Adult Shoe Size Converter

Shoe sizing systems differ by region. Pick men’s or women’s, then the system your size is in, and this converts it to the other two.

How the sizes relate

All three scales hang off foot length. Each whole US size is about a centimetre of foot across the adult range, and the EU scale counts Paris points (two thirds of a centimetre) along the inside of the shoe, which runs about 1.33 cm longer than the foot:

• Foot length (cm) = US men’s + 18
• UK = US men’s − 0.5, and UK uses the same number for men and women
• US women’s = US men’s + 1.5, so UK = US women’s − 2
• EU = (foot cm + 1.33) × 1.5, again the same for men and women

The panel rounds each scale to the nearest half size.

A lot of charts print “EU = US + 33” for men and “+ 31” for women. That shortcut only holds near a men’s 9. EU climbs one and a half points for every US size, so by a men’s 12 the shortcut is two EU sizes short. The international shoe size converter and the shoe size calculator run the same four lines, so all three pages now agree.

Men’s size chart:

Women’s size chart:

Brand charts wander half a size either side of these, Nike and Adidas included, and many EU makers skip half sizes altogether. Where the EU figure lands on a half and the brand only makes whole sizes, go up.

When to use this converter:

Use it when shopping for shoes from international brands or online retailers that list sizes in a different system than yours.
This is especially useful when ordering shoes from overseas where returning wrong sizes is expensive.

Tips and common mistakes:

• These are approximate conversions. Sizing can vary between brands and even between shoe models within the same brand.
• Always measure your foot length in centimeters or inches and compare to the brand’s specific size chart when available.
• Feet can differ slightly in size – measure both and use the larger foot for sizing.
• Shoe sizes may run differently for athletic shoes vs. dress shoes.