What you need
- A sheet of paper longer than your foot: A4 fits feet up to 29.7 cm and US Letter up to 27.9 cm. For longer feet, tape two sheets together end to end.
- A pen or pencil. A sharp pencil makes the thinnest mark.
- A wall with a hard floor in front of it (not carpet: the paper must lie flat).
- Something to measure with: a ruler or tape measure, our printable ruler, or a bank card (see no ruler).
- The socks you’ll wear with the shoes: thick hiking socks and thin dress socks can be half a size apart.
- Ideally, someone to help: it’s easier to mark the toe accurately when you’re standing up straight.
Measure in six steps
Step 01
Paper against the wall
Lay the sheet on a hard floor with its short edge touching the wall. Tape it down if it slides.
Step 02
Heel to the wall
Stand on the paper in your socks, your heel touching the wall and your weight evenly on both feet.
Step 03
Mark your longest toe
Hold the pen upright, touching the tip of your longest toe, and make a small mark. Your longest toe isn’t always your big toe.
Step 04
Measure to the mark
Step off. Measure in a straight line from the wall edge of the paper to the mark, in millimetres if you can.
Step 05
Do the other foot
Most people have one foot a little longer. Measure both and use the longer length for every pair.
Step 06
Measure later in the day
Feet are at their largest in the afternoon (Royal Devon NHS). Measuring then gives the length your shoes have to fit.
Get the length right
Small slips add or take away millimetres, and a few millimetres can change your size. These habits keep the number honest:
Stand, don’t sit
Your foot spreads and lengthens under your weight (Brannock). Measure standing, with your weight evenly on both feet.
Pen straight up
A pen tilted towards your toe marks too far out. Keep it vertical, touching the toe, not pressing under it.
Wear the right socks
Measure in the socks you’ll wear with the shoes: running socks for running shoes, ski socks for ski boots.
Heel flat to the wall
You measure from the wall, so any gap behind your heel is added to your length and it comes out long. Look back to check, or ask a helper.
Measuring in centimetres
Read to the millimetre: 26.4 cm, not “about 26”. Every millimetre counts near the end of a size, and the calculator takes cm or mm (264 mm).
Measuring in inches
Read to the nearest sixteenth (10 ⁵⁄₁₆ in) or as a decimal (10.3 in). Type fractions as they are, like 10 5/16: the calculator reads them.
No ruler? Three ways
1. Print a ruler
Our printable foot ruler has a 10 cm check line and a bank-card box, so you can confirm your printer didn’t shrink it before you measure.
2. Use the paper itself
The paper’s size is exact: A4 is 210 × 297 mm and US Letter is 215.9 × 279.4 mm (8.5 × 11 in). Mark your toe, then measure only the short gap from the mark to the far edge and subtract it from the sheet’s length.
3. Step a bank card along
Bank cards (and most driving licences and ID cards) are the same size: 85.60 mm long. Lay it end to end from the wall edge towards the mark, pencilling each end, and measure only the last bit.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | What happens | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Measuring sitting down | The foot reads short, so shoes feel tight once you stand and walk | Stand with your weight on the foot |
| Pen at an angle | The mark lands beyond the toe: a few millimetres too long | Hold the pen upright against the toe |
| Measuring only the big toe | A longer second toe gets squashed | Mark whichever toe reaches furthest |
| Heel off the wall | The gap is added: the length reads long | Check the heel touches the wall, or ask a helper |
| Paper on carpet | The sheet bends and the foot sinks: unreliable both ways | Use a hard floor and tape the paper down |
| Measuring diagonally | A slanted line is longer than the foot | Measure parallel to the paper’s long edge |
| Measuring one foot | The longer foot gets the pinch | Measure both and use the longer |
| Adding room yourself | You end up a size too big | Use your bare measurement: size tables already allow for room |
Why every millimetre counts
A size step is only a few millimetres of foot. In US and UK sizes, one half size is 4.2 mm (a third of an inch for a whole size); in EU sizes, one half size is 3.3 mm (6.7 mm for a whole size). A 3 mm error can be the difference between two sizes.
Each size fits feet up to a certain length. Your size is the first one long enough for your foot, so a foot between two sizes is rounded up. When you’re within 1.5 mm of the smaller size, our results say so: that size may fit too, depending on the shoe. More in how we work out your size.
Measuring a child’s foot
The same way, standing, heel to the wall, both feet, using the longer one as it is. Babies who can’t stand yet are measured lying down. For each age, how much room the shoe needs and how often to measure: how to measure a child’s foot.
Turn your length into a size
Type your length in centimetres, millimetres or inches: you get your size in every system, then in each brand’s own chart.
Questions
Should I measure in centimetres or inches?
Either works: the calculator takes centimetres, millimetres and inches, including fractions like 10 1/4. Millimetres are the most precise, because size steps are only a few millimetres apart.
My feet are different lengths. Which one do I use?
The longer one. Shoes that fit the longer foot can be snugged up on the shorter one with laces or an insole; a shoe that pinches can’t be fixed.
I’m between two sizes. Which should I buy?
The larger, which is what our results give you. If you’re within 1.5 mm of the smaller size, the result says so: try both if you can, and think about socks and width. A snug performance shoe can go smaller; a walking or winter shoe, larger.
Should I add room for my toes?
No. Size tables and brand charts give the longest foot each size fits; the shoe itself is made longer inside. Adding room to your measurement counts it twice and puts you in shoes that are too big.
How often should I measure my feet?
Children: before every new pair. Adults: every few years, or before buying a type of shoe you haven’t bought before. Feet can lengthen and widen over the years, and after pregnancy.
Does it matter what time of day I measure?
A little. Feet are at their largest in the afternoon, says Royal Devon NHS, and Brannock’s fitting tip, for everyday shoes, is to be fitted after you’ve been on your feet all day. Measuring later in the day gives the length your shoes have to fit.
How do I measure foot width?
Mark both sides of the widest part of your foot, across the ball, standing. Our foot width guide explains how, and what width letters like D, 2E and B mean.