Shoe sizing · US / UK / EU / JP
Measured foot → four scales
US to EU Shoe Size Conversion: Chart, Calculator & Guide
A US men's 9 is an EU 42; a US women's 8 is an EU 38. The numbers drift apart because US sizes step by a third of an inch and EU sizes step by two-thirds of a centimetre. Measure your foot once and this converter gives you every scale at the same time.
Your US men size
8.5
Foot
26 cm
10.2 in
Sneakers run true to size in most brands.
US Men
8.5
US Women
10
US Kids
21
UK
7.5
EU
41
JP / CM
26
Brands differ by up to half a size. Treat this as a starting point and check the maker's own chart.
US to EU shoe size chart
Box-label conversion
These are the label-to-label numbers you find on most retailer charts: what the US size on a box converts to in UK and EU. They describe the shoe's last, not your foot — for that, use the converter above or the foot-length master table on the shoe size conversion page.
Men
| US Men's | UK | EU |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 5 | 39 |
| 6.5 | 5.5 | 39.5 |
| 7 | 6 | 40 |
| 7.5 | 6.5 | 40.5 |
| 8 | 7 | 41 |
| 8.5 | 7.5 | 41.5 |
| 9 | 8 | 42 |
| 9.5 | 8.5 | 42.5 |
| 10 | 9 | 43 |
| 10.5 | 9.5 | 43.5 |
| 11 | 10 | 44 |
| 11.5 | 10.5 | 44.5 |
| 12 | 11 | 45 |
| 12.5 | 11.5 | 45.5 |
| 13 | 12 | 46 |
| 13.5 | 12.5 | 46.5 |
| 14 | 13 | 47 |
| 14.5 | 13.5 | 47.5 |
| 15 | 14 | 48 |
Women
| US Women's | UK | EU |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 34 |
| 4.5 | 2.5 | 34.5 |
| 5 | 3 | 35 |
| 5.5 | 3.5 | 35.5 |
| 6 | 4 | 36 |
| 6.5 | 4.5 | 36.5 |
| 7 | 5 | 37 |
| 7.5 | 5.5 | 37.5 |
| 8 | 6 | 38 |
| 8.5 | 6.5 | 38.5 |
| 9 | 7 | 39 |
| 9.5 | 7.5 | 39.5 |
| 10 | 8 | 40 |
| 10.5 | 8.5 | 40.5 |
| 11 | 9 | 41 |
| 11.5 | 9.5 | 41.5 |
| 12 | 10 | 42 |
Women's EU numbers vary most between brands — some call a US 8 an EU 38, others a 39.
Why the two scales never line up
US and UK sizing grew out of the English barleycorn, one third of an inch or 8.47 mm. Every full size is one barleycorn. European sizing uses the French Paris point, two-thirds of a centimetre or 6.67 mm. Different step lengths mean the scales drift apart the further you move from the origin — no single formula lines both up at every size.
The number on a shoe box also describes the shoe's last, the form it was built on, not your bare foot. That last carries a finger's width of extra room — usually 1 to 1.5 cm. That is why a measured 26 cm foot reads EU 41 while plenty of people with 26 cm feet wear a box labelled EU 42.
For every system in one table, including Japan's Mondopoint and kids' sizes, see the full shoe size conversion guide.
How to measure a foot
- 01
Stand, don't sit
Tape paper to a hard floor against a wall. Heel touches the wall, weight on both feet. A seated measurement reads up to half a size short.
- 02
Mark the longest toe
Use the longer foot — almost nobody has two the same. Measure at the end of the day, when feet are at their largest.
- 03
Read the distance
Wall to mark, in centimetres. That number is what the converter above wants, in either unit.
- 04
Leave toe room
Add 0.5 to 1 cm. Between two sizes, round up — a tight shoe never loosens into comfort.
- 05
Check the width
No standard scale encodes width. A correct length in a narrow last still pinches, so look for E or 2E if in doubt.
- 06
Recheck every few years
Feet flatten and lengthen with age and after pregnancy. A measurement from five years ago is not your size now.
Read next
Questions people actually ask
- Is EU 42 the same as US 9?
- For men, yes — a US men's 9 is an EU 42. For women it isn't: a US women's 9 is an EU 39, and an EU 42 lands nearer a US women's 11 or 12.
- Does EU shoe size equal foot length?
- Not exactly. EU sizes count in Paris points of two-thirds of a centimetre, so a measured foot of 26 cm is about an EU 41. The number printed on a box describes the shoe's internal last, which is longer than your bare foot.
- What is a US women's 8 in EU?
- A US women's 8 is usually an EU 38 and a UK 6. Some brands label it 39, which is why the women's column is only reliable to within half a size.
- Why do I wear a different number in US and EU sizes?
- Because the two systems step by different amounts. US and UK sizes step by a barleycorn of one third of an inch (8.47 mm), while EU sizes step by a Paris point of two-thirds of a centimetre (6.67 mm). The ticks never line up one-to-one.
- Is an EU 39 the same for men's and women's shoes?
- In EU sizing, largely yes — the scale is unisex, so a 39 is the same last length on a men's or women's box. The US label differs: an EU 39 is roughly a US men's 6 and a US women's 9.
- How do I convert US kids' sizes to EU?
- Kids' EU sizes use the same Paris-point scale on a shorter run. A US 8C is about a 15 cm foot and around an EU 24, while a US 6Y is about 24.5 cm and around an EU 38.
Sources & method
Every number on this page is computed from a published sizing standard, then rounded to the nearest half size. Nothing here was copied from a single brand's marketing chart.
- ISO 9407 (Mondopoint)
- JP/CM size equals the measured foot length in millimeters or centimeters.
- Paris point (EU scale)
- 1 Paris point = 2/3 cm (~6.67 mm); EU size = 1.5 x foot length (cm) + 2 for a measured foot.
- Brannock device / barleycorn
- US men's = 3 x foot length (in) - 22; US women's = US men's + 1.5; 1 size = 1/3 in (8.47 mm).
- ISO/TS 19407
- Cross-size comparison table used for shoe-size conversion between systems.
- Retailer box-label convention
- Men: UK = US - 1, EU = US + 33. Women: UK = US - 2, EU = US + 30. Matches the cross-size charts from Zappos, Nordstrom and Nike.
- EN 13402 (clothing)
- EU clothing sizing standard based on body measurements.