UK to US Shoe Size: Men's and Women's Conversion Chart

To convert a UK size to US, add 1 for men's shoes and roughly 2.5 for women's shoes on the standard chart we use. A UK 8 is a men's US 9, and a UK 5 is a women's US 7.5. That rule works for most mainstream brands, but it is a shortcut, so it pays to check the chart for the exact pair you are ordering.

The gap exists because the UK and US scales start from different zero points and the US splits men's and women's into separate runs. The length of a step is the same on both sides of the Atlantic. Only the numbering moves. Below you will find the rules, full tables, and the places where the shortcut breaks.

The quick rule for men

For men's shoes, the US number is about one higher than the UK number. UK 7 is US 8, UK 9 is US 10, UK 11 is US 12. Going the other way, subtract one from the US size.

At the very bottom of the range the gap narrows to half a size on our chart (US 6 is UK 5.5), which is why a conversion that ignores the table can land half a size off for smaller feet. Most adult men sit in the US 8 to 12 band, where the plus-one rule holds cleanly.

The quick rule for women

Women's shoes carry a bigger gap. On the chart we use, the US women's size is the UK size plus 2.5, so UK 5 becomes US 7.5 and UK 6 becomes US 8.5. Some brands use plus 2 instead, which is the first reason online conversions disagree.

If you are between two answers, check the foot length column. It is the only number that does not change from brand to brand, because it describes the foot and not the label on the box.

Why different sites give different answers

You will see a UK 8 listed as US 8.5, US 9, even US 9.5 depending on where you look. Three things cause it.

• Men's versus women's scale. The same UK number lands on different US numbers for each, so a generic converter that does not ask your gender is guessing.
• Unisex labeling. Some brands print a UK number and a single US men's number, then say "women's = men's + 1.5". Others print separate women's numbers.
• Rounding. Each brand rounds foot length to its own steps, so one brand's UK 8 can sit a few millimeters away from the next brand's UK 8.

Foot length is the real anchor

Instead of converting from your usual UK size, convert from your foot. Measure your longer foot in centimeters (our guide to measuring your feet shows how), then find the row with the closest foot length. A 25.4 cm foot is a men's US 8, a UK 7 and an EU 41. A 24.1 cm foot is a women's US 8, which is the same foot as a men's US 6.5.

That last fact trips up many shoppers. The men's and women's US scales are offset by 1.5 on our chart, not by 1, so a woman buying a men's sneaker should read our men's to women's conversion guide before assuming a simple swap.

UK sizing on brands from other countries

UK sizes appear on shoes made all over the world, not only British brands, so the label alone says little about fit. Adidas builds its scale around UK numbers, and its EU numbers move in thirds, which is why an Adidas EU size can look odd next to a Nike one. What changes between the two is the UK and EU label, not the CM (JP). See our Adidas sizing guide for the brand's own table.

British dress shoe makers often use half-size steps and also offer width fittings, usually marked F, G or H. Those widths are separate from the number, so a UK 9 in F is not the same shoe as a UK 9 in G. For the American D and E equivalents, see our shoe width chart.

UK kids' sizes

Children's shoes use their own run of numbers that restarts after the baby sizes and again at the youth-to-adult changeover. A UK child 13 is not an adult UK 13. If you are converting kids' sizes, find the brand's children's chart and match foot length in centimeters. Adult tables, including the ones on this page, do not apply.

When to size up or down after converting

A converted size is a starting point. Once you know the US number, adjust for the shoe, not for the conversion.

• Running shoes: most runners want about a thumb's width in front of the longest toe, which often means half a size longer than a casual sneaker.
• Leather dress shoes and boots: these often run long, and many wearers go down half a size. See how boots should fit.
• Slim European lasts: if the brand lists UK sizes but builds a narrow shoe, the length may be right while the width is tight. Go up half a size only if the length also allows it.

A fast way to check any conversion

Three steps cover almost every purchase. First, find your foot length in centimeters. Second, open the brand's chart and locate the nearest foot length, rounding up if you are between rows. Third, read off the UK or US number you need. If the brand gives no foot length, use our shoe size calculator or the shoe size conversion chart and compare the answer with the brand's own table.

When two sources disagree by half a size, do not average them. Read the return policy and order the size that gives you more room in the toe box, since too short is the harder problem to fix.

Three worked examples

A UK 9 running shoe for a man. Add 1 and you get a US 10, EU 44, which fits a 27.1 cm foot. If you usually wear a US 10 in casual sneakers, you can order it as is. If the shoe is a daily trainer and you like a roomy toe box, the same size should work without going up.

A UK 6 pair of women's trainers. Add 2.5 and you get a US 8.5, EU 40, for a 24.6 cm foot. A shopper who normally buys a US 8 in sneakers is looking at a half size up here, so check whether the brand's own chart agrees before buying.

A UK 7.5 unisex shoe. A unisex label usually follows the men's scale, so UK 7.5 is a men's US 8.5. A woman wearing this shoe would read it as a women's US 10, using the 1.5 offset between the two US scales. Many wearers in this position find the shoe long and choose a size down, so read the product notes first.

Mistakes that cause wrong orders

• Using one converter for every brand. A generic tool applies one rule. A brand's own chart reflects how that brand cuts its lasts.
• Forgetting the gender label. Mixing up men's and women's adds or subtracts a full size and a half, which is far more than any fit difference between models.
• Converting a half size as if it were a whole one. A half size is about 4 mm of length. If you round the wrong way, the shoe can be noticeably tight at the toe.
• Ignoring width. A correct length with a narrow last still pinches. If you have wide feet, our wide feet guide explains when to go up and when to look for a wide fitting.

If you want a quick sanity check, our brand size comparison shows how the same foot lands on Nike, Adidas and other labels side by side.

Reading the labels on a shoe box

Most boxes print several sizes in a row: US, UK, EU and often CM (JP). Read them as one line describing the same shoe, not as separate options. If the US and UK numbers on the box do not match our offsets, the brand is using its own conversion. That is common with unisex lines, and it is the main reason a size from one brand feels half a size off at another.

The CM (JP) number deserves a note. It is the size label of the shoe, with room built in, not your foot length, which is why it reads higher than the foot-length column. Do not subtract it from your foot measurement as if it were a pure foot length.

Bottom line

Men's: UK plus 1. Women's: UK plus 2.5 on our chart (plus 2 at some brands). Use the tables above for exact rows, and let foot length settle any argument between conversions. For the European side of the same chart, see our US to EU guide.