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WITHIN · FIELD GUIDE · Revised September 9, 2026

Designer shoe sizes: the converter, and what runs small

One number on the box, four ways of writing it, and a foot the box never mentions. The converter, the houses' own charts, and the reason a 42 is not a 42.

Department

The lattice: how the four label systems line up

Every shoe size on within sits on one axis, the European number, because it is the only system with a definition: one Paris point is two thirds of a centimetre of last. US men's sizes sit on it at four thirds of a point per size, a US women's size is a men's size plus one and a half, and UK is US men's less a half. That is the arithmetic the boxes agree on, and it is the whole of what a label can tell you. The last column is the length of the last the number names, not of a foot; a foot is shorter by the room the house leaves in front of the toes, and every house leaves its own.

EU / IT / FRUS men'sUS women'sUKLast
353.55323.3 cm
35.53.55323.7 cm
3645.53.524 cm
36.54.56424.3 cm
3756.54.524.7 cm
37.556.54.525 cm
385.57525.3 cm
38.567.55.525.7 cm
396.58626 cm
39.56.58626.3 cm
4078.56.526.7 cm
40.57.59727 cm
4189.57.527.3 cm
41.589.57.527.7 cm
428.510828 cm
42.5910.58.528.3 cm
439.511928.7 cm
43.59.511929 cm
441011.59.529.3 cm
44.510.5121029.7 cm
451112.510.530 cm
45.51112.510.530.3 cm
4611.5131130.7 cm
46.51213.511.531 cm
4712.5141231.3 cm
47.512.5141231.7 cm
481314.512.532 cm
48.513.5151332.3 cm
491415.513.532.7 cm

Why the same number is not the same foot

Two Toronto boutiques can print the same pair two ways. One writes a sneaker as 9M; the other writes it as UK 8.5 / US W10 / US M9 / EU 42⅔. Both are right, and neither tells you how long the shoe is inside. Nike and adidas publish a foot length against every size; at a US men's 10 both say 27.1 cm, New Balance says 28 cm, and the UK number for that same 10 is 9 at Nike and 9.5 at adidas and New Balance. A half size of disagreement on the label and nearly a centimetre on the foot, from three houses that all sell a 10.

Jordan is a case of its own. The house does not publish one chart; it points shoppers to each style's chart, and the styles do not share one. Read the style's chart, not the parent's. For the Italian and French houses, expect the EU number alone on the box, often in whole sizes, and treat the US number a retailer adds beside it as that retailer's conversion rather than the house's.

The charts the houses publish

Read from each house's own size page on the date shown, kept for six months and then dropped until read again. A house that publishes labels without centimetres is listed as such; it can tell you which number is which, not which foot.

adidas, men's

Source: adidas.com, read September 8, 2026.

US men'sUS women'sUKEUFoot length
453.53622.1 cm
4.55.5436 2/322.5 cm
564.537 1/322.9 cm
5.56.553823.3 cm
675.538 2/323.8 cm
6.57.5639 1/324.2 cm
786.54024.6 cm
7.58.5740 2/325 cm
897.541 1/325.5 cm
8.59.584225.9 cm
9108.542 2/326.3 cm
9.510.5943 1/326.7 cm
10119.54427.1 cm
10.511.51044 2/327.6 cm
111210.545 1/328 cm
11.512.5114628.4 cm
121311.546 2/328.8 cm
12.513.51247 1/329.3 cm
131412.54829.7 cm
13.514.51348 2/330.1 cm
141513.549 1/330.5 cm
14.515.5145031 cm
1514.550 2/331.4 cm
161551 1/331.8 cm
171652 2/332.6 cm
181753 1/333.5 cm
191854 2/334.3 cm
201955 2/335.2 cm

adidas, women's

Source: adidas.com, read September 8, 2026.

US men'sUS women'sUKEUFoot length
453.53622.1 cm
4.55.5436 2/322.5 cm
564.537 1/322.9 cm
5.56.553823.3 cm
675.538 2/323.8 cm
6.57.5639 1/324.2 cm
786.54024.6 cm
7.58.5740 2/325 cm
897.541 1/325.5 cm
8.59.584225.9 cm
9108.542 2/326.3 cm
9.510.5943 1/326.7 cm
10119.54427.1 cm
10.511.51044 2/327.6 cm
111210.545 1/328 cm
11.512.5114628.4 cm
121311.546 2/328.8 cm
12.513.51247 1/329.3 cm
131412.54829.7 cm
13.514.51348 2/330.1 cm
141513.549 1/330.5 cm
14.515.5145031 cm

Crocs, men's

Source: crocs.com, read September 8, 2026.

US men'sUS women'sFoot length
2420 cm
3521 cm
4622 cm
5723 cm
6824 cm
7925 cm
81026 cm
91127 cm
101228 cm
111329 cm
121430 cm
131531 cm
141632 cm
151733 cm
161834 cm
171935 cm

Crocs, women's

Source: crocs.com, read September 8, 2026.

US men'sUS women'sFoot length
2420 cm
3521 cm
4622 cm
5723 cm
6824 cm
7925 cm
81026 cm
91127 cm
101228 cm
111329 cm
121430 cm
131531 cm
141632 cm
151733 cm
161834 cm
171935 cm

New Balance, men's

Source: newbalance.com, read September 8, 2026.

US men'sUS women'sUKEUFoot length
2.5423420.5 cm
34.52.53521 cm
3.55335.521.5 cm
45.53.53622 cm
4.5643722.5 cm
56.54.537.523 cm
5.5753823.5 cm
67.55.538.524 cm
6.58639.524.5 cm
78.56.54025 cm
7.59740.525.5 cm
89.57.541.526 cm
8.51084226.5 cm
910.58.542.527 cm
9.51194327.5 cm
1011.59.54428 cm
10.5121044.528.5 cm
1112.510.54529 cm
11.5131145.529.5 cm
1213.511.546.530 cm
12.514124730.5 cm
1314.512.547.531 cm
13.5151348.531.5 cm
1415.513.54932 cm
1516.514.55033 cm
1617.515.55134 cm
1718.516.55235 cm
1819.517.55336 cm
1918.55437 cm
2019.55538 cm

New Balance, women's

Source: newbalance.com, read September 8, 2026.

US men'sUS women'sUKEUFoot length
1.5313320 cm
23.51.533.520.5 cm
2.5423421 cm
34.52.534.521.5 cm
3.5533522 cm
45.53.53622.5 cm
4.56436.523 cm
56.54.53723.5 cm
5.57537.524 cm
67.55.53824.5 cm
6.5863925 cm
78.56.54025.5 cm
7.59740.526 cm
89.57.54126.5 cm
8.510841.527 cm
910.58.542.527.5 cm
9.51194328 cm
1011.59.543.528.5 cm
10.512104429 cm
1112.510.54529.5 cm
11.5131145.530 cm
1213.511.54630.5 cm
12.5141246.531 cm
13.515134832 cm
14.516144932.5 cm

Nike, men's

Source: nike.com, read September 8, 2026.

US men'sUS women'sUKEUFoot length
3.55335.521.6 cm
45.53.53622 cm
4.56436.522.4 cm
56.54.537.522.9 cm
5.5753823.3 cm
67.55.538.523.7 cm
6.5863924.1 cm
78.564024.5 cm
7.596.540.525 cm
89.574125.4 cm
8.5107.54225.8 cm
910.5842.526.2 cm
9.5118.54326.7 cm
1011.594427.1 cm
10.5129.544.527.5 cm
1112.5104527.9 cm
11.51310.545.528.3 cm
1213.5114628.8 cm
12.51411.54729.2 cm
1314.51247.529.6 cm
13.51512.54830 cm
1415.51348.530.5 cm
14.51613.54930.9 cm
1516.51449.531.3 cm
15.51714.55031.7 cm
1617.51550.532.2 cm
16.51815.55132.6 cm
1718.51651.533 cm
17.51916.55233.4 cm
1819.51752.533.9 cm
1920.51853.534.7 cm
19.52118.55435.1 cm
2021.51954.535.5 cm
20.52219.55536 cm
2122.52055.536.4 cm
21.52320.55636.8 cm
2223.52156.537.2 cm

Nike, women's

Source: nike.com, read September 8, 2026.

US men'sUS women'sUKEUFoot length
23.51.533.520.8 cm
2.541.534.521.2 cm
34.523521.6 cm
3.552.535.522 cm
45.533622.4 cm
4.563.536.522.9 cm
56.5437.523.3 cm
5.574.53823.7 cm
67.5538.524.1 cm
6.585.53924.5 cm
78.564025 cm
7.596.540.525.4 cm
89.574125.8 cm
8.5107.54226.2 cm
910.5842.526.7 cm
9.5118.54327.1 cm
1011.594427.5 cm
10.5129.544.527.9 cm
1112.5104528.3 cm
11.51310.545.528.8 cm
1213.5114629.2 cm
12.51411.54729.6 cm
1314.51247.530 cm
13.51512.54830.5 cm
1415.51348.530.9 cm
14.51613.54931.3 cm
1516.5145031.7 cm
15.51714.550.532.2 cm
1617.51551
16.51815.551.5
1718.51652
17.51916.552.5
1819.51753
18.52017.553.5
1920.51854
19.52118.554.5
2021.51955
20.52219.555.5

ASICS, men's (labels only)

Source: asics.com, read September 8, 2026.

US men'sUKEU
4336
4.53.537
5437.5
5.54.538
6539
6.55.539.5
7640
7.56.540.5
8741.5
8.57.542
9842.5
9.58.543.5
10944
10.59.544.5
111045
11.510.546
121146.5
12.511.547
131248

ASICS, women's (labels only)

Source: asics.com, read September 8, 2026.

US women'sUKEU
5335.5
5.53.536
6437
6.54.537.5
7538
7.55.539
8639.5
8.56.540
9740.5
9.57.541.5
10842
10.58.542.5
11943.5
11.59.544
121044.5

Common questions

Do designer shoes run small?

Not as a rule, and not in one direction. Every house cuts on its own last, so its 42 is its own length, and the charts the houses publish disagree by up to a centimetre at the same number. What reads as running small is usually a narrow last or a European house printing EU while you shop in US. Check your foot length in centimetres against that house's own chart, and on within, read the number the boutique printed beside the shoe.

What size is 10.5 in designer shoes?

A US men's 10.5 sits on EU 44.5, UK 10 and US women's 12 on the lattice most houses print from. Italian and French houses write the EU number alone, so look for 44.5 or 45 on the box; a house that only offers whole sizes will print the 45.

What size is 6 in designer shoes?

A US women's 6 is EU 36.5, UK 4 and a US men's 4.5. A US men's 6 is a different shoe, EU 38.5, so say which department the number came from before converting it.

Is a US 10 the same foot at every brand?

No. Nike's own chart puts a US men's 10 at 27.1 cm of foot and New Balance's at 28 cm, a difference of 0.9 cm at the same printed number. That gap is why a foot length in centimetres is the only number that travels between houses.

How do I measure my foot for a size chart?

Stand on a sheet of paper in the socks you will wear, weight on that foot, and mark the wall behind the heel and the tip of the longest toe. Measure the line in centimetres, do both feet, and use the longer one. Read that number against the house's own chart, not a generic table, and measure at the end of the day when the foot is largest.

Are sneaker sizes the same as dress shoe sizes?

They share the same printed systems and not the same lasts. Sneaker houses publish foot lengths against their sizes; most dress shoe houses publish only the label. On within, sneakers from Nike, adidas and New Balance show the house's own centimetres on the product page, and every shoe shows the number the boutique printed.

Shoes on the shelves in Toronto

Every shoe on within shows the size the boutique printed, the units left in that size, and, where the house publishes one, the house's own centimetres beside it.