The number is an approximation. The measurement is not.
The number changes from brand to brand and says nothing about width. Here is the method we use at the bench, repeatable at home in two minutes.
Before you start
- Measure at the end of the day: the foot is at its fullest, and that is the measurement to build on.
- Wear the socks you would wear with that kind of shoe.
- Measure both feet. They are almost always different: the larger one counts.
- Stay standing, weight on both feet. Sitting down, the foot shortens.
How to measure
- Step 1
Put the sheet against the wall
An A4 sheet on the floor, short edge against the skirting board. On a smooth floor, tape it down.
- Step 2
Stand on it
Standing, heel against the wall, the whole foot on the sheet. Weight on both feet, looking ahead.
- Step 3
Mark the longest toe
Have someone else mark it, holding the pencil perfectly upright. The longest toe is not always the big toe.
- Step 4
Measure the length
From the edge of the sheet touching the wall to the mark, in centimetres. This is the length of the foot, not the size.
- Step 5
Measure the width
With the tailor's tape, go around the widest part of the foot, at the metatarsal heads. Close but not tight. This measurement is the fitting, and it decides whether a shoe is comfortable or merely bearable.
- Step 6
Repeat with the other foot
Send us four figures: right length, right width, left length, left width.
If you also want a photograph, trace the outline of the foot on the sheet and shoot it from above, phone parallel to the floor.
Indicative size table
The match between number and centimetres is a starting point. At the bench the measurement counts, not the conversion.
| EU | Foot length (cm) | UK | US men | US women |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 22.5 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| 36 | 23.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 5.5 |
| 37 | 23.7 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 38 | 24.3 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 39 | 25.0 | 6 | 6.5 | 8 |
| 40 | 25.7 | 6.5 | 7 | 8.5 |
| 41 | 26.3 | 7.5 | 8 | 9.5 |
| 42 | 27.0 | 8 | 8.5 | 10 |
| 43 | 27.7 | 9 | 9.5 | 11 |
| 44 | 28.3 | 9.5 | 10 | 11.5 |
| 45 | 29.0 | 10.5 | 11 | 12.5 |
| 46 | 29.7 | 11 | 11.5 | 13 |
Outside the European scale the method does not change: the measurement is taken the same way and the last is built on it.
Sizes off the standard scale
The catalogue follows European numbering. Outside that scale the method does not change: the shoe is still built on your last.
Sizes outside the standard range are possible on every line. The price follows the model and the leather, not the number.
The same holds for very asymmetric feet, wide or narrow fittings, a high instep, hallux valgus, and anyone wearing a raise.
Children
A growing foot should be measured again every three or four months. A shoe that is too long lets the foot slide forward and works against the stride. Better the right size now and a new pair in a year.
We can guide you
On a video call you measure, following the shoemaker's instructions step by step. A few minutes, and no doubt left.