Shoe Size Converter
Convert a shoe size between US, UK, EU and CM (JP) for men, women, kids and youth. Each result shows the surrounding half sizes and the foot length in centimeters, which is the measurement that travels best between brands.
Your US size sits on a chart row exactly. Brand charts differ by up to half a size — check the CM column against a measured foot.
Formula and calculation
Worked example
US men 9 is the same shoe as UK 8 and EU 42, with a foot length of 27 cm. Buy by the centimeter column when a brand's own chart disagrees with the others.
Why the charts disagree
US and UK sizes step in barleycorns (a third of an inch), EU sizes step in Paris points (two thirds of a centimeter), and none of them is a measurement of your foot — they measure the last, the wooden or plastic form the shoe is built on, and every brand shapes its lasts differently. Add a half size of vanity sizing at some labels and the result is the well-known mess: the same foot can honestly wear US 9 in one brand and 9.5 in another, and EU conversions can differ by a whole size between charts. The centimeter column is the anchor that survives all of this, because it is the only number that describes something physical.
How to measure your foot at home
Measure in the afternoon or evening, when feet are at their largest. Stand on a sheet of paper with your heel against a wall, mark the tip of your longest toe, and measure heel to mark in centimeters. Measure both feet and keep the longer one. For children, add about a thumb's width (roughly 1 cm) of growing room at the toe, and re-check every few months; for adults, add 0.5 cm for socks in closed shoes. If the two feet differ by more than about half a centimeter, fit the larger foot and consider inserts for the smaller one.
What the results mean
- US
- Your size on the US scale. For kids and youth the size carries its C or Y suffix, so 13C and 3Y stay recognisable.
- UK
- Your size on the UK scale, which runs roughly one size below US men and two below US women.
- EU
- Your size on the EU (Paris point) scale — one unisex numbering, so the same EU size is printed on men's and women's boxes.
- Foot length (CM / JP)
- The foot length in centimeters that the chart pairs with this size. Identical to the JP and Mondopoint size, and the number to use when a brand's sizing is unfamiliar.
- Chart row used
- The chart row your input was matched to. Sizes that fall between rows snap to the nearest one, and this shows which row the four numbers came from.
Frequently asked questions
Is a US 9 the same as a UK 9?
No. UK sizes run about one size lower than US men's sizes, so US men 9 is UK 8. In women's sizes the gap is two: US women 9 is UK 7. The same number means a different foot length in each system, which is why converting matters.
What does CM mean in a shoe size?
It is the foot length in centimeters, and it is sold as the JP or Mondopoint size in Japan and much of Asia. A CM 27 is a foot about 27 cm long, measured heel to longest toe. Because it describes the foot rather than a brand's last, it is the most portable number on the chart.
Why does the chart disagree with my brand?
Every brand cuts its own lasts, so a chart can honestly be half a size out — some running brands run small, some skate brands run large, and EU conversions vary by a full size between brands. Use the centimeter column as your anchor, and read the brand's own chart when it publishes one.
Should I size up for kids?
Allow about a thumb's width, roughly a centimeter, between the longest toe and the front of the shoe, and check every few months. On this chart the kids and youth groups are one continuous scale: 1Y sits half a size above 13.5C, so a child outgrowing 13.5C moves into 1Y.