How to Measure Your Feet at Home (and Get Your Real Shoe Size)
Most people have been wearing the wrong shoe size for years. They bought a 10 once, it felt fine, and they have been buying 10s ever since. Problem is, feet change. Weight gain, age, pregnancy, even the time of day affects your foot size.
Here is how to get your actual measurement in about five minutes with stuff you already have at home.
What You Need
- A piece of paper (A4 works, A3 is better for larger feet)
- A pen or pencil
- A ruler or tape measure (metric, in cm)
- Tape to hold the paper down
- The socks you would normally wear with your shoes
Step-by-Step: Measuring Your Foot Length
Tape the paper to a hard floor
Carpet throws off the measurement. Use tile, hardwood, or concrete. Tape all four corners so the paper does not move when you stand on it.
Put on your socks and stand on the paper
Put your full weight on the foot you are measuring. Do not sit down and place your foot on the paper. Standing spreads your foot to its actual load-bearing size, which is what matters when you are walking in shoes.
Trace around your foot
Hold the pen perfectly vertical (perpendicular to the paper) and trace all the way around your foot. Keep the pen touching your foot the entire time. If the pen angles inward or outward, the tracing will be inaccurate.
Measure the longest point
Place your ruler from the very back of the heel mark to the tip of your longest toe mark. This is your foot length in cm. Write it down.
Measure your other foot
Most people have one foot that is slightly longer than the other. Measure both feet. You buy shoes for the bigger foot. Always.
Timing matters: Measure your feet at the end of the day. Your feet swell throughout the day from walking and standing. If you measure first thing in the morning, you will get a smaller reading and your shoes will feel tight by afternoon.
How to Measure Foot Width
Width is the measurement most people skip, and it is the reason most bad fits happen. A shoe can be perfect in length but painful if it is too narrow or too wide.
Using the same tracing you already made, measure across the widest point of your foot. This is usually across the ball of your foot, right where your big toe joint meets the foot.
Here is a rough width guide for men's shoes:
| Width (cm) | Width Category | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Under 9.0 | Narrow | B |
| 9.0 to 9.8 | Standard | D |
| 9.8 to 10.5 | Wide | 2E |
| Over 10.5 | Extra Wide | 4E |
These numbers are approximate and vary by foot length. A size 13 foot will naturally be wider than a size 8 foot. The point is to know whether you are in the standard, wide, or extra-wide range so you can filter for the right shoes.
Converting cm to Shoe Size
Once you have your foot length in cm, use a brand-specific size chart to find your size. Do not just use a generic converter, because brands differ.
Here is a general men's conversion table to get you in the right ballpark:
| Foot Length (cm) | US Size | UK Size | EU Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25.0 | 7 | 6 | 40 |
| 25.5 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 40.5 |
| 26.0 | 8 | 7 | 41 |
| 26.5 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 42 |
| 27.0 | 9 | 8 | 42.5 |
| 27.5 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 43 |
| 28.0 | 10 | 9 | 44 |
| 28.5 | 10.5 | 9.5 | 44.5 |
| 29.0 | 11 | 10 | 45 |
| 29.5 | 11.5 | 10.5 | 46 |
| 30.0 | 12 | 11 | 46.5 |
Remember, this gets you close but every brand fits differently. Check our size comparison chart for brand-specific numbers.
Common Mistakes That Mess Up Your Measurement
Measuring while sitting down
Your foot is smaller when you are sitting. It does not spread under your body weight. Always stand with full weight on the foot you are measuring.
Not wearing socks
Socks add about 2mm to 4mm depending on thickness. If you measure barefoot and then wear thick athletic socks with your shoes, you are effectively wearing a size too small.
Measuring only one foot
One foot is almost always bigger. It could be 3mm to 8mm longer than the other. If you only measure one foot, you have a 50/50 chance of buying shoes that are too small for your bigger foot.
Ignoring width entirely
This is the big one. You can have a perfectly accurate length measurement and still buy shoes that hurt because the width is wrong. If you have ever had blisters on the sides of your feet, pinky toe pain, or bunions getting worse, your shoes are too narrow. Check our guide on the best brands for wide feet.
Measuring in the morning
Feet swell as the day goes on. By 4pm or 5pm, your feet can be a full half-size larger than they were at 8am. Measure after you have been on your feet for a few hours.
Using an old measurement
If you last measured your feet five years ago, measure again. Feet get wider with age. They can also get longer from weight gain or conditions like flat feet. Re-measure at least once a year if you are buying shoes online.
The golden rule: Measure both feet, standing up, at the end of the day, wearing the socks you will wear with the shoes. Buy for the bigger foot. Add 0.5 to 1cm for toe room.