How to Measure Your Feet for Shoe Size: Length and Width

Stand on a sheet of paper late in the day, wearing the socks you will wear, and mark the back of your heel and the tip of your longest toe. Measure between the marks, repeat for the other foot, and match the longer measurement to the maker’s size chart. Between two sizes, Nike advises sizing up.

That one number, your foot length, is what every chart is built on. It takes five minutes and works with any brand.

What you need

• A sheet of paper larger than your foot, and tape to hold it down
• A pen or pencil
• A ruler or tape measure
• A wall with a hard floor, and a helper if you have one

How to measure foot length at home

The foot-measuring steps below follow Nike’s “How To Measure Foot Length” instructions, with the wall method from its kids’ guide.

1. Tape the paper to a hard, flat floor so it cannot slip. Nike’s kids’ guide places it next to a wall, heel pressed against the wall.
2. Stand with your weight even, feet about shoulder width apart, one foot on the paper. Standing matters: AAOS says the full weight of your body expands your feet.
3. Mark the tip of your longest toe and the back of your heel, holding the pen straight up and down. A helper makes this easier.
4. Step off and measure between the two marks with a ruler or tape. That is your foot length.
5. Repeat with the other foot. Nike notes it is common for one foot to be slightly longer than the other.

Use the longer of the two numbers. AAOS points out that your longest toe is sometimes the second toe, not the big toe, so mark whichever reaches farthest.

When to measure, and what to wear

Timing and socks change the result. Here is what each source says:

How do I measure the width of my feet?

The paper method works for width too. NHS footwear advice says to stand on the paper, draw around the outline of both feet, and cut the outlines out. Slide each cutout into the shoe: if the paper curls in length or width, the shoe may be too small.

You can also measure straight across the widest part of the tracing. Use that number with care. The Brannock Device Company says width terms such as narrow, wide and extra wide are not standardized between makers, so ask the brand or retailer how its widths compare. The shoe width chart explains the width letters.

Using a Brannock device in a store

The Brannock device is the foot measuring tool with a heel cup and sliding bars. Its maker, the Brannock Device Company, describes the steps:

• Stand with equal weight on both feet, heel against the back of the heel cup, so the measured foot spreads to its full size.
• Read the length straight down over the longest toe, with socks snug against the toes.
• Read the arch length (heel to ball) with the sliding pointer at the ball joint. Use the larger of the arch and heel-to-toe readings as the size.
• Slide the width bar to the edge of the foot and read the width at your size.
• Turn the device around and measure the other foot, then fit the larger one.

Brannock devices and home foot measures

Shop foot measuring devices→

Opens eBay in a new tab. Check condition, seller feedback and returns.

• Brannock devicesBrowse →
• Kids' foot measuresBrowse →

How do I turn my measurement into a size?

Find your foot length on the maker’s chart for the shoe you want. On Nike’s men’s chart, a 10 inch foot is a men’s 8, which the same chart lists as a women’s 9.5. A foot of 10 1/8 inches falls between the 8 (10 inches) and the 8.5 (10 3/16 inches), so Nike’s advice to size up points to the 8.5.

Other brands use their own charts, so repeat this for each brand. The full Nike table and the reasons sizes vary are on the shoe size chart hub. If you shop the other department, see men’s to women’s shoe size, and for children use the kids’ shoe size chart.