Shoe Size Conversion: US, UK, EU & Mondopoint Explained
Shoe sizing looks universal, but it is four different scales stacked on top of each other. US sizes step by a barleycorn, EU sizes by a Paris point, Japan's Mondopoint does not “size” at all — it reports your foot length. Here is how shoe size conversion actually works, and one master table to read any size in any system.
Master conversion table
Anchored on foot length
Every row starts from a measured foot, the one number that never lies. All four systems in a row are computed from that same length, so they stay internally consistent. Scroll sideways on a phone — the foot-length column stays pinned.
| Foot length (cm) | EU | US Men's | US Women's | US Kids' | UK | JP/CM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 32 | 1.5 | 3 | 14 | 0.5 | 20 |
| 20.5 | 33 | 2 | 3.5 | 14.5 | 1 | 20.5 |
| 21 | 33.5 | 3 | 4.5 | 15 | 2 | 21 |
| 21.5 | 34.5 | 3.5 | 5 | 15.5 | 2.5 | 21.5 |
| 22 | 35 | 4 | 5.5 | 16 | 3 | 22 |
| 22.5 | 36 | 4.5 | 6 | 17 | 3.5 | 22.5 |
| 23 | 36.5 | 5 | 6.5 | 17.5 | 4 | 23 |
| 23.5 | 37.5 | 6 | 7.5 | 18 | 5 | 23.5 |
| 24 | 38 | 6.5 | 8 | 18.5 | 5.5 | 24 |
| 24.5 | 39 | 7 | 8.5 | 19 | 6 | 24.5 |
| 25 | 39.5 | 7.5 | 9 | 20 | 6.5 | 25 |
| 25.5 | 40.5 | 8 | 9.5 | 20.5 | 7 | 25.5 |
| 26 | 41 | 8.5 | 10 | 21 | 7.5 | 26 |
| 26.5 | 42 | 9.5 | 11 | 21.5 | 8.5 | 26.5 |
| 27 | 42.5 | 10 | 11.5 | 22 | 9 | 27 |
| 27.5 | 43.5 | 10.5 | 12 | 22.5 | 9.5 | 27.5 |
| 28 | 44 | 11 | 12.5 | 23.5 | 10 | 28 |
| 28.5 | 45 | 11.5 | 13 | 24 | 10.5 | 28.5 |
| 29 | 45.5 | 12.5 | 14 | 24.5 | 11.5 | 29 |
| 29.5 | 46.5 | 13 | 14.5 | 25 | 12 | 29.5 |
| 30 | 47 | 13.5 | 15 | 25.5 | 12.5 | 30 |
| 30.5 | 48 | 14 | 15.5 | 26.5 | 13 | 30.5 |
| 31 | 48.5 | 14.5 | 16 | 27 | 13.5 | 31 |
| 31.5 | 49.5 | 15 | 16.5 | 27.5 | 14 | 31.5 |
| 32 | 50 | 16 | 17.5 | 28 | 15 | 32 |
The four systems, briefly
The size is your foot length in centimetres, rounded to the nearest half. No offsets, no gender split, no hidden allowance. If you can read a ruler, you can buy shoes in Japan.
One point is two-thirds of a centimetre, 6.67 mm. For a measured foot, EU ≈ (cm × 1.5) + 2. The EU scale is unisex: a 42 means the same last length on a men's or a women's box.
US men's ≈ 3 × foot inches − 22, and women's run 1.5 above men's at the same foot length. The barleycorn is 8.47 mm, bigger than a Paris point, so US sizes move in larger jumps.
One size below US men's, two below US women's. Same step, different zero point — which is exactly why US 9 and UK 8 are the same shoe.
Label vs. foot. The number on a box is the shoe's last — its internal form — which is longer than your foot by roughly a finger's width. That is why shoe size conversion chart values can differ from a foot-length table by half a size. Both are correct; they answer different questions.
Measuring, correctly
- 01
Stand against a wall
Tape paper to a hard floor. Heel touches the wall, weight on both feet, not seated.
- 02
Mark the longest toe
Both feet, then keep the larger number. Measure late in the day when feet expand.
- 03
Measure the distance
Wall to mark in centimetres, rounded to the millimetre. This is your Mondopoint number.
- 04
Add toe room
0.5 to 1 cm of clearance. Between sizes, go up — a tight shoe never breaks in.
Getting this wrong is expensive. Measuring while seated reads up to half a size short, because the foot spreads less without weight. Using the shorter foot costs you a size in one shoe. Skipping toe room turns a correct number into a shoe you cannot wear in the evening. A measurement taken five years ago is also not your size now — feet flatten and lengthen with age.
Read next
Questions people actually ask
- How do I convert shoe sizes between US, UK and EU?
- For men: UK = US − 1 and EU = US + 33, so a US men's 9 is a UK 8 and an EU 42. For women: UK = US − 2 and EU = US + 30, so a US women's 8 is a UK 6 and an EU 38. Converting from a measured foot length is more reliable than converting from a label.
- What is my US shoe size if my foot is 26 cm?
- A 26 cm foot is about a US men's 8.5 and a US women's 10. In EU it reads 41, in UK 7.5, and in Japan/Mondopoint simply 26.0.
- Is UK shoe size the same as US?
- No. UK sizes run one full size lower for men (US 9 = UK 8) and two lower for women (US 8 = UK 6). This is the most common mix-up when ordering from British retailers.
- What is Mondopoint or JP shoe sizing?
- Mondopoint, standardized as ISO 9407 and used in Japan as JP/CM, is the simplest system there is: the size is your foot length in millimetres or centimetres. A 26 cm foot is a JP 26.0. No offset, no conversion table.
- Why do shoe sizes differ between brands?
- Every brand builds on its own last, so the internal length and width behind a given label vary. Two EU 42s from different makers can fit a quarter to half a size apart. Check the brand's own chart before ordering.
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.