Convert between Australian, UK, US and European shoe sizes for men, women and kids — or enter your foot length in cm directly.
| System | Size |
|---|
Australian shoe sizing uses the same scale as UK sizing for most adult footwear. Australian men's sizes are the same as UK sizes. Australian women's sizes are typically the same as UK women's sizes (which run 1.5–2 sizes smaller than US). Always measure your foot and check brand-specific size guides.
Written and reviewed by Mohsin Iqbal · Last reviewed 4 August 2026 · Tables cross-checked against published international sizing references
Foot length is the one measurement every system agrees on. Everything else — the AU, UK, US and EU numbers — is a label applied to that length, and the labels were invented separately by different countries.
| Step | How |
|---|---|
| 1 | Stand on a piece of paper with your full weight on the foot — feet spread slightly under load |
| 2 | Mark the back of your heel and the tip of your longest toe. That is often the second toe, not the big toe |
| 3 | Measure the distance between the marks in centimetres |
| 4 | Measure both feet and use the longer one — most people have a size difference between feet |
| 5 | Measure in the evening. Feet swell slightly through the day |
Enter that centimetre figure directly using the foot length field above, and every other system is derived from it. It is the most reliable input this calculator takes.
Three countries built three separate measuring systems, none of which was designed with the others in mind.
| System | Unit | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| UK | Barleycorns (1/3 inch) from a fixed starting point | English cobblers, 19th century |
| US | Also barleycorns, different starting point | Diverged from the UK system separately |
| EU | Paris points (2/3 cm) | French shoemaking, continental Europe |
| Japan / China | Foot length in centimetres, directly | No conversion needed — JP 27 means a 27 cm foot |
| Australia | Mirrors the UK number | Inherited British sizing conventions |
Because the base units differ — thirds of an inch against two-thirds of a centimetre — there is no clean formula between them. A real conversion chart is a table built from measured reference points, not an equation, which is why this calculator works from lookup tables rather than a single formula.
Kids' sizing adds a third scale again. In the US, sizes run through toddler (C), then youth (Y), before crossing into adult sizing around a youth 6 or 7 — roughly a women's 7.5 to 8, or a men's 6 to 6.5. The transition point is exactly where sizing confusion happens most, so check both the kids' and adult charts around that range.
| Input | Result |
|---|---|
| Men's US 9 | UK / AU 8.5 · EU 42.5 · foot length 26.0 cm |
| Women's US 8 | UK / AU 5.5 · EU 38.5 · foot length 23.9 cm |
| Kids' US 1Y | UK / AU 13.5 · EU 33 · foot length 20.6 cm |
A conversion chart tells you the size to try first, not the size that will definitely fit. The same nominal size varies between brands, sometimes by a full size, because shoe lasts differ even within a single country's numbering system.
| When to size up | When to size down |
|---|---|
| Closed-toe shoes generally — leave about 1 cm past your longest toe | Open-toe sandals, where there is no toe box to bruise against |
| Running shoes, since feet swell during longer runs | — |
| Wide feet, in brands offering only standard width | — |
Buying to your exact measured length with no allowance is the most common fit mistake for closed shoes — it causes toenail bruising, particularly on descents or during activity where the foot slides forward inside the shoe.
Measure your foot length in centimetres, standing with full weight on the foot, from heel to your longest toe. Enter that figure directly, or convert from a size you already know in another system. Foot length is the one measurement every sizing system is ultimately built from.
Stand on paper with your full weight on the foot, mark the heel and the tip of your longest toe — often the second toe rather than the big toe — and measure the distance in centimetres. Measure both feet and use the longer one, and measure in the evening when feet have swollen slightly.
Australian sizing mirrors the UK number for both men's and women's shoes. If you know your UK size, that is generally your Australian size too — check the brand's own chart for anything unusual, since some do vary slightly.
Since Australian sizing follows the UK convention, subtract roughly half a size for men's (US 9 becomes AU 8.5) or about two and a half sizes for women's (US 8 becomes AU 5.5). The exact offset is not perfectly constant across the range, which is why a lookup table gives a more reliable answer than a flat subtraction.
Yes, and it uses a different base unit entirely — Paris points of two-thirds of a centimetre, rather than the thirds of an inch that UK and US sizing use. EU sizing is also unisex in principle, using the same number for men's and women's shoes of the same last, though in practice separate men's and women's EU charts still exist.
Yes, in both the numbers and the shape of the shoe. Men's and women's shoes are built on different lasts, so a size that works for one gender's foot does not translate to a fixed offset in the other. Use the chart matching the shoe's own gender category rather than converting between them.
US kids' sizing runs through toddler sizes labelled C, then youth sizes labelled Y, before crossing into adult sizing around a youth 6 to 7. This calculator has a separate kids' chart — select it and enter the size including the C or Y where relevant.
Size up for closed-toe shoes, since a snug fit at rest often feels tight after activity or by the end of a day. Size down only for open sandals, where there is no toe box to press against your toenails.
No. A size 10 from one brand can fit differently to a size 10 from another, since lasts vary between manufacturers even within a single country's numbering. Treat any conversion, including this one, as the size to try first rather than a guaranteed fit.
Roughly every two to three months for young children, since feet grow quickly and unevenly during growth spurts. A shoe that fit well three months ago may already be too small, well before a child is likely to complain about it.
Length and width are measured separately, and a length-only size does not capture width. Many brands offer standard, wide and narrow options at the same length size — if a shoe fits the length but feels tight or loose across the foot, look for a width option rather than changing the length size.
A sizing system based directly on foot length and width in millimetres, developed as an international standard and used for ski boots, military footwear and some technical outdoor gear. It has not replaced the legacy national systems in everyday fashion footwear, though Japanese and some technical sneaker releases use it.