The Importance of measuring your feet

It is a fact that very few people "really" know their correct shoe size. The reality is that most people go into a shoe store and, with a general idea of their fit-size, try on two or more different sized shoes and then go for the most comfortable one. In effect it becomes a case of "trial and error", or making a best guess.

If this is something that you do, it is not a good way of buying shoes and here are the reasons why. To start off with the size of your feet varies, often significantly over the course of a day. Different factors affect this size variation of your feet, but the main ones are

• The ambient temperature and humidity around you (i.e. are you hot, cold or neutral).
• The period of time during which you have been out of bed and active.
• Your level of physical excursion, particularly if you are on your feet.

Foot size variation

People’s feet to vary in size based primarily on conditions and activity levels. This size variation can represent two and sometimes even three shoe size fittings. Feet expand and contract, so you need shoes that fit your feet best when they are in a neutral state, i.e. not overly expanded or contracted.

It goes without saying that manufacturers know about foot size changes and most good quality footwear will have a design and material construction that compensates for these changes. However, this compensation does not take into account you (the wearer) buying the wrong sized shoes to start off with.

So have you got the right sized shoes for your feet?

Ask yourself this question. Do your shoes feel loose when you first put them on, or alternatively, do they feel tight and uncomfortable as the day wears on?

Ideally, and allowing for some minor variations, they should feel comfortable all day long. If they do not, then the chances are that you are not wearing the correct shoe size for your feet and this is because you have not measured your feet and then applied those measurements to a shoe chart. Information on how to do this along with some shoe charts can be found on this site (there are links at the bottom of this page).

How do you get the best possible shoe fit for your feet?

The answer to this is simple, you measure your feet in accordance with standard shoe size table requirements. This means that each foot has its length and width accurately measured when the feet are in a normal state, i.e. not overly contracted or swollen. This can also bring to light any difference in the size of the left and right feet. A variation in size between the two feet is not unusual.

Importantly, once you know your correct shoe size you can walk into any shoe shop and buy correctly fitting shoes. Trying the shoes on becomes a formality and if the shoes feel slightly tight when you try them on, you will know that buying a larger size will result in them being very loose at other times.

Knowing your correct shoe size also means that you can order shoes online without worrying if they will be the correct fit. Buying online can offer price saving advantages and open up more options, so this is an important benefit.

Measuring your feet and using shoe size tables

To find out how to correctly and accurately measure both of your feet go to this page How to measure your feet. You will find step-by-step instructions on what to do plus the things that you will need, e.g. paper, pencil etc.

Using the foot measurements that you obtain, you find your correct shoe size by referencing your foot size (measurements) against the shoe size tables. Different foot sizes equate to different shoe sizes. You simply cross reference the foot size to get the corresponding shoe size. The shoe charts for lady’s shoes are here Lady's shoe size chart and those for men’s shoes are here Men's shoe size chart.

In both cases the shoe charts cover foot length and foot width sizes. (You need both for well fitting shoes.)
The charts show shoes sizes for both the USA and international shoe sizes, so whatever your nation or region they should suffice.