Shoe Lengths for U.S. & European Shoe Sizes with Sizing Chart

In the United States most people think they know their U.S. shoe size (if you haven't done so please read our tips on how to measure your feet because shoe size can change over time), but many people are still puzzled by the European shoe sizing system. HealthyFeetStore.com carries several brands that use the European shoe sizing system including Mephisto, Naot, Finn Comfort, Sanita, Spring Step, and PG Lite Alegria. Traditionally European sizing system shoes only come in medium widths, but recently some European shoe companies have taken up the quest for the perfect fit and have started making shoes in wide and extra wide widths. Currently Kumfs is the only European sizing shoe carried by HealthyFeetStore.com that comes in multiple widths.

Most Americans are pretty familiar with the U.S. shoe sizing system, but just in case here's an overview. Most U.S. adult shoe sizes range from 4 to 12 in U.S. women's sizes and 6 to 16 in U.S. men's sizes, though there are some exceptions to this rule. For example, Apis shoes, come in larger sizes, and Pedors shoes come in smaller sizes. Typically men's sizes fit more generously than women's sizes which tend to run somewhat more narrow. The U.S. children and youth shoe sizing system is distinct from the U.S. adult shoe sizing system. One of the criteria for a given shoe to be federally recognized as a medical shoe (also called a diabetic shoe), is that the shoe come in multiple widths. This may be why U.S. sizing system shoes are much more likely to come in narrow, medium, wide, and extra wide widths than European sizing system shoes are.

For European shoe sizes there aren't separate sizing systems for adults and children. Instead there is a range of sizes where at one end of the spectrum you'll find small shoe sizes that are usually worn only by children and at the other end of the spectrum you'll find large shoe sizes that are usually worn only by men. This brings up another point about the European shoe sizing system. Unlike the U.S. shoe sizing system, the European shoe sizing system is pretty much unisex. A woman who wears a size 42 would probably be as comfortable in a men's shoe as a women's shoe in terms of how the shoe fits. Only masculine or feminine fashion details on the shoe's upper would reveal the shoe's true gender.

One common misconception about shoes that use the European sizing system is that they are made in Europe. Some of them are, but just as shoes that use the U.S. shoe sizing system aren't always made in the United States, European sized shoes may be manufactured in other locations such as New Zealand, Israel, and China. The system is only referred to as European because that's where it originated.