To measure your shoe size at home, you only need paper, a wall, and a ruler, and the key is measuring both length (heel to longest toe) and width , then matching those numbers to a size chart and choosing the size based on your larger foot.

What you’ll need

  • A sheet of paper larger than your foot.
  • A pencil or pen.
  • A ruler or measuring tape (centimeters are often more precise).
  • A flat floor and a wall.
  • The socks you plan to wear with the shoes (especially for boots or sneakers).

Step-by-step: measure foot length

  1. Place paper against a wall
    • Put the paper on a hard floor with one short edge touching the wall so it does not slip.
  1. Stand on the paper
    • Stand straight with your heel lightly touching the wall and your weight evenly on the foot you are measuring.
  1. Mark your longest toe
    • With the pencil straight up and down, mark the tip of your longest toe on the paper. Do not angle the pencil or you’ll underestimate length.
  1. Measure heel-to-toe
    • Use the ruler to measure from the wall edge to the toe mark; this number is your foot length.
  1. Repeat for the other foot
    • It is common for one foot to be slightly larger, so measure both and use the larger measurement to choose your size.

Step-by-step: measure foot width

  1. Mark the widest points
    • Either trace your foot on paper or wrap a soft tape around the ball of your foot (widest part), then mark where the tape overlaps.
  1. Measure the width
    • If tracing, measure straight across the widest part of the outline.
    • If using tape, measure the length between the overlap marks; that is your foot circumference at the widest point.
  1. Note which foot is wider
    • As with length, use the larger width measurement to guide your size and width choice (narrow, regular, wide, extra-wide).

Converting measurements to shoe size

Most brands provide size charts that match foot length (and sometimes width) to shoe size.

  • US women’s example lengths (approximate): a foot around 25.4 cm (10 inches) often corresponds to a US women’s size 8, while 27.9 cm (11 inches) is around a US women’s size 10.
  • If your measurement falls between two sizes, go up half a size for comfort.
  • Width codes:
    • A/2A = narrow,
    • B/M = medium or standard,
    • C/D = wide,
    • E/2E = extra wide.

Because different brands run slightly short, long, narrow, or wide, always check the brand’s own chart and any fit notes (e.g., “runs small, size up”).

Extra tips for an accurate fit

  • Measure at the end of the day when your feet are at their largest because they swell slightly.
  • Wear the type of socks you will actually use with that shoe style (thick for hiking boots, thinner for dress shoes).
  • Remeasure about once a year; foot size can change with age, weight, or lifestyle.
  • For online shopping, combine your measurements with brand reviews to see if most people recommend sizing up or down.

Simple HTML table: example size mapping

Below is a basic illustrative table (values approximate and based on one standard US women’s chart).

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Foot length (inches)</th>
      <th>Foot length (cm)</th>
      <th>US women’s size</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>8.5</td>
      <td>21.6</td>
      <td>5</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>9.0</td>
      <td>22.9</td>
      <td>6</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>9.5</td>
      <td>24.1</td>
      <td>7</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>10.0</td>
      <td>25.4</td>
      <td>8</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>10.5</td>
      <td>26.7</td>
      <td>9</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>11.0</td>
      <td>27.9</td>
      <td>10</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.