
How Major Brands Compare (Fit Tendencies)
Generally known to run narrow with a lower instep. Models like the Air Force 1, however, often run ~0.5 size large due to a wider, bulkier lifestyle last.
Tends to run slightly smaller and narrower than Nike in their performance running lines. Many buyers size up 0.5 for a comfortable fit.
Often fits very true to size. They are famous for offering multiple widths on their standard lasts, making them the go-to for wider feet.
True to size in length but often features a snug, locked-in heel. Runners frequently size up 0.5 to accommodate foot swelling during activity.
Width: The Dimension Every Shoe Size Chart Ignores
Most sizing problems aren't caused by length; they are caused by volume. Here is how width sizing actually works across brands.
The US width system uses a lettering scale. For men, "D" is standard, while for women, "B" is standard. Each step up in width (e.g., from D to 2E) typically represents an extra ⅛ inch of width across the ball of the foot.
Crucially, the EU system does not use width measurements. There is no official "EU 42 Narrow" or "EU 42 Wide." If a European shoe brand offers wide options, they are doing it based on their own internal guidelines, not an international standard.
| Brand | Max Men's Width | Max Women's Width |
|---|---|---|
| New Balance | 6E (Extra Extra Wide) | 4E |
| Brooks | 4E | 2E |
| ASICS | 4E (Select models) | D / 2E (Varies) |
| Saucony | 4E (Select models) | 2E |
| Nike / Adidas | 2E (Very limited) | Wide (Limited) |
US Width Scale Reference
Very rare. Rarely stocked even by specialty retailers.
Sometimes labeled 'N' (Narrow). Common for women's dress shoes.
Standard women's width in the US. Most women's shoes default to B.
Standard men's width. Most men's shoes sold in the US default to D.
Labeled 'W' by many brands (New Balance, Brooks, ASICS). Common for men.
Available from New Balance, Saucony, and specialty retailers. Often special-order.
Rare. New Balance offers the widest range; they stock up to 6E in some models.
Your Shoe Size Isn't Permanent: When and Why Adult Feet Change
Don't assume the shoe size you wore at 25 is the same size you need at 45. While adult feet don't "grow" bones, their shape and size change dramatically over time.
Aging & Arch Collapse
As you age, the ligaments and tendons that support your arches lose their elasticity. Decades of absorbing 2–3x your body weight with every step causes the arch to slowly flatten. As the arch drops, the foot spreads out, making it both longer and wider. The fat pads on your soles also thin out, changing how your foot interacts with the shoe.
Pregnancy (Permanent Changes)
During pregnancy, the body releases a hormone called relaxin to loosen ligaments for childbirth. This affects ligaments everywhere—including the feet. Combined with increased body weight, the arches often flatten permanently. A 2013 NIH study confirmed that many women need a half to full size larger shoe permanently after their first pregnancy.
Diabetes & Medical Sizing
For individuals with diabetes, proper sizing is critical. Diabetic neuropathy reduces sensation, meaning you might not feel a shoe that is too tight. Constant pressure can cause dangerous blisters or ulcers. Conditions like Charcot foot can also dramatically alter foot shape. The CDC advises diabetics to have their feet measured regularly by a professional.
Weight Fluctuations
Significant weight gain places sustained, extreme pressure on the structure of the foot. The mechanism is identical to aging—the arch flattens and spreads to support the new load—but it happens much faster. If you experience significant weight changes, assume your shoe size has changed with it.
Children's Shoe Sizing: The Growth Rate Guide for Parents
Children’s feet grow in spurts and they often lack the sensory maturity to tell you when a shoe is too tight. Here is how to keep up.
The "EU Scale Break" No One Explains
If you are buying international kids' brands, beware: Children's EU sizing runs on a completely different scale than adult EU sizes.
A child's EU 35 does not have the same internal foot length as an adult EU 35. The child scale runs up through approximately EU 38 (depending on the brand) before transitioning to the adult scale. Our converter uses separate lookup tables for Kids and Toddlers (built from Nike and ASICS official charts) specifically to account for this scale break.
How Much "Growing Room" is Safe?
Podiatrists recommend leaving about 1 to 1.5 cm (roughly a thumb's width) of space between the longest toe and the front of the shoe. While it’s tempting to buy shoes a few sizes too big to make them last longer, excessive room causes tripping, gait instability, and blisters from the foot sliding inside the shoe.
When to Measure
Measure every 6–8 weeks. Feet grow half a size every 2–3 months.
Measure every 3–4 months. Growth slows slightly but remains rapid.
Measure every 4–6 months until the early teen years.
Beyond Sneakers: Sizing for Ski Boots, Hiking, and Orthotics
Standard shoe size logic falls apart when you move into specialty and performance footwear.
Ski Boot Sizing (Mondopoint)
Ski boots are the one mainstream consumer product that actively uses the Mondopoint system. Your Mondo size is exactly your foot length in centimeters (e.g., a 26.5 cm foot takes a 26.5 Mondo boot).
Crucial rule: Never use your street shoe size for ski boots. Most skiers require a boot that is 1–2 sizes "smaller" than their sneaker size because performance boots are designed to fit the foot perfectly with no extra comfort room.
Hiking Boots
Unlike ski boots, hiking boots require extra room. Your feet will swell significantly over miles of walking, and you will likely be wearing thicker socks.
It is standard practice to size up a half size for hiking boots. The "remove the insole" test is vital here: stand on the removed insole to guarantee a full thumb's width of toe clearance to prevent toe-bang on downhill descents.
Orthotics & Dress Shoes
If you wear custom orthotics, they take up substantial volume inside the shoe. You may need to purchase a half size larger to accommodate the insole without crushing your instep.
Dress shoes and formal leather footwear generally run narrower and shorter than athletic sneakers. While high-quality leather will stretch and mold to your foot over time, "breaking in" should never cause actual pain. If it hurts immediately, the size is wrong.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most common sizing confusions.