How to Measure Your Shoe Size at Home

There is nothing worse than buying a pair of brand new shoes online, patiently waiting for them to get shipped, delicately opening the box as soon as they arrive, slipping them on foot, and then finally realising that they are way too small or too big for you. This is the sneakerhead's worst nightmare! While The Sole Supplier has been posting size guides for many years now, what if you don't even know your true shoe size to begin with? Our fan-favourite fitting guides have helped thousands and thousands of you in the past, but we're now showing you how to measure your shoe size from the comfort of your own home!

So why is this important? Well, as a lover of trainers you want them to look good on feet, so finding the perfect fit is absolutely essential. It also means that you'll be able to find the best steals and deals on The Sole Supplier and know exactly what shoe size to checkout straight away!

Buying the wrong shoe size can also cause many foot health problems in the future including blisters, bunions, corns, toenail damage, a shortened Achilles tendon, and structural deformities. These can be pretty severe long term, so it's vital to get an accurate measurement as soon as you can. It might sound a little silly, but getting the right pair of shoes is actually very important!

As kids, we used to go to our local shoe shop and they would use a strange contraption called a Brannock Device to get a rough estimate of what your shoe size would be. Well, child's feet are a little different to adult's in that they grow at an insane rate. If you go to your high street store now and ask to use one of these devices, chances are they will probably tell you that they're made for child's shoes only, so to save you from the embarrassment, we're here to help - so let's get started!

According to a survey conducted by Wynsors World of Shoes, three in four Brits haven't had their foot size measured since they were in school. Another study by the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society found that 88% of women in the United States wear shoes that are way too small for them, while 70% of men wear the wrong shoe size altogether. If you don't want to be a part of these shocking statistics, here are a few things that you will need to get the ultimate shoe sizing:

To find the perfect fit, the first thing that you will need to do is put one piece of paper onto a flat and hard surface and step down on it. When you're comfortable, trace the outline of your foot. Of course, if you have trouble doing this, ask a friend or family member to draw around to get the most accurate foot measurement possible.

When you're happy with what you've done, use a ruler or tape measure to measure the length of your foot from the longest toe (which is usually the big toe) all the way to the back of your heel. It's important that you do this in a straight line otherwise the final numbers won't be accurate. It's also worth noting that it doesn't matter what unit of measurement you write these down in because we'll get to that later in the fitting guide.

When you've got the numbers down, measure the length of your foot across the widest part. This is usually across the ball of your foot but will differ from person to person. Again, make sure you write your foot width numbers down because we'll need them for later when determining the ideal shoe width.

Before you get your foot measurement, there are a few things that you need to consider and take into account. As mentioned before, not getting accurate numbers can cause serious foot health problems in the future, so make sure you do all of these things before you head to the next section which features the all-important size chart and the conversion chart.

To kick things off, measure your feet after a full day of walking so preferably in the evening time. This is because walking can slightly increase your foot size - this is especially important for larger foot calculations and children's feet. It’s also worth doing the measurements while wearing the type of socks, tights, or insoles that you would usually wear. Only measure your feet barefoot if you plan to wear your shoes with nothing but your bare feet - this isn’t something that we would recommend especially for hygiene reasons but you do you!

Contrary to popular belief, most people think that both feet are automatically the same shoe size since they come from the same person but this can’t be more wrong. In fact, the majority of people have different foot sizes that are slightly asymmetrical. With this in mind, when you buy your next pair of sneakers use the measurements from the larger foot - this is absolutely crucial!

Now that you've got all the foot measurements and numbers that you need, it's time to head over to our shoe size chart that you can find down below to work out the perfect shoe size that you need to get. Separated between men's and women's sizes, you'll also find a handy conversion chart that splits everything in UK, USA, and EU sizes.

Let's start this with an example. I got my foot measurements using the method above. With a piece of paper, a pencil, and a tape measure, I wrote down the length of my foot as well as my foot width and found that it came to just over 28cm. I actually found that my other foot was slightly bigger measuring at 28.5cm, so using the shoe size conversion chart I figured out that I should be getting a 10UK sneaker which is 100% accurate to the shoe size that I would usually get.

It is worth noting that different brands have different conversions, so for example, your UK size could be different to your EU size depending on the company you're going for, but the size chart below will give you the most accurate measurement that you can get.

Although there is not just one measurement you can use, we would recommend using centimetres. This is because it is the most accurate and will most likely be found on the majority of tags and sizing charts provided by brands.

Yes! Another reason to use centimetres when measuring your feet is because although sizes such as UK8 or US10 can vary between brands, the centimetre sizing will remain consistent. One brands UK7 can be totally different to another, but 26cm will be consistent no matter what.

And that is that! The next time you're looking to buy new shoes through The Sole Supplier and you're not sure what shoe size to go for, make sure you use this handy fitting guide! Make sure you bookmark this page just in case you need to find it later down the line, and while you're here, you might as well check out some of our sneaker-specific size guides down below for the best tips and advice on sizing, styling, and so much more: