Are Vans True to Size? Vans Size Chart and Unisex Sizing

Buy Vans by your measured size, and let the product page overrule that only if it carries a fit note. Measure your foot, find that length on the Vans unisex chart, and order that size. Old Skool, Authentic, Sk8-Hi and Slip-On are unisex shoes, so each size is shown as a men’s and a women’s number.

The part that trips most shoppers is not the fit. It is the double label. A women’s 10.5 and a men’s 9 can be the same Vans shoe.

How unisex Vans sizing works

The classic Vans are listed as unisex, and Zappos product pages show the size used for their measurements in both systems:

On those labels the women’s number sits one and a half sizes above the men’s. That matches the gap on Nike’s unisex chart, where men’s 8 sits beside women’s 9.5.

So if you wear a women’s 10 in most sneakers, a men’s 8.5 Vans is the same shoe. Use the women’s number if the listing shows it, and you skip the math.

Are Vans true to size?

Go by your measured size, not the size of your last pair. A length measurement on the Vans chart is the starting point.

1. Measure both feet and use the longer one. Our foot measuring guide shows how.
2. Find that length on the Vans unisex size chart on the Vans website.
3. Check the product page for any fit note on that style.
4. Order the men’s or women’s number that matches your chart row.

If you own another canvas classic that fits well, such as a Converse Chuck 70, compare lengths on each brand’s chart rather than copying the number. The Converse Chuck Taylor All Star is a different case, because its page tells you to order a half size down.

Vans Old Skool, Authentic and Sk8-Hi in unisex sizes

Shop vans Old Skool, Authentic and Sk8-Hi→

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• Vans Old SkoolBrowse →
• Vans Sk8-HiBrowse →
• Vans Classic Slip-OnBrowse →

Old Skool, Authentic, Sk8-Hi and Slip-On: any difference?

All four use the same unisex size labels, and none of the listings in the table gives a separate size rule for one model over another.

The shapes differ. The Sk8-Hi is a high top, the Old Skool and Authentic are lace-up low tops, and the Slip-On has no laces at all. A lace-up shoe can be tightened or loosened. A slip-on cannot, so the length and width you pick are the fit you get.

Do Vans come in wide?

One classic does. Zappos lists a Vans Classic Slip-On Wide, with a choice of Medium or Wide widths. The Old Skool, Authentic and Sk8-Hi listings show Medium only.

If your feet are broad and you want a lace-up Vans, going up a size adds width but also length you may not need. Our guides to shoes for wide feet and the shoe width chart explain the alternatives.

Buying Vans for a child or across sizes

Vans keeps kids’ shoes on a separate size chart from the unisex adult sizes. If you are moving a teen into adult Vans, our kids’ shoe size chart explains where big kid sizes end and adult sizes begin.

For the men’s and women’s gap across other brands, see men’s to women’s shoe size. Every model is compared side by side on do sneakers run big or small.