YousuliContact
Calculator · Gear

Shoe size from your foot.

Brannock scales · US · UK · EU · cm · width

Measure your foot on a Brannock device, or trace it on paper with a pen. Enter the length, and the width if you have it. Out comes your size in US, UK and EU, the cm to look for on a brand’s chart, and your width letter. Men, women and children.

Use the calculator ↓ How to measure

Your measurements

Measure late in the day, standing, in the socks you will wear in the shoe. Do both feet: we size for the longer one.

The pen draws outside your foot. 3 mm comes off the length and the width.
Back of the heel to the tip of the longest toe.
Most people have one longer foot.
Straight across the widest part, at the ball of the foot.
Heel to the centre of the bony bump behind the big toe.

How to measure at home

A sheet of paper, a pen, a ruler and a wall. Five minutes.

01

Stand on the paper, heel to the wall

Late in the day, in your running socks, weight on the foot. Feet swell by evening, and more on a long run.

02

Trace with the pen upright

Keep the pen vertical and touching the foot all the way round. Leave the pen line correction at 3 mm unless your pen is very thick.

03

Measure length and width

Length: wall to the tip of the longest toe (not always the big toe). Width: straight across the widest part, at the ball. Then the other foot.

Reading the result

  • US sizes follow the Brannock scale shoe stores use: a size is a third of an inch (8.5 mm), a half size 4.2 mm.
  • US women’s is shown on the scale most running brands print (men’s + 1.5). The Brannock device’s own women’s scale reads half a size lower.
  • Brand charts disagree by up to a size. Each lists a foot length in cm per size: pick the size whose cm is at least the one shown.
  • Running adds half a size (about a thumb’s width at the toe); ultra / long trail adds a full size. Cycling shoes fit snug, no extra room.
  • Width letters are estimates from the Brannock width scale: men’s D and women’s B are standard. Brands’ widths differ, and few make every width.

When to size up

The result is the smallest size that fits the foot you measured: a starting point, not a ceiling. Many runners do better a little bigger, or wider.

  • Ultras and long days. Feet swell over hours, often by half a size or more. Pick “Ultra / long trail” above (a full size of room), or go up half a size from your running size.
  • Heat and long descents. More swelling, and the foot slides forward downhill.
  • A neuroma, bunion or tight forefoot. Go wider before you go longer. One width letter (D to 2E) adds about 5 mm across the ball; half a size adds only about 1.6 mm there, and puts the extra room at the toe and heel.
  • Orthotics or thick socks take up room: bring them when you try shoes on.

Wide fittings are under-recommended. Most shops stock the standard width only, so runners size up in length to find width. If the forefoot is the tight spot, ask for the wide version first. One runner’s example: a foot measuring US 10.5, width C, with a neuroma, runs comfortably in an 11 wide (2E).

Brand fit notes

BrandGeneral fit
Altra, TopoWide, foot-shaped toe box. Many runners with wide forefeet fit their standard width.
BrooksGenerally true to size. The Ghost and Adrenaline GTS come in four widths (men: narrow, standard, wide 2E, extra wide 4E; women: narrow to wide, extra wide on some); the Glycerin in standard and wide, extra wide in some markets. Few running brands offer that range.
New Balance, ASICS, Saucony, HokaMany road models come in wide (2E men, D women) and some in extra wide (4E men, 2E women).
NikeOften snug and narrow through the midfoot; many runners go up half a size.
AdidasEU sizes in thirds (42, 42⅔, 43⅓): use the cm column of its chart.
Cycling (Shimano, Sidi, Specialized …)EU sizes, snug fit. Several offer wide versions; Italian brands tend to run narrow. Size for the snug fit, then go wide rather than up.
Lake (cycling)The first stop for wide feet on the bike: many models (CX403, CX242, MX238 …) come in a wide last, and the top models have heat-mouldable heel cups. They run small: Lake’s own chart adds 5 mm to the foot length.

Models change between versions. These are general patterns, not a guarantee: try on, or buy where returns are easy.

Want your feet and gait looked at?

A size is a start. Arch, strike pattern and how your foot moves on the run decide which shoe works. The Performance Lab looks at all three.

Performance Lab Send feedback

Spotted a bug or want a feature? Email info@yousuli.co.