New Balance Shoe Size Guide

New Balance trainers run true to size in length. Whether you reach for a 990, a Fresh Foam 1080, a FuelCell racer or a classic 574, the heel-to-toe measurement lines up closely with the foot-length figures in the conversion charts below, so the size you wear in most other brands is the size you should order here. The brand's reputation has never rested on quirky length sizing — it rests on fit through the middle and forefoot of the shoe, which is where New Balance genuinely sets itself apart from rivals such as Nike and adidas.

That difference shows up as roominess. New Balance is widely regarded as the go-to brand for wide feet, and even the standard widths — D for men and B for women — are cut a touch more generously than the equivalent medium width elsewhere. If you have struggled with shoes pinching across the ball of the foot or pressing on a bunion, a standard-width New Balance often feels comfortable straight out of the box. Because the length is true, the safest approach is to keep your usual size and treat width, rather than going up half a size, as the lever you pull for extra room.

Few brands match the width range New Balance offers. Men's widths run from 2A (narrow) through B and the standard D, then out to 2E (wide) and 4E (extra wide), with 6E available on selected models. Women's widths span 2A through the standard B, D and 2E. To choose well, measure across the widest part of your foot — the ball — rather than guessing from how a shoe looks. That ball-of-foot measurement, read alongside your true length, tells you whether a standard width will sit comfortably or whether you need to step out to a wider fitting.

As a practical guide, if the standard width feels tight across the forefoot, move one width wider before you consider sizing up in length — a longer shoe only adds room at the toe and leaves the squeeze across the ball unsolved. Wearers with a high-volume or swollen foot tend to do well in 2E or 4E, while a narrow-heel wearer can pair a wider forefoot with secure lacing to lock the heel in place. If you fall between two widths, the roomier standard widths described above mean the next size up is rarely a gamble, but always cross-check the specific model: lasts vary, and a racing shoe will feel snugger than a cushioned daily trainer in the same nominal width.

Reading the conversion charts below is straightforward once you anchor on foot length in centimetres, which is the one measurement every sizing system ultimately describes. Find your true foot length, read across to your home system, and the chart gives you the matching size in UK, EU, JP and beyond. New Balance publishes separate men's and women's US scales, and the two are offset: a women's US size is roughly one and a half sizes larger than the men's number for the same physical foot, so a women's US 9.5 lands close to a men's US 8. The EU column is unisex and based on Paris points, which is why the same EU number can appear against different US sizes for men and women.

A couple of worked examples help. A women's US 8 maps to a UK 6 and an EU 38 on the women's chart, sitting at roughly 24.1 cm of foot length — check the row in the women's table to confirm against your own measurement. On the men's side, a US 9 reads across to a UK 8.5 and an EU 41—42 at around 25.7 cm. Treat these as close approximations rather than guarantees: lasts differ between models, half sizes round in different directions across systems, and width is layered on top of length. Use the chart to get into the right size bracket, then lean on the fit and width guidance above to fine-tune the final choice.