Shoe Size Conversion Chart: US, UK, EU and CM

You find the right shoes on a London or Berlin shop, reach the size box, and hit a wall of codes: 42, 8.5, 27.1 cm. Shoe sizes were invented country by country, which is why one foot can be a US 9, a UK 8.5 and an EU 42.5 at once. The way out is the one measurement every system is built on — your foot length.

How to Measure Your Foot

You need a sheet of paper bigger than your foot, a pen and a ruler. Two minutes, standing up.

Step 1 — Paper down, heel to the wall

Tape a sheet of paper to the floor, one short edge against the wall. Stand on it, heel to the wall, full weight on the foot — a foot spreads under load, and that loaded length is what a shoe has to fit.

Step 2 — Mark heel and longest toe

Hold the pen upright and mark the paper at your heel and at the tip of your longest toe. Longest, not biggest: for many people the second toe reaches furthest, and an angled pen adds millimetres that are not there.

Step 3 — Measure the line, then the other foot

Step off and measure between the marks. That is your foot length. Repeat on the other foot: most people have one foot up to half a size longer, and buy for the longer one. If ruler fractions blur, our guide on how to read a tape measure decodes every line.

Step 4 — Add a little breathing room

Add 0.5 to 1 cm before opening the chart — that gap is where your toes live when you walk — and measure in the socks you will wear with the shoes. Measure in the evening if you can: feet swell through the day, and an evening figure is the honest worst case. The same measure-the-body habit sits behind our calf measurement guide.

Men’s Shoe Size Conversion Chart

Find your foot length in the last column and read across — the centimetre column is the anchor, since it never changes from shop to shop.

Women’s Shoe Size Conversion Chart

Women’s sizes run on their own scale — the same EU number lands on a different US size than for men, the trap that catches out the most shoppers. Use this chart, never the men’s one.

More measure-first charts: the standard chip bag size chart, Arizona tea can dimensions, and measuring 34 inches.

A Quick Word on Kids’ Sizes

Children’s sizes reset, and that confuses everyone. US kids’ sizes climb to 13.5, then restart at youth 1 — so a “size 1” may be a small youth shoe rather than a toddler’s, and brands slice them differently. Skip the label argument: for children, go by centimetres every time. Measure both feet as above, match the centimetre figure, and leave half a centimetre of growing room, because a perfect fit in September can be a squeeze by Christmas.

Common Mistakes

• Using the men’s chart for women’s shoes. The systems share EU numbers but nothing else: an EU 39 is a men’s US 6.5 yet a women’s US 8. One wrong chart, two sizes of error.
• Converting EU by adding a fixed number. “US plus 33” works near the middle of the men’s chart, then drifts — the gap is 32.5 at US 6 and 34.5 at US 13. The two scales do not grow at the same rate, which is why this chart exists.
• Forgetting socks and width. Thick socks can eat half a size, and the chart measures length only: a wide foot in a narrow shoe pinches whatever the number says. If a brand offers width fittings, use them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EU 42 a US 9 or a 9.5?

Neither, for men: EU 42 is a US men’s 8.5. For women, EU 42 is a US 10. Most confusion around this number comes from reading the other gender’s row — the systems share EU labels but convert them differently.

Does Nike run small?

It depends on the model. Some Nike running lines are cut on a narrow last and feel snug; many everyday trainers fit true to size. Nike publishes its own centimetre-based chart. Your measured centimetres are the safe route: match the cm first, then check the label.

My two feet measure differently. Which size do I buy?

The bigger foot decides. Buy for the longer measurement, comfort allowance included; the smaller foot gets extra room. A full size of difference between feet is common.

Are UK sizes the same as US sizes?

No. For men the UK number runs half to one size below the US number (US 9 = UK 8.5), and for women roughly two sizes below (US 8 = UK 6). Close enough to look interchangeable, far enough apart to hurt by lunchtime.

Why does the same size feel different in two brands?

Because the chart only captures length. Brands build shoes on different lasts — the moulds behind width and shape — so two pairs with the same label can fit differently. That is why a centimetre measurement beats a remembered size every time.