how do european shoe sizes work

 

There are many kinds of sizes on shoes, including US, UK, and European. Knowing the different types is important for anyone or anything that needs to buy shoes online. Most importantly, european shoe sizes are different from US and UK shoe size standards.

 

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To be clear: EU shoe size standards are based on the metric system whereas US standard is based on the English units like inches and pounds. 

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So while a 44 in the USA might be an 11 in Europe and a 10 in Europe might be somewhere between an 8-9 in the USA these practices vary widely depending on how you measure them (i.e."kilometers"). This article is for people who want to know about the European shoe sizes and what the measurements mean.

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For those looking to buy shoes online, it's well worth understanding the different sizes before you rush off to make a purchase! 

 

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A good place to start is with your regular shoe size: Gather up a few pairs of shoes that fit you well, measure them carefully and make a note of their size. Then try comparing your results with some of the tables in this article.

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Why do European shoe sizes differ from US and UK? It's mainly due to how they are measured. Shoes are usually sold by their length, although width can also affect fit. The length of a shoe is measured in millimeters and the shoes sizes are usually written in the format of 10 - X-Y. The last two numbers are usually expressed in two digits between 00 and 99.

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So, for example: a 10-39 means the shoe measures 10cm (40mm) from the tip of the longest toe to the base of the heel. 

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A 40-60 means 40mm from toe to heel (the length). A 41 would be a 42, 42 would be 43 etc.; 1cm = 0.39 inches, so you can work it out for yourself.

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How are European shoe sizes determined? Not all 43 shoes are created equal. A typical woman's shoe is usually around 25-26 cm (10-10.5 inches) long,

 

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 while 45 could be somewhere between 21 and 22 cm (8.25 - 8.7 inches). These differences are due to the fact that shoes are referred to by their length in Europe, whereas in America and Britain, the width of the foot is used to determine the size of a shoe (e.g., narrow, medium or wide).

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One of the most important things to remember is that shoe sizes are based on the length of the foot rather than on width. So if you have a narrow foot and your regular shoe size is 35,

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 you would need a 35-X-39 in Europe (NED) or a 36-25.5-35 in America (US). Don't worry though! Your shoe size will usually still fit well in most European countries.

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Here are some guidelines for converting US inches to NED centimeters: 1 inch = 2.54 centimeters, 1/2 inch = 1.27 cm, 3/4 inch = 1.57 cm, 7/8 inch = 2.05 cm, 1/4 = 0.64 cm (which is measured against the sole), 5/16 = 0.8 cm, 3/8 = 1.22 cm and 7/16 is 1.58 centimeters.

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As you can see, a conversion chart isn't much help when trying to work out what size shoes you will wear in Europe!

 Thankfully there are conversion tables online that help you make sense of it all -- just remember they might not be totally accurate and should only be used as a back-up to real shoe measurements. When doing the conversions make sure to use the millimeter chart (see bottom of this section).

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