How to measure your foot size and use shoe size tables
The size of everyone's feet progressively changes, firstly very rapidly during childhood and maturity into an adult, and then more slowly as they continue through life. Despite this, few people actively measure their feet to make sure that they are buying shoes of the correct fit. Indeed many estimates suggest that over 30 percent of people wear poorly fitting shoes, i.e. the wrong shoe size.
So how do you make sure that your shoes are the right size for your feet?
In short, you measure each foot and then use these measurements in conjunction with a shoe size chart. This way you can accurately find your correct shoe size.
You need 2 different foot measurements in order to determine your correct shoe size, the length and the width. With these measurements you can use the men's and women's shoe size tables (below) to obtain your correct shoe size or fitting.
How to measure your feet
Firstly you will need a hard and level area to stand on, two large pieces of paper (one for each foot), a pen or pencil and a ruler or measure that must read in inches. This measure must be delineated into at least eighths and ideally sixteenths of an inch.
In order to obtain your correct foot size you need to do the following and repeat it for both feet separately.
- 1. Place one of the pieces of paper on a flat and hard surface, e.g. a typical bathroom or kitchen floor. Then stand on the paper with either foot. The other foot should also be load bearing so as to replicate the weight distribution that would occur during normal standing.
2. Draw carefully around the foot ensuring that the leg is at 90 degrees to the foot and that you are bearing weight upon it (i.e. as if standing). Ideally you should get another person to do this for you so that your foot's distribution of weight is not altered by your activity. Hold the pen as vertically upright as possible. Do this slowly and carefully. Accuracy is essential. If you wear socks, tights, stockings or pantyhose with your shoes, then you should also wear then for this measuring process.
3. If you think that your feet change in size significantly during the day it may be an idea to repeat this measuring process in the morning and in the evening. You can then come up with a compromise size.
4. Next, using the tape or ruler, measure the length and width of the tracing of the foot's imprint at its longest and widest points. These measurements should be the largest dimensions for both the length and width of the foot and they should be accurate to at least 1/8 of an inch and ideally 1/16 of an inch.
5. To complete the foot size measurements subtract between three eighths and one quarter of an inch from the length and width dimensions that you have already attained. This is to allow for the "oversized" tracing resulting from the thickness of the pen or pencil.
6. As appropriate, use the separate men's or women's shoe size table links at the bottom of this page to find your size (lenght) and width fittings in all major international shoe sizes. Each link will take you to a page containing a scrolling window with 3 shoe size charts contained within it.
Ideally take these measurements when you have been up for several hours and you have walked around at some point. Your feet are smaller first thing in the morning, but expand as the day goes by. Do not measure your feet first thing in the morning.
If you find that the measurements that you have taken for each foot varies, then you should use the larger of the measurements to reference the shoe chart.
If there is a very large difference in size between your feet it may be necessary to find a company who make orthopedic shoes and place an order for left and right shoes of a different size.
Having feet of different sizes is not unusual and in most cases a single fit will work for both feet. However, it may be possible to adjust the fit to the smaller foot by using orthotics (shoe insoles).