Shoe Size Converter: US, UK, EU, AU & JP by Foot Length in cm
Order shoes from an overseas store and the numbers stop making sense fast: your trusty US 8.5 is a UK 6.5, an EU 39.5 and a 25 in Japan. This shoe size converter untangles it in seconds. Enter your foot length — in centimetres or inches — or pick a size you already own in any system, and it returns the complete row: US, UK, EU, AU and JP, plus the foot length that size is built for.
Working from foot length is the most reliable method of all, because your feet do not care which label a brand sewed into the shoe. Measure once, properly, and you can order from almost any country with the confidence of someone trying shoes on in the store — which, after 50, matters more than ever, because feet change shape and quietly outgrow old sizes.
On this page:
- Shoe size converter tool
- How to measure your foot length properly
- Why feet change after 50
- Shoe width, explained
- How the converter works
- A warning about brand differences
- Full shoe size conversion chart
- Keep exploring
- Frequently asked questions
Shoe Size Converter
Convert from your foot length
Trace your foot on paper in the evening, standing with full weight on it, and measure from the back of the heel to the tip of your longest toe. Measure both feet and use the longer one.
Or convert a size you already know
Pick the system printed inside your best-fitting pair of shoes.
AU women’s sizes use the same numbers as UK sizes; JP sizes are simply your foot length in centimetres.
A note on how the tool works: real feet rarely land exactly on a chart row, so when you convert from foot length the converter snaps your measurement to the nearest standard row and tells you it has done so. If your foot falls almost exactly between two rows, choose the larger row for closed shoes and boots — growing room can be fixed with an insole, but a too-short shoe cannot be fixed at all.
How to Measure Your Foot Length Properly
Measure in the evening. Feet swell through the day and can be several millimetres longer by 6 p.m. than at breakfast. Shoes bought for morning-sized feet are the ones that pinch by dinner.
Stand, do not sit. Your full body weight spreads the foot and drops the arch slightly, making the foot longer. A seated tracing can under-measure by half a size.
Trace on paper. Place a sheet of paper on a hard floor against a wall. Stand on it with your heel lightly touching the wall, and mark the heel edge and the tip of your longest toe — which is not always the big toe. Measure the distance between the marks in centimetres. Trace both feet and always size for the longer one.
Wear your real socks. If you are measuring for boots or winter shoes, wear the socks you will actually pair with them. Thick hiking socks can add the better part of a size.
Quick check: a well-fitting shoe leaves about a thumb’s width — roughly 1 cm — between your longest toe and the end of the shoe, and your heel stays put when you walk. If your heel lifts with every step but your toes are cramped, the problem is width or shape, not length.
Why Feet Change After 50
Many women are surprised to discover in their fifties and sixties that their lifelong shoe size no longer fits. Nothing is wrong — feet genuinely remodel with age. The ligaments and tendons that support the arch lose elasticity year by year, so the arch gradually flattens and the foot becomes measurably longer and wider. The protective fat pads on the sole thin out, weight changes redistribute pressure, and conditions like bunions and arthritis alter the foot’s outline further.
The practical consequences: re-measure your feet once a year, expect to go up half a size (sometimes a full size) compared with your forties, and never order a treasured style in your “usual” size without checking the centimetre measurement first. Shoes that quietly became too small are a leading cause of corns, ingrown nails and aching forefeet — all fixable simply by buying the size your feet are now.
Shoe Width, Explained
Length is only half of fit. To measure width, wrap a soft tape around the ball of your foot — the wide part just behind your toes — while standing. Signs you need a wide fitting: your forefoot bulges over the edge of the sole, the shoe feels tight across the toes even though the length is right, you get blisters or calluses on the sides of your feet, or your little toe is permanently squashed.
In US sizing, women’s standard width is B; wide fittings are marked W or D, and extra-wide EE. UK and EU brands more often offer a named “wide fit” range instead of letters. Going up a length size to get width is a poor trade — the shoe then slips at the heel. If your width measurement is generous, look for brands with a dedicated wide range in your converted length size.
How the Converter Works
The converter is built on a standard women’s table keyed to foot length in centimetres, from 22.0 cm (US 5) up to 26.7 cm (US 11). UK sizes sit about one and a half to two numbers below US sizes, Australian sizes copy the UK numbers, and EU sizes follow their own half-step ladder. Japanese sizes are the simplest of all: your JP size is your foot length in centimetres, so a 25.0 cm foot is a JP 25. Converting from any one system looks up the same table row, which guarantees the US, UK, EU, AU and JP values you see always belong together.
A Warning About Brand Differences
Conversion charts describe the standard, but every brand builds shoes on its own last — the mould that gives a shoe its shape — and lasts differ. Sport brands often run half a size small, Italian dress shoes can run narrow and long, and some EU labels round 39.5 down to 39 while others round up. Treat your converted size as the starting point, check the brand’s own chart against your centimetre measurement when one is offered, and favour retailers with free returns when you try a new label for the first time.
Full Shoe Size Conversion Chart
The complete standard women’s chart used by the converter. To use it, find your foot length in the first column — or any size you already own — and read straight across.
| Foot length (cm) | US | EU | UK | AU | JP (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22.0 | 5 | 35.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 22 |
| 22.5 | 5.5 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 22.5 |
| 23.0 | 6 | 36.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 23 |
| 23.5 | 6.5 | 37.5 | 5 | 5 | 23.5 |
| 23.8 | 7 | 38 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 23.8 |
| 24.1 | 7.5 | 38.5 | 6 | 6 | 24.1 |
| 24.5 | 8 | 39 | 6 | 6 | 24.5 |
| 25.0 | 8.5 | 39.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 25 |
| 25.4 | 9 | 40.5 | 7 | 7 | 25.4 |
| 25.8 | 9.5 | 41 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 25.8 |
| 26.2 | 10 | 42 | 8 | 8 | 26.2 |
| 26.7 | 11 | 43 | 9 | 9 | 26.7 |
Keep Exploring
Browse all of our free style tools and calculators, convert your clothing sizes with the Dress Size Converter, find your most flattering silhouettes with the Body Shape Calculator, and check your fit with the Bra Size Calculator. Then see your converted shoe size in action in our wide-leg trousers outfits, fall outfit ideas for women over 40 and elevated casual weekend outfits.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a US women’s shoe size 8.5 in UK and EU sizes?
A US women’s 8.5 converts to a UK 6.5 and an EU 39.5 on the standard chart (a few brands round the EU size to 39). It is made for a foot about 25.0 cm long, which is also your Japanese size, since JP sizes are simply foot length in centimetres. Australian women’s shoe sizes use the same numbers as UK sizes, so it is an AU 6.5 as well.
How do I measure my foot length correctly?
Measure in the evening, when your feet are at their largest. Stand with your full weight on one foot on a sheet of paper, trace around it (or mark the heel and the longest toe), then measure the straight distance between the marks. Repeat with the other foot and use the longer measurement — most people have one foot up to half a size bigger than the other, and shoes must fit the larger foot.
Why do feet get bigger after 50?
Feet genuinely change with age. The ligaments and tendons that hold up the arch gradually lose elasticity, so the arch flattens and the foot becomes longer and wider; the fat pads on the sole also thin. Many women go up half a size or a full size after 50, and a size that fit at 40 can quietly become the cause of bunions, corns and sore toes. Re-measure once a year rather than trusting a decades-old size.
What if I am between two shoe sizes?
Size up for closed shoes, boots and trainers, especially if you will wear socks or walk a lot — feet swell during the day and a slightly roomy shoe can be fine-tuned with an insole or thicker socks. A shoe that is too short cannot be fixed: toes jammed against the end cause blisters, blackened nails and worse bunions. Sandals and open styles are the only safe place to take the smaller size.
Why do shoe sizes differ so much between brands?
There is no single enforced standard: each brand builds shoes on its own last (the mould a shoe is shaped on), and lasts differ in length, width and toe shape. EU sizes in particular are rounded differently by different makers, so an EU 40 can feel like a 39.5 or a 40.5. That is why this converter works from foot length in centimetres — your measurement never changes, even when labels do.
