How to Measure Your Foot Size at Home (in cm and Inches)

To measure your foot for shoe size, stand on a sheet of paper with your heel against a wall, mark the tip of your longest toe, and measure from the wall to the mark in centimetres or inches. Measure both feet, in the evening and while standing, then use the measurement of the longer foot, because most people have one foot slightly bigger than the other.

What you need

• A sheet of paper larger than your foot (A4 or US Letter works for most adults).
• A pen or pencil.
• A ruler or tape measure with centimetres or inches.
• A hard floor and a straight wall. Carpet lets the paper shift and adds error.
• The socks you plan to wear with the shoes. Thick sports socks and thin trainer socks can make a noticeable difference.

A second person makes the job easier, since it is hard to keep your weight on the foot while bending down to mark the paper. If you are on your own, it can still be done with a little care.

How do you measure your foot for shoe size?

1. Tape the paper to the floor with one short edge pressed flat against the wall.
2. Stand on the paper with your heel touching the wall. Keep your foot straight, pointing away from the wall, not angled.
3. Put your weight on that foot. Stand normally, as your foot spreads slightly under your body weight.
4. Mark the tip of your longest toe. Hold the pen straight up and down, touching the side of the toe. Tilting the pen under the toe makes the reading too short, and tilting it outwards makes it too long.
5. Step off and measure in a straight line from the edge of the paper at the wall to your mark. Write it down.
6. Repeat for the other foot.
7. Measure twice if the numbers look odd. A difference of a few millimetres between attempts is normal. Take the larger reading.

Measuring the width too

If you often find shoes tight across the front, measure the width at the widest part of your foot, usually across the ball just behind the toes. Mark both sides while standing and measure the distance between them. Width sizing varies a lot between brands, but knowing that your feet are wide or narrow helps you read reviews and product notes with more confidence.

Which foot do you measure?

Measure both. It is common for one foot to be a little longer than the other, and it is not always the same side for everyone. Always choose shoes for the larger foot. A shoe that is slightly roomy on one side can be adjusted with lacing or an insole, but a shoe that is too short will pinch no matter what you do.

When is the best time to measure your feet?

Late afternoon or evening is best. Feet tend to swell a little over the day, especially after walking or standing for a long time, and shoes that fit perfectly in the morning can feel tight by evening. Measuring later gives you a size that stays comfortable all day.

It is also worth measuring again every so often rather than relying on the size you have always bought. Feet can change shape and length over the years.

How to convert your measurement into a shoe size

Once you have a length in centimetres or inches, you can match it to a size. If you measured in inches, multiply by 2.54 to get centimetres. For example, a foot of 10.5 in is 26.7 cm.

Different sizing systems count in different steps:

• UK and US sizes go up in steps of one-third of an inch (about 8.5 mm) per full size, so a half size is roughly 4 mm.
• EU sizes go up in steps of two-thirds of a centimetre (about 6.7 mm), which is why EU sizes don’t line up neatly with UK and US half sizes.
• Mondopoint, used for ski boots and some other footwear, is simply the foot length in millimetres.

The quickest way to get from a length to a size is our shoe size converter, which also switches between UK, US and EU sizes for men and women. As a rough guide, a men’s UK size is about one below the US size, and a women’s UK size is about two below the US size, though some brands use two and a half. A women’s US size is roughly one and a half sizes above the men’s US size for the same foot.

Why brand charts still matter

Brands can differ by up to half a size for the same foot length, because each one builds its shoes on its own lasts (the foot-shaped moulds shoes are made around). Where a brand publishes a length-based chart, trust it over a general conversion. Our main size guide has charts for clothing and accessories as well as shoes.

How much room should you leave in a shoe?

Most shoes are made slightly longer than the foot they are meant for, so the size that matches your foot length already includes some space. When you try shoes on, a common rule of thumb is to leave roughly a thumb’s width, around 1 cm to 1.5 cm, between your longest toe and the end of the shoe while standing. Your toes should be able to wiggle, and your heel should not lift much when you walk.

Trainers (sneakers) for running or long walks often feel better with a little extra room, as feet swell during exercise. Everyday casual trainers can sit closer to your measured size.

Common measuring mistakes

• Measuring while sitting down. Your foot is shorter and narrower without weight on it.
• Only measuring one foot. If you picked the smaller one, every pair will feel tight on the other side.
• Measuring to the big toe. On many people the second toe is longer.
• Angling the pen. Keep it vertical, or your mark will land in the wrong place.
• Using an old shoe size. Sizes vary between brands, and feet change over time, so the number inside an old pair is only a clue.

If you are between two sizes, the larger one is usually the safer choice for trainers, especially if you wear thicker socks. When you have your size, you can see our trainers in the shop.

FAQs

Should I measure my feet with socks on?

Yes, if you will wear socks with the shoes. Put on the kind of socks you normally wear with that style, since a thick sock can add a few millimetres all round.

Can I measure the insole of an old shoe instead?

You can use it as a cross-check, but insoles already include some extra length, and they can be curved or compressed. Measuring your actual foot gives you a cleaner number to convert.

What if my two feet are different sizes?

Buy for the larger foot. You can take up a little space in the other shoe with firmer lacing or a thin insole, which is far more comfortable than squeezing the bigger foot.

Is foot length the same as shoe length?

No. Shoe size labels refer to a size system rather than the inside length of the shoe, and the shoe itself is built slightly longer than the foot. That is why you convert from foot length using a chart instead of measuring the shoe.

How accurate is measuring at home?

It is accurate enough for choosing a size if you stand, keep the pen upright and measure twice. Small errors of a millimetre or two rarely change the size you land on, though they can matter if you sit right between two sizes.