Nicks Boots Sizing: Brannock Rule, Widths, Lasts and Try-On

Nicks Boots are numbered like a normal US shoe but cut longer than most mass-produced footwear, so the standard advice is to go half a size down from your Brannock size. Nicks measures width separately, in a much finer range than the usual D and E, and the width you choose matters about as much as the length.

Sources disagree on one point. One says to take half a size off your sneaker size, and another says Nicks runs about half a size larger than standard US sneaker and dress shoe sizing. Those can both be true if the sneaker number is a half size above the Brannock figure, and that is the reading we use below.

Where the confusion comes from

Nicks runs true to size numerically, since a size 9 is a size 9 in the US system. Yet the boot itself is longer than a typical factory shoe of the same number. If you take the number from your running shoes and apply it directly, you end up with a boot that is half a size too long.

A Brannock device removes the guesswork, because it measures your foot rather than a brand's idea of a size. Take that figure and drop half a size, and you have a starting point for any Nicks lace-up. Nicks also notes that its sizes match those of Red Wing, Wolverine and Grant Stone, so if you already own a well-fitting pair from one of them, the same number should carry across. Our Red Wing guide shows how those numbers relate to a Brannock.

How size and width work

Each full size adds about a third of an inch (8 to 9 mm) of length, the standard US step. Width grows with size too: a 10.5D is roomier around the ball than a 9D, even though both are labeled D.

Nicks writes the width after the size, so 6EE means a size 6 length in an EE width. Its width range is unusually fine. The intro to the size charts lists sizes 4 to 16 and widths from 4A to 5F, and an Americana section mentions nine width options including several narrow ones. The charts we could verify cover sizes 4 to 15 and show these columns:

Note that D is labelled standard and E medium, so the lettering is not identical to other brands. For a broader look at how the letters compare, see our shoe width chart.

The three-step measuring routine

1. Measure your length. A Brannock device is better than Nicks' printable paper ruler, which is flexible and can cause errors. If you print the ruler, set the scale to 100 percent, not "fit to page" or "shrink".
2. Drop half a size from that Brannock figure.
3. Measure the ball of the foot with a tailor's tape, then match the number to the width chart.

Measure late in the day, because feet swell. Volume, arch height, weight, foot shape and sock thickness also play a part. Thicker socks can add roughly one width, so choose them before you measure, not after. If you are tracing a foot at home, how to measure your feet has a step-by-step method.

Lasts: the 55, 11067, HNW and Thurman toe

Nicks says it has about 1,400 different shapes, and all lasts use the same sizing system. A handful cover most buyers.

One FAQ refers to a "67 last" with a lower arch, which seems to conflict with the 11067 described above as having the same arch as the 55. We are not sure which is right, so ask Nicks if the arch is important to you.

The Americana toe box

The Americana has a large, even toe box that does not compress the toes at the middle. That helps slightly wide feet. The Red Wing Iron Ranger is also described as roomy in the toe, but it pinches at the waist, which is a difference Nicks owners often cite. For more on how those boots compare, see how boots should fit.

How the fit should feel on arrival

• Heel slip of up to half an inch is normal in a new boot and decreases as it breaks in.
• The boot should flex at the ball of the foot. If it bends somewhere else, it is probably too big.
• Leather stretches little sideways, so a boot that is tight across the ball when new usually will not loosen there.
• Laces pulled shut mean the boot is too loose. A gap of about one inch between the lace sides is the target.
• If you are between sizes, size up.

A kiltie adds lacing grip for looser boots, which is handy if the heel is a touch loose but the width is right.

Western boots

Western boots are ordered in the same size as lace-ups. Expect heel slip of up to about an inch when they are new, which is normal for a pull-on with a higher shaft and an underslung heel, and it settles with wear.

Try-on boots and the policy details

Nicks offers a "Send me Try-On Boots" option, which lets you test a temporary pair before the custom boots are made. It is only available to US customers, and Nicks will not start building your custom pair until the try-on pair is returned. One free exchange is offered. Mismates, where you order a different size for each foot, are not eligible for returns or refunds unless there is a factory defect.

Custom boots are offered for significant foot asymmetry or foot abnormalities. One page cites a shoemaker's claim that 60 percent of people have mismatched feet. We could not verify it, so we would not take it as a figure. Still, a difference of a few millimeters between feet is common, and sizing to the larger foot is the safe choice.

Worked examples

Say your running shoes are a 10.5 and a Brannock device reads 10D. Take half a size off and you get a 9.5 as your Nicks length. Then wrap a tailor's tape around the ball of your foot and check the number against the width chart before choosing D, E or EE. Another reader with a Brannock 8.5 would order an 8, and one at 11 would order a 10.5.

The width step is the one people skip. A wider foot in the same length needs E or EE, not a bigger size. Going up a full size for width gives you a boot that is too long, which shows up as heel slip and a flex point that sits ahead of the ball of the foot.

Sock thickness and the width trap

Nicks notes that thicker socks can add roughly one width. That is a large effect for such a small change, and it explains why two people with the same measurements report different widths. If you wear heavy wool socks in cold weather and thin cotton in summer, measure with the pair you wear most, and decide whether you want a boot that suits both. A snug fit with thin socks becomes tight with thick ones, and leather will not give much sideways.

One practical approach is to pick the width for your everyday sock, then use lacing and insoles to adjust for the rest of the year. Insoles take up volume, while thicker socks add it, so the two adjustments work in opposite directions.

Safety toe and moc toe limits

The Thurman toe cannot be combined with moc toe or safety toe boots. Anyone who wants pinky-toe room and a safety toe has to choose, or talk to Nicks about an alternative. A safety toe also changes the toe box volume, so ask whether the standard sizing advice still applies before you order a work boot with one.

Our recommendation

Start from your Brannock size and take half a size off. Use a tailor's tape for the ball and match it to a width, not to a letter you assume from another brand. If the answer lands between two sizes, size up, and check the flex point when the boots arrive.

For a similar pattern in another hand-built brand, see the White's boot sizing guide, and for the checks on a work boot, how work boots should fit.