Shoe Size Conversion (US, UK, EU, cm)
Convert shoe sizes between US men’s and women’s, UK, EU (Paris points), Mondopoint and Japanese centimetres, or from your foot length, for adults and children. Every system is worked out from foot length, so you can see how the scales line up.
How to Use
- Pick the system your size is in: US men, US women, UK, EU, Mondopoint (mm), Japan (cm) or a measured foot length in inches.
- Enter the size; half sizes like 9.5 are fine.
- Choose Adult or Children’s sizes, and for US women pick the FIA scale (men’s + 1) or the common scale (men’s + 1½).
- Read the foot length and the nearest size in each system; the exact values are in the table under the rulers.
- Check Show Work for each conversion. Brands vary, so use this as a starting point and try shoes on.
Worked Example
US men’s 10. The US men’s scale is size = 3 × foot length (in) − 22, so the foot is (10 + 22) ÷ 3 = 10.67 in, or 27.09 cm. Then UK = 3 × 10.67 − 23 = 9, US women’s (FIA) = 3 × 10.67 − 21 = 11, and EU = 1.5 × 27.09 + 2 = 42.6, so 42½ or 43 depending on the brand.
From a measured foot. A foot of 26 cm is Mondopoint 260 and Japan 26. In inches it is 10.24, so UK = 3 × 10.24 − 23 = 7.7 (7½), US men’s 8.7 (8½) and EU = 1.5 × 26 + 2 = 41.
The common mistake: converting the foot length straight into Paris points. 26 cm × 1.5 = 39, but shoe sizes measure the last, which is about 2 Paris points longer than the foot, so the right EU size is 41. The same applies to UK and US sizes, which already include about two barleycorns (⅔ inch) of room.
Show Work
Formulas
| UK | US men | US women FIA | US women common | EU | Foot (cm) | Foot (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 5½ | 35.0 | 22.0 | 8.67 |
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 6½ | 36.3 | 22.9 | 9.00 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 7½ | 37.6 | 23.7 | 9.33 |
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 8½ | 38.8 | 24.6 | 9.67 |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 9½ | 40.1 | 25.4 | 10.00 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 10½ | 41.4 | 26.2 | 10.33 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 11½ | 42.6 | 27.1 | 10.67 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 12½ | 43.9 | 27.9 | 11.00 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 13½ | 45.2 | 28.8 | 11.33 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 14½ | 46.5 | 29.6 | 11.67 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 15½ | 47.7 | 30.5 | 12.00 |
Barleycorns, Paris Points and Mondopoint
British and American shoe sizes are counted in barleycorns, an old English unit of a third of an inch. The size is the length of the last, the foot-shaped form a shoe is built on, in barleycorns from a zero point: UK adult size 1 follows children’s 13½, and US men’s sizes are numbered one higher than UK sizes. The last is typically ½ to ⅔ inch longer than the foot, which is why a foot-length formula adds about two barleycorns.
Continental Europe counts in Paris points of ⅔ cm, the same scale for adults and children, so the EU size is 1.5 times the last length in centimetres. The Brannock Device, invented by Charles F. Brannock in 1925, measures feet for the US scale in many shops.
Mondopoint, introduced by ISO in the 1970s and now ISO 9407:2019, does away with the arithmetic: the size is the foot length (and width) in millimetres. It is used for ski boots, military footwear and in Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea and Russia, where shoes are labelled by foot length in centimetres.
About This Tool
This converter turns any size into a foot length and back out into every system, for adults and children, with both US women’s scales. It shows the exact value as well as the nearest standard size, and lines the scales up side by side so you can see where one system’s whole sizes fall on another’s. The formulas are the conventional ones for each system; manufacturers use different lasts and allowances, so two brands’ size 9 can fit differently, and the brand’s own chart wins when you have it.
Everything runs in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
Related tools: Bra Size Calculator, Height Calculator, and Unit Converter.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a US men’s 10 in UK and EU sizes?
On the standard scales a US men’s 10 fits a foot of 10.67 in (27.09 cm), which is UK 9, US women’s 11 and EU 42.6, so EU 42½ or 43 depending on the brand. US men’s sizes run one ahead of UK sizes, and EU sizes count in Paris points of ⅔ cm.
How do I convert women’s US sizes to men’s?
On the FIA (Footwear Industries of America) scale women’s sizes are men’s plus 1, so a women’s 8 is a men’s 7; on the “common” scale they are men’s plus 1½, so a women’s 8 is a men’s 6½. Pick the scale in the calculator; brands use both.
Why do shoe sizes in different countries not line up neatly?
Each system counts its own unit from its own zero. UK and US sizes count barleycorns of ⅓ inch (8.47 mm) from different starting points; EU sizes count Paris points of ⅔ cm (6.67 mm); Mondopoint simply gives the foot length in millimetres. One UK size is a longer step than one EU size, so whole sizes in one system fall between sizes in another.
How do I find my shoe size from my foot length?
Stand on paper, mark the heel and the tip of the longest toe and measure the distance, then enter it as Mondopoint (mm), Japan (cm) or foot length (in). A 26 cm foot works out to UK 7.7 (7½), US men’s 8.7 (8½) and EU 41. The formulas already add the usual room in the shoe (about ⅔ inch or 2 Paris points).
What are children’s shoe sizes?
UK and US children’s sizes start again from a small foot and run to 13½ before adult size 1. In UK children’s sizes, size = 3 × foot length (in) − 10, so a 7.33 in (18.6 cm) foot is a UK children’s 12, US children’s 12½ and EU 30. EU and Mondopoint use the same scale for children and adults.
How do I use the Shoe Size Conversion (US, UK, EU, cm)?
Just type or paste your value. The answer shows up right away — there is no button to press. Change anything and it updates by itself.
Do I need to install or sign up for anything?
Not at all — it runs in the browser with nothing to install and no account. After it loads once, it even works without an internet connection.
Is my information private?
Yes. Everything happens in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to a server or saved anywhere.
Common Use Cases
Buying shoes abroad
A UK 7 is a 25.4 cm foot: US men’s 8, US women’s 9 and EU 40.1, so look for EU 40.
Ordering from a US website
An EU 42 is a 26.67 cm foot, which is US men’s 9½ and US women’s 10½ (FIA scale).
Ski boots and running shoes
A 26 cm foot is Mondopoint 260 and Japan 26; on other scales that is US men’s 8½, UK 7½ and EU 41.
Children’s shoes
A child’s foot of 18.6 cm is UK children’s 12, US children’s 12½ and EU 30.
Women’s sizes on a men’s chart
A US women’s 8 is a men’s 7 on the FIA scale (foot 24.55 cm) or a men’s 6½ on the common scale (24.13 cm).
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