Kids’ letters: C, T, K, Y, J, GS, PS
- C children’s, US
US children’s sizes run from 0C to 13.5C: a 0C fits a foot of about 8.3 cm, a 13.5C one of 19.7 cm. After 13½C the numbers start again at 1, in youth (Y) sizes. Nike’s chart runs its baby and toddler sizes 1C to 10C and little kids’ 8C to 3Y; Crocs writes the letter first (C1 to C13).
Every C size with its foot length: kids’ shoe size chart.
- T toddler, on some brands’ charts
Some brands mark the sizes on their toddler charts with a T (Teva 4T–13T, UGG 3T–12T), where most write C. Check the brand’s chart for the foot each fits.
- K kids’, on some brands’ charts
Some brands write kids’ sizes with a K instead of C: ASICS runs K4 to K13, then 1 to 7. Brands don’t all use it on the same range: adidas 1k–13.5k, ASICS K5–K13, Burton 1K–7K, On 10.5K–3K, Onitsuka Tiger K4–K13, Salomon 9K–13k, UGG 13K–6K and Under Armour 1K–13.5K. Most are the C range; On and UGG start again at 1K after 13K, carrying the letter into the sizes others write Y. Read the brand’s chart for the foot length.
- Y youth, big kids’, US
Youth sizes follow 13½C: 1Y to 7Y. They number like men’s sizes, so the same foot is the same number: a 7Y fits a foot of 24.6 cm, as a men’s 7 does (24.6 cm). Nike’s chart lists 7Y beside men’s 7.
Big kid shoe sizes, with each Y size in men’s and women’s.
- J juniors, Crocs
Crocs’ kids’ chart runs C1 to J6: after C13 come J1 to J6, which Crocs calls juniors (“Juniors size 3 and up can also shop our adult sizes”). Other brands use “junior” as a range name, not a size letter.
- GS, PS, TD grade school, preschool, toddler
Retailers’ names for the kids’ ranges. Foot Locker gives grade school as US 3.5–7, preschool 10.5–3 and toddler 2–10 (infant 0–4). ASICS uses GS (1–7) and PS (K10–3), and TS for toddler (K4–K9). Nike’s own site says big kids, little kids, and baby and toddler.
Little kid and big kid sizes, with the brands’ own ranges.
M, W and unisex pairs
- M / W men’s and women’s
M marks a men’s size and W a women’s. Unisex shoes often print both for the same shoe, as a pair: Crocs sells M9/W11, two sizes apart, and Converse’s Chuck Taylor chart is two apart too. Nike’s unisex chart labels women’s 1½ above men’s, and adidas’ chart 1.
The standard tables use the “common” gap of 1½ (the US footwear industry’s FIA scale uses 1). The labels don’t always match the feet: measured by the foot lengths on their own charts (Nike’s included), 12 brands put the same foot 1 size apart (adidas, ANTA, HEYDUDE, HOKA, Jordan, KEEN, New Balance, Nike, Salomon, SOREL, Timberland and UGG) and 5 put it 1½ apart (Clarks, Reebok, Saucony, Teva and Under Armour).
The full conversion and every brand: men’s vs women’s sizes.
US, UK, EU, Mondopoint, JP
The same 26 cm foot is a US men’s 9, a women’s 10.5, a UK 8, an EU 41, Mondopoint 260 and Japan 26 on the standard tables.
- US
Steps of a barleycorn (⅓ inch, 8.5 mm) per size, separate scales for men, women and children. A men’s size 1 is 7⅔ inches on a Brannock device, and each size adds ⅓ inch. US men’s sizes are usually 1 above UK, though brands vary: on Nike’s and adidas’ charts the gap is ½ at small sizes, and on Converse’s Chuck Taylor chart US men’s equals UK.
- UK
Also barleycorns, and the same numbers for men and women. Children’s sizes run 0 to 13.5, then adult sizes start again at 1. UK sizes are based on the last (the form a shoe is made on), and Wikipedia notes they are not formally standardised. India uses UK sizes.
- EU Paris point
Continental sizes count Paris points of ⅔ cm (6.7 mm), one scale for men, women and children (EU 15 to 52 on this site’s tables). The number is the length of the last, not the foot: about two sizes longer.
- ⅓ sizes EU 42⅔, 43⅓
adidas prints EU sizes in thirds (36, 36⅔, 37⅓, 38) beside UK half sizes. A UK half size is 4.2 mm of foot, close to two-thirds of a Paris point (6.7 mm), so a chart that steps in UK half sizes lands on EU thirds.
- Mondopoint ISO 9407
The international standard (ISO 9407:2019) sizes a shoe by the foot it should fit: the foot length in millimetres, sometimes with the width (280/110 is a 280 mm foot, 110 mm wide). It is used for ski boots, skates and some athletic shoes.
Ski boot sizes in Mondopoint.
- JP / CM Japan, and centimetres
Japan’s standard (JIS S 5037) gives the foot length in centimetres, in 5 mm steps, so a 26 cm foot is a 26. China and Korea use millimetres the same way.
Widths: B, D, 2E, 4E and more
- B, D standard widths
D is the standard width for men and B for women: a shoe with no width letter is one of those. In men’s sizes B is narrow; in women’s, D is wide. On the Brannock device each width letter is 3/16 inch (about 4.8 mm) apart.
- 2E, 4E EE, EEEE: wide and extra wide
2E is the same as EE and 4E as EEEE. ASICS’ width guide puts men’s 2E as wide and 4E as extra wide, and women’s D wide and 2E extra wide.
Foot widths in mm for each letter: shoe width chart. Yours: foot width calculator.
- N, M, W, XW narrow, medium, wide, extra wide
Some brands use words or their letters instead (M, or R for regular). Brannock notes these terms are not standardised: one brand’s “wide” can differ from another’s.
- UK fittings C to H
UK brands write widths as fitting letters, roughly C to H, and “medium” varies by maker. Clarks Australia’s standard fit is G for men, D for women and E for kids.
On the box and the chart
- Last
The form a shoe is made on. UK, US and EU sizes number the last, which is typically 13–17 mm longer than the foot; Mondopoint and Japanese sizes number the foot. That’s why a foot length gives a size, and a size isn’t the inside length of the shoe.
- CM on the box
Brands print a CM or JP size on the box and label, but it isn’t always your foot length: Nike notes its box CM “is different than Foot Length (cm)”. Measure your foot and use the brand’s foot-length column.
Measure your foot from a photo. The shop gauge: reading a Brannock device.
Questions
What does C mean in shoe sizes?
A US children’s size, from 0C for newborns to 13.5C. After 13½C come youth (Y) sizes, starting again at 1Y.
What does Y mean in shoe sizes?
A US youth (big kids’) size, from 1Y to 7Y. Y sizes number like men’s sizes: a 7Y fits the same foot as a men’s 7.
What does GS mean?
Grade school: big kids’ sizes, US 3.5Y to 7Y in Foot Locker’s ranges (ASICS: 1 to 7). PS is preschool (little kids’, 10.5C to 3Y) and TD toddler.
What does M/W mean on a shoe?
Men’s and women’s sizes for the same unisex shoe: M9/W11 is a men’s 9 or a women’s 11. The gap is 1 to 2 sizes depending on the brand.
What does 2E mean?
A wide width, the same as EE. For men, D is standard, 2E wide and 4E extra wide; for women, B is standard and D wide.
Why are EU sizes in thirds?
Some brands (adidas) step their charts in UK half sizes, 4.2 mm each, which is close to two-thirds of an EU size; so the EU numbers land on thirds: 42, 42⅔, 43⅓.