EU Shoe Sizes Explained

Every EU shoe size rests on a single, surprisingly old unit of measurement: the Paris point. One Paris point equals two-thirds of a centimetre (about 6.67mm), and one full EU size is exactly one Paris point of last length — the internal length of the mould the shoe is built around. That is why the EU scale climbs in steady, even steps rather than the fractional half-sizes you see in the US and UK systems. Counting up from EU 36 to EU 37 adds roughly two-thirds of a centimetre of room, and the same gap applies between every neighbouring pair of numbers, all the way up the chart.

Crucially, the Paris-point scale is continuous and unisex. It measures the shoe, not the wearer, so it makes no distinction between men's and women's feet: a foot that fits an EU 40 last fits an EU 40 last regardless of who it belongs to. This is the reason a man and a woman with the same foot length take the same EU number, even though their US or UK sizes differ. It is also why the EU system has no separate "half size" in the American sense — the points themselves are the smallest standard increment, and any finer adjustment comes from width and last shape rather than the length number.

If you have ever seen a label or chart list an EU size as "38–39" rather than a single number, the Paris point is the reason. A US half-size step is smaller than one full Paris point, so when a brand maps its US grading onto the EU scale, one US size frequently lands between two EU numbers. Instead of arbitrarily rounding up or down — which would mislead some buyers — manufacturers print the pair as a range to signal that your true fit sits somewhere across both numbers. It is an honest admission that the two systems do not divide foot length into identical slices.

When you meet a range, let your foot length in centimetres decide. Measure the longer foot, compare it against the foot-length column in the tables above, and pick the EU number whose last length comfortably exceeds your measurement — you want a little room at the toe, not a tight match. If your measurement sits right on the boundary, lean towards the larger of the two numbers, especially for closed shoes, trainers worn with thicker socks, or feet that swell over the day. For open or adjustable styles, the smaller number is usually the safer choice.

Because the EU number is unisex but the US and UK systems are not, a single EU size produces two different US results — one for men and one for women. As a rule of thumb, a US women's size runs about one and a half sizes higher than the equivalent US men's size for the same foot. So an EU value that converts to roughly a US men's 8 corresponds to around a US women's 9.5, even though the foot, and therefore the EU number, is identical. The women's and men's reference tables higher up this page show the exact pairings we use, and the converter applies the same data when you switch the gender tab.

UK sizing sits closer to the men's US scale and tends to read about a size below the US men's figure, while remaining a long step below the EU number itself. Rather than memorise offsets, treat foot length in centimetres as the universal anchor: it is the one value that does not change between systems, and every row in our tables is built around it. Convert in either direction, then sanity-check the result against your own measurement — lasts vary between brands, so a number that fits one label perfectly may need a half-step adjustment at another.