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Measure your feet once a year. Your foot size will change throughout your entire life. It may not be as dramatic as the 18 and under crowd, but they do change. For instance: when I started running about 2 years ago I was a 10.5; now I’m an 11. (I’m 25 years old.)
There are three dimensions you should measure your feet by when purchasing a shoe. Size (which is really “length”), arch and width.
All three of these can be measured within a few seconds by anyone at a reputable shoe store. Make sure they measure both feet since no one’s feet are both the exact same size.
Or, if you’re like me and like to buy shoes online, here’s how to get the measurements you’re looking for at home:
These are just for illustration purposes. This is not my foot; the measurements are of my foot, though.
Size:
Put a piece of paper on a hard surface and step on it. You may want to wear the actual kind of sock you’ll be wearing with the shoes you’re planning on fitting with these measurements. Make a mark (or better yet, have someone do it for you while you stand up straight) in front of your longest toe and one just behind your heel.
There are some sizing charts here so you can that you can use to turn your measurements into shoe sizes. (Men’s) (Women’s)
Width:
In the same position, measure the outside of your foot at its widest point and the inside at its widest point.
Good width chart HERE that you can use to turn your measurements into shoe sizes.
Arch:
This is a bit trickier. What we’re after here is just a general statement of “high”, “medium” or “low”. I use the “water test”. This has been documented in “Runner’s World” and “Outside” magazines.
Get a wet surface or a very shallow pan (like a cookie sheet) and step on or in it. Then step on a dry surface and check out what your foot print looks like.
I happen to have neutral arch.
So now that I know I have neutral arches, am a size 11 and a D width, I’m ready to get some shoes that fit. There’s really no substitute for trying them on since all brands fit slightly differently, but armed with this info you can cut down the search time a lot.
If I am buying shoes online I like Road Runner Sports because they have a fantastic return policy. If you’re a serious runner, you can become a member there for a nominal yearly fee and you have 45 days to return a shoe in any condition!
Or even if you’re not a member, you have 30 days to return it unused, which means you could wear it around the house for a few weeks and see if it’s right for you. (I am in no way affiliated with this shop, I’ve just had lots of three great experiences there in the past.)
Once you buy them figure out how to lace them up.
Insert your own, witty, “if the shoe fits” closer here and beware the Fluoroscope.
Bonus:
-When buying running shoes or hiking boots, as long as the width is right, but a half size up. Your feet will swell under load.
-Try on shoes in the late afternoon when your feet are fattest.
-Always wear the socks you’re going to be wearing with the footwear when making any measurements or when trying shoes on.
-Never get a shoe that you think will feel good after break-in. I’m not saying that it never happens, but shoes and boots should feel right for your foot immediately if they fit correctly.
-Ignore the siren call of the good deal that’s a half-size to small or large. By all means, try them on, but if the shoe doesn’t fit, you won’t wear it.
-Spend the time now instead of later, especially if you’re doing some sort of strenuous activity in this footwear like running or hiking. Spending a few minutes now can save you months of shin splints, rolled ankles or worse…
[tags] shoe, fitting, arch, size, width, measuring, table, picture, guide, buying [/tags]
108 days ago
Hello! Thank you for the article it was very useful. If you are reading this and you’re European (or in Europe even) you can use this guide to measuring your feet:
Size Measuring Guide – Duo
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213 days ago
I bought a good pair of walking shoes for work but they eat my socks why?
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624 days ago
That was a great article. At the Shoes That Fit stores in Elk Grove, Ca and Modesto ,Ca everything mentioned in the article above is what we specialize in. We give free foot assessments making sure that everyone who leaves our stores with a new pair of shoes are perfectly fitted to their specific needs. Please check out what we are all about on our website!!!
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686 days ago
You article completely ignores the last of a shoe. While you address the arch as high, low, etc, you do not address pronouncement of the foot (roll). Kilikopeple hints at just such a problem. He (and your wife) could spend ten YEARS in a shoe store looking and trying on an almost endless range of shoe sizes, but if the store only carries straight-lasted shoes (most stores), the fit will never be proper if a semi-curved or curved last is needed.
I have found that even so-called orthopedic shoe stores try to sell a wider shoe to address a toe problem that can more correctly be addressed by a different last. I wear a 12B on a curved or semi-curved last. I have actually had “trained fitters” try to sell me up to a 12EEE and tell me they can add “fillers” to get the fit…yeah, right…sure…you betcha!
Measure your shoe size by the arch, just be sure the size selected permits enough toe room. In MOST cases, the arch will be longer than the toe so there will be no problem. My arch is size 12, the toe is size 11.5. A size 11.5 places the arch too far back on the foot resulting in improper support resulting in pain at the end of a long day. If the arch is not correct, the shoe cannot properly support the foot, unless custom inserts are used.
We each need to be more demanding that shoe stores carry a wider variety of sizes and lasted shoes.
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765 days ago
@anthony: same prob here. I “measure” to a 10.5 D with 11 arch, but I’m generally wearing larger because of the fan out of my toes. 2 of my 3 inner toes are longer than biggie with “ring toe” being about the same measurement as biggie. A shoe that fits to the measurements CRUSHES that toe. Incidentally, just picked up NB 570 all-terrain runners that fit like a dream.
@Perky: Go at least once to a reputable shop who will measure, observe your current shoes, and be able to make recommendations and bring out 20 shoes for you to try on. Once you are truly fitted for a shoe that works for your feet, you have a baseline for future online purchases. It took my wife 2 hours of trying shoe after shoe, but she’s gone from hating running to doing 5k runs.
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967 days ago
I am a woman with a very narrow heel that slides out of every shoe, but wide feet (not sure whether I’m W, WW, WWW? The biggest problem is my high arch/instep. Nearly every shoe except lace-up athletic shoes cuts into the top of my foot, which also swells a lot due to a medical condition. Is there any hope to find a comfortable pair of attractive walking shoes? I have to shop online, and I’m spending a lot of money returning shoes that I can’t even get my foot into.
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1065 days ago
wow great article .
this was really helpful information
http://heelsandsteals.com
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1081 days ago
What about the toes! In your measurement of the foot you have :Lenght,width and arch. My feet are not shaped like your example from the small to great toe. I have used the New Balance 582 SL-2. It helps a little, but they should make an SL-3 or 4! I still need to get a larger size to fit the toes. And my foot is narrow heal and wide at the toes. Do I need custom made shoes?
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1254 days ago
Now how do I get my orthotics to stop squeaking with every step in my hiking boots? I’ve got full length orthotics in the boots, a hard carbon fiber part in the rear and a soft extension up to the toe.
What is causing the squeaking noise??? It comes form both shoes and is driving me crazy.
I’ve tried the talcum powder solution but that only made it worse.
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1426 days ago
I’ve learned lately that although my foot length remains approximately a 11 it is my arch LENGHTH that makes the difference in whether I get shoes to fit. While it is important to know what kind of arch you have for the reasons the author stated, the shoe size you should be can be more colely lated to the arch length, not type.
My arch length dictates that I wear size 12 shoes. It is only when I started to buy the larger shoes did my shoes become truly comfortable.
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1473 days ago
Thanks for pointing that out. I changed the link to a chart that is much more accurate.
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1475 days ago
I’ll say firstly, you got a great article thats full of good info, very useful. I’m confused tho, the part that has me confused is where you measure your foot (10.25″) and list the size as 11. When I checked your link to the conversion site (http://www.i18nguy.com/l10n/shoes.html), I couldn’t figure out how you got size 11 from there. If I read the chart right, it shows 10.25″ to be size 8.5 men/10 women, there’s also some inconsistencies where the size chart jumps from size 10.5 to 11.5 (even from 12.5 to size 14!) in one step.
Your second link for width size also has a length conversion table on the same page (http://www.boot.com/bsizcvt.htm#SizeTable), although for boots, it seems to have the better info. Its noted on the same page that mens size 1 is 7 2/3″ long and each size up is 1/3″ extra, but with inconsistencies in sizes between different shoe manufacturers, results may vary.
In case you’re wondering; my measurements are 10.25″ (with sock, but pre-daily swelling) which puts me in the size 9 – 9.5 range and a width of 4.5″ so EEE (or even EEEE, dang I got wide feet!) for me, with a low arch.
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