Shoe Size Conversion Table
| Foot (cm) | EU | US men | US women | UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22.5 | 36 | 4 | 5.5 | 3.5 |
| 23.0 | 37 | 4.5 | 6 | 4 |
| 23.5 | 38 | 5 | 6.5 | 4.5 |
| 24.0 | 38-39 | 5.5 | 7 | 5 |
| 24.5 | 39 | 6 | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| 25.0 | 40 | 7 | 8.5 | 6 |
| 25.4 | 40-41 | 7.5 | 9 | 6.5 |
| 25.7 | 41 | 8 | 9.5 | 7 |
| 26.0 | 41-42 | 8.5 | 10 | 7.5 |
| 26.7 | 42 | 9 | 10.5 | 8 |
| 27.0 | 43 | 9.5 | 11 | 8.5 |
| 27.3 | 43-44 | 10 | 11.5 | 9 |
| 27.9 | 44 | 10.5 | 12 | 9.5 |
| 28.6 | 45 | 11.5 | 13 | 10.5 |
| 29.0 | 46 | 12 | 13.5 | 11 |
Shoe sizes are four national dialects describing one foot: a US women's 8.5 is a UK 7 is an EU 41 is 26 centimeters of actual foot - and the centimeter is the only one of the four that cannot lie, because it measures the thing instead of naming a category. The table below lines them all up from 22.5 cm to 29 cm, and the converter turns any measurement into its best guess in every dialect at once.
Bottom line: measure your foot in centimeters (heel to longest toe, standing, at day's end when feet are biggest) and buy to that number - a 26.7 cm foot is a US men's 9 / women's 10.5 / UK 8 / EU 42. When the chart says two EU sizes for one row, take the larger if you have wide feet or thicker socks; EU's odd-number system runs about two-thirds of a US size per step.
The honest part: every column in this table is a convention, and conventions drift - brands vary by up to half a size from the chart in both directions (Italian dress shoes run narrow and long, running sneakers run short and wide), and there is no international standard enforcing any of it. The table gets you the right starting size to try; only the fitting stool confirms it.
How to use
- Stand on paper against a wall, mark the longest toe, and measure heel-to-mark in centimeters - do it at day's end.
- Find your cm row in the table, or type it into the converter for the closest match in all four systems.
- Buy the cm-matched size in your brand, then trust your foot over the label - the chart starts the fitting, it does not finish it.
Frequently asked questions
How do US women's and men's shoe sizes relate?
US women's sizes run exactly 1.5 numbers above men's for the same foot: a women's 8.5 is a men's 7 (both are 25.4 cm, a UK 6.5). The gap exists because the two scales started as separate grade rules a century ago and never merged - which is why a unisex sneaker in 'men's 7' fits the woman who wears 8.5. Kids' sizes continue below men's 1 (youth scales stop around a 7 US men's equivalent at 24.8 cm), and the UK runs a full number below US men's across the whole range.
Why do EU sizes look so random?
European sizes count the last - the foot-shaped mold - in Paris points (two-thirds of a centimeter), not the foot itself, so the numbers step oddly (37, 38, 39...) and two brands molding slightly different lasts disagree. The Mondopoint system (millimeters of foot length) is the ISO standard that actually measures you, and it is what ski boots and running-shoe boxes increasingly print. EU 42 lands anywhere from 26.5 to 27.3 cm depending on whose last it came from - the cm column is the honest one.
How much does shoe size change during the day?
Feet swell up to about half a size over a day on your feet - which is why shoe fitters measure in the late afternoon and why morning-bought shoes feel tight by dinner. Pregnancy, weight change, and age (ligaments relax, arches drop) all shift sizes permanently; most adults drift up half to a full size from their twenties. The practical rule: buy for your biggest foot, measured late, in the socks you'll actually wear with the shoe.
What is the difference between length and width sizing?
Length sizes assume a standard width ratio; US width letters (AA to EEEE) and the UK's fit fittings adjust for the rest. Two feet of identical length can need different sizes because the volume differs - a wide foot in a long-narrow size crushes the toes sideways even when the length is right. If your feet overhang the sole's edge or the ball pinches while length feels fine, you need a width, not a longer shoe - and EU sizing mostly ignores width entirely, which is part of why conversions feel approximate.