The single most useful thing you can do before buying shoes online is to measure your feet properly. It takes five minutes, needs nothing but paper and a ruler, and saves you the frustration of shoes that don't fit. Here's how to do it right.
What You'll Need
- A sheet of paper larger than your foot
- A pencil held upright
- A ruler or tape measure
- A hard floor against a wall
Step by Step
- Put the paper on the floor with one edge against the wall.
- Stand on the paper with your heel touching the wall, putting your full weight on the foot. Your foot spreads when you stand, so measuring seated gives a smaller, wrong number.
- Keeping the pencil upright, mark the tip of your longest toe. That isn't always your big toe, so check.
- Measure from the wall edge of the paper to the mark. That's your foot length.
- For width, mark the widest points on each side of your foot and measure between them.
When to Measure
Measure at the end of the day. Feet swell over the course of the day and during activity, so an afternoon or evening measurement reflects the size your shoes actually need to accommodate. A morning measurement can leave you with shoes that pinch by evening.
Wear the socks you'll wear with the shoes, too. Measuring barefoot then wearing thick socks changes the fit.
Turning Your Measurement Into a Size
Once you have your length in centimetres, you can convert it to a UK, EU or US size using the converter. Foot length in centimetres is the most reliable basis for sizing, because it's an actual measurement rather than a brand's label. This is also why the same person can wear different numbered sizes in different brands — the foot hasn't changed, only the label.
The Bottom Line
Stand, full weight, heel to the wall, mark the longest toe, measure both feet at the end of the day, and size to the larger one. Get those basics right and your online shoe-buying gets a lot more reliable.