How to Find Your Shoe Size When Shopping Internationally
Three scales, none of them derived from a measurement anyone can check, and two of them differing between men and women. The Shoe Size Converter handles US, UK, EU and centimetres.
Where the scales come from
UK sizes count in barleycorns - a third of an inch - starting from a child's size. Each full size is a third of an inch of foot length, and the half sizes are a sixth.
US sizes use the same third-of-an-inch step but start from a different point, which is why a US men's size is about one and a half larger than the equivalent UK size. A UK 8 is a US 9.5.
EU sizes count in Paris points, two thirds of a centimetre, and measure the length of the *last* - the shoe's internal form - rather than the foot. So they advance faster, and there are no half sizes in the system, which is why a well-fitting EU size can be hard to find.
Women's sizing adds another offset. A US women's size is about 1.5 larger than the US men's size for the same foot, so a US women's 9 is roughly a US men's 7.5. The UK scale is closer to shared between the sexes but not identical, and the EU scale is the same for both.
Measure instead
Since none of these scales is anchored to anything you can verify, the reliable approach is to measure your foot and shop by centimetres, which most Asian brands quote directly and most Western brands publish in a size chart.
Stand on paper against a wall, mark the longest toe, measure heel to mark. Do it late in the day, when feet are at their largest, and measure both - a difference of half a size between feet is common, and you buy for the larger one.
Then add about a centimetre of room for walking and a little more for running. A foot that measures 26 cm wants a shoe with about 27 cm of internal length.
Why conversion charts still disappoint
Because the last matters more than the number. Two shoes in the same stated size from different makers can differ by a half size, and a brand that cuts narrow will feel a size small to a wide foot regardless of the chart.
So treat a converted size as the first one to try, not the answer. If a brand publishes its own chart in centimetres, that beats any general conversion, and if it publishes reviews mentioning fit, those beat the chart. The Length Converter covers the inches-to-centimetres side if a chart only gives one.
Common questions
How much bigger is a US size than a UK size?
About 1.5 sizes for men's shoes. A UK 9 is a US 10.5.
Why do EU sizes have no halves?
Because the Paris point step is already smaller than a third of an inch. In practice brands sometimes offer a half anyway.
Are children's sizes on the same scale?
They restart, and there is a crossover point where a child's and an adult's size share a number. Always check which chart you are reading.
Does width have a size?
In the US and UK, yes - letters from narrow to wide. The EU system has no width designation at all.
Need a size in a different system?