How to Measure Your Foot Length

Step by step

1. Put a sheet of paper on a hard floor, with one short edge against a wall.
2. Stand on it with your heel against the wall, wearing the socks you usually wear with the shoes.
3. Mark the tip of your longest toe on the paper — ask someone to help, or keep the pen upright.
4. Measure from the edge of the paper to the mark, in centimetres, to the nearest millimetre.
5. Repeat with the other foot and use the longer measurement.

Using your measurement

Open the brand page of the shoe you are buying and find your length in its chart. Check whether the brand lists foot length (the length of the foot a size fits) or shoe length (the inside of the shoe): a shoe-length chart adds some room, so the matching size can be smaller than a foot-length chart suggests. Where a brand gives advice for in-between sizes, follow it.

Measuring width as well

If shoes often feel tight even in the right length, measure width too. Wrap a soft tape measure around the widest part of your foot, across the joints at the base of the big and little toes, while standing with your weight on that foot. Some brands publish a width chart in millimetres or inches for each length; others only list width letters or a "wide" version of a model. The width guide lists what each brand on this site offers.

Common mistakes

• Measuring while sitting. Your foot spreads and lengthens slightly when it carries your weight, so stand up.
• Holding the pen at an angle. A slanted pen marks a point a few millimetres away from your toe, which is enough to change the size in some charts.
• Rounding generously. Write down the exact measurement to the millimetre and let the brand's chart decide; many charts step only five millimetres between half sizes.
• Comparing with the wrong column. Use the length column of the chart for the right wearer — men's, women's or kids' — because the same number of centimetres can sit next to different US sizes.

Measuring children's feet

Children rarely stand still, so measure while they stand straight against the wall and check the mark twice. Leave room for growth according to the brand's own advice; kids' charts often add a small allowance and some brands state how much. Check their size every few months, since a child can outgrow shoes long before the shoes wear out.

Tips

• Feet can be slightly longer later in the day and after walking; many people measure in the afternoon or evening.
• Measure children often: their feet grow quickly, and kids' charts differ more between brands.
• For running and hiking shoes, many brands suggest leaving extra room at the toes — see the brand's fit advice on its page here.

Questions