Last updated: May 2026
Convert sizes between US, EU, UK, and international standards for clothing and shoes.
US, EU, UK, Italy, France, Australia, and International label sizes
US/UK, EU, Italy, and International label sizes
US, EU, UK, CM foot length, and inches
US, EU, UK, and CM foot length
If you've ever ordered a size 38 dress from a European retailer only to find it fits like a trash bag — or bought a size 10 at an American store and a size 14 at a British one — you've experienced the beautiful chaos of international sizing standards. The short answer: there is no global standard, and every country basically made theirs up independently.
The US uses even numbers (0, 2, 4, 6…) that correlate loosely to body measurements but have drifted significantly over decades due to vanity sizing. The UK uses its own numeric scale that runs roughly 4 sizes higher than the US equivalent. Continental Europe uses EU sizing based on body measurements in centimeters, where a size 36 corresponds to roughly a 36 cm half-bust. Italy and France each have their own offset. Japan and South Korea use numeric sizes too, but keyed to different measurements. Australia and New Zealand generally match UK sizing with minor variations.
Shoe sizing is arguably even more fragmented. The US system for shoes differs between men and women — a men's US 9 and a women's US 9 are different foot lengths. The EU (Paris point) system uses a unit of 2/3 of a centimeter and has no gender split. The UK system runs about 1.5 sizes below US women's and 0.5 sizes below US men's. Then there's Japanese sizing in centimeters, Mondopoint (used by the military and ski boot industry), and Australian sizing that mirrors UK for men but matches US for women. It's a lot.
A tape measure and two minutes beats every size chart when you're buying online. Here's how to take the four key measurements:
Once you have your measurements, always check the specific brand's size chart rather than relying solely on the label. A "medium" from a slim-cut European brand is not the same as a "medium" from an American relaxed-fit brand.
| US Women's | EU | UK Women's | Foot Length (cm) | Foot Length (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 35–36 | 3 | 22.1 | 8.7" |
| 5.5 | 36 | 3.5 | 22.4 | 8.8" |
| 6 | 36–37 | 4 | 22.9 | 9.0" |
| 6.5 | 37 | 4.5 | 23.3 | 9.2" |
| 7 | 37–38 | 5 | 23.8 | 9.4" |
| 7.5 | 38 | 5.5 | 24.1 | 9.5" |
| 8 | 38–39 | 6 | 24.6 | 9.7" |
| 8.5 | 39 | 6.5 | 25.1 | 9.9" |
| 9 | 39–40 | 7 | 25.4 | 10.0" |
| 9.5 | 40 | 7.5 | 25.9 | 10.2" |
| 10 | 40–41 | 8 | 26.2 | 10.3" |
| 10.5 | 41 | 8.5 | 26.7 | 10.5" |
| 11 | 41–42 | 9 | 27.1 | 10.7" |
| US Men's | EU | UK Men's | Foot Length (cm) | Foot Length (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 40 | 6 | 25.1 | 9.9" |
| 7.5 | 40–41 | 6.5 | 25.4 | 10.0" |
| 8 | 41 | 7 | 26.0 | 10.2" |
| 8.5 | 41–42 | 7.5 | 26.5 | 10.4" |
| 9 | 42 | 8 | 27.0 | 10.6" |
| 9.5 | 42–43 | 8.5 | 27.5 | 10.8" |
| 10 | 43 | 9 | 28.0 | 11.0" |
| 10.5 | 43–44 | 9.5 | 28.5 | 11.2" |
| 11 | 44 | 10 | 29.0 | 11.4" |
| 11.5 | 44–45 | 10.5 | 29.5 | 11.6" |
| 12 | 45 | 11 | 30.0 | 11.8" |
| 12.5 | 45–46 | 11.5 | 30.5 | 12.0" |
| 13 | 46 | 12 | 31.0 | 12.2" |
Place a sheet of paper on a hard floor, stand on it with your heel touching a wall, and mark the tip of your longest toe. Measure from the wall to the mark in centimeters or inches. Do this in the evening when your feet are slightly larger from daily use. Use that measurement against the CM column in the shoe size chart above to find your best fit. If you're between sizes, always go up.
EU (or "Paris point") shoe sizes are based on the length of the last — the foot-shaped mold the shoe is built on — measured in units of 2/3 of a centimeter. So EU size 42 means the last is 42 × 0.667 cm = 28 cm long. It's a purely numeric system with no letters, which makes cross-gender sizing consistent but counterintuitive if you grew up with US or UK sizes. The EU system is the same regardless of whether you're shopping in men's or women's shoes.
Vanity sizing is the practice of labeling garments with smaller numbers than the actual measurements warrant. A US women's size 8 today is physically larger than a size 8 from the 1970s — by as much as 4 inches in the waist. Brands do this because consumers tend to buy more when they feel they fit into a smaller size. The practical effect: two "size 8" dresses from different brands can differ by several inches in actual measurements. Always check the brand's specific size chart and use your tape measure, not the label, as your guide.
Shoe width codes describe the width of the shoe at its widest point. For men: B = narrow, D = standard medium, E = wide, EE (2E) = extra wide, EEE (3E) = triple wide. For women: AA (2A) = narrow, B = standard medium, D = wide, EE = extra wide. Most off-the-shelf shoes are D width for men and B width for women. If your foot spills over the sides or you develop blisters at the ball of the foot after short wear, try going up a width. Width fitting is separate from length sizing — you can be a size 10 narrow or a size 10 wide.
US kids' sizing runs from toddler (T) sizes through big kids' sizes 1–7. Big kids' US size 7 equals women's US size 7 — they are the same foot length. To get the men's equivalent, subtract about 1.5 to 2 sizes (big kids' 7 ≈ men's 5.5). EU kids' sizes follow the same Paris point system as adult EU sizes, so a kids' EU 38 and an adult EU 38 are the same shoe size. Kids' shoes are typically narrower in construction than adult shoes, so even if the length matches, an adult may find kids' shoes too tight across the width.