How to measure your foot for shoe size

What you need

• A sheet of paper bigger than your foot
• A pen or pencil
• A ruler or tape measure in cm
• A wall, and the socks you'll wear with the shoes

Step by step

1. Measure in the evening. Feet swell a little through the day, so a late measurement matches how your shoes will feel.
2. Put the paper flat against a wall. Stand on it with your heel touching the wall and your weight on that foot.
3. Mark the tip of your longest toe. Keep the pen upright. The longest toe isn't always the big toe.
4. Measure from the wall to the mark. Read it to the nearest millimetre, say 26.4 cm.
5. Repeat with the other foot. Most people have one slightly longer foot. Use the longer one.

Use the number the right way

Brands don't all mean the same thing by "cm". Adidas lists your foot length, so you can match your measurement to its cm column directly. Nike's cm is the size printed on the box and label, and Nike says it isn't a foot measurement. Reebok publishes heel-to-toe foot length in inches. Each brand page says which kind of chart the brand prints.

That's why our brand-to-brand matches go by US size, never by cm. Your own measurement is still the best starting point for a brand you've never worn.

If you're between two sizes

Try the larger one, or read the fit notes on the product page: a running shoe, a boot and a sandal from the same brand can fit differently. Thick socks and wide feet are both good reasons to go up.