US to EU Shoe Size Conversion: Charts, Examples and Brand Differences

To convert a US shoe size to EU, find your size in the chart below and read across. On the standard chart used by Nike and most US retailers, a US men's 9 is an EU 42.5 and a US women's 8 is an EU 39. That gets you within half a size for almost any brand.

The remaining half size is the tricky part. There is no single official US-to-EU table, and brands round the conversion their own way. Adidas, New Balance and Asics can each print a different EU number for the same US size. Below you'll find the charts, how the European system actually counts, worked examples and a quick way to check yourself.

US to EU: men's sizes

The foot-length column is the length the chart maps to each size. If you know your foot in centimeters, it is the most reliable way into the table, because it doesn't depend on any brand's rounding. Need the UK column too? Our full shoe size chart has US, UK, EU and centimeters together.

US to EU: women's sizes

EU sizing has no separate women's scale. An EU 39 means the same length whether the shoe is sold as men's or women's, which is why European sizes are handy when you shop unisex sneakers. The US side is the one with two scales, and that gap is where most mistakes happen.

How European sizes are counted

EU sizes are measured in Paris points. One point is two-thirds of a centimeter, about 6.7 mm, and the number describes the length of the shoe's last, the foot-shaped form the shoe is built around, not the length of your foot. To turn an EU size back into last length, multiply by two-thirds: an EU 42 last is about 28 cm long.

Your foot is shorter than the last, because a shoe needs room for toe movement and swelling. On the standard chart above, EU 42 sits next to a 26.5 cm foot, so the built-in allowance is around a centimeter and a half. Each brand chooses its own allowance, which is one of several reasons their EU labels drift apart.

The other reason is step size. A US half size is a sixth of an inch, about 4.2 mm, while a Paris point is about 6.7 mm. The two scales don't share a common step, so every brand has to round. Some round to the nearest half point (40.5, 41, 42), and Adidas keeps the fractions (40 2/3, 41 1/3, 42).

Same US size, different EU labels

Here is what four major brand charts print for the same US sizes. All values come from each brand's published chart as recorded in our data.

The men's table shows the usual pattern: most sizes agree to within roughly half a point, and the differences come from rounding. The women's table is wider apart, and Adidas is the outlier. Adidas sets women's sizes at men's plus one rather than plus one and a half, so its women's EU labels sit higher than other brands' for the same US number.

The lesson: don't carry an EU number from one brand to another as if it were exact. Carry your US size or your foot length, and convert using the chart of the brand you're buying.

Worked examples

A US men's 10 buying from a European shop

The standard chart says EU 44, and here all four brand charts agree. This is one of the easy sizes. If the European brand only sells whole sizes, EU 44 is your size; if it sells halves, 44 is still the place to start.

A US men's 8 who sees EU 41 and EU 41.5 on two sites

Both can be correct. The standard chart lists US 8 as EU 41, while New Balance and Asics list 41.5. Adidas sits between at 41 1/3. Check which brand's chart the site is using and match the foot length, which is 26 cm on all four charts.

A US women's 7.5 buying Adidas

The standard chart gives EU 38.5. The Adidas chart gives EU 39 1/3 for a women's 7.5. That is not a size up, just Adidas' different scale; both rows map to a 24.5 cm foot. Our Adidas sizing guide explains the UK-based grid behind it.

A US women's 9 shopping a men's-only European listing

Women's 9 converts to EU 40.5 on the standard chart. Because EU uses one scale for everyone, you can order EU 40.5 directly from the men's listing. If that brand only sells whole EU sizes, choose 41 for a roomier fit or 40 for a snug one, depending on how the model runs.

The mental shortcut, and where it breaks

You'll see a rule of thumb online: add 33 to a US men's size, or 31 to a US women's size, to get EU. It works at some sizes and fails at others.

• US men's 7 + 33 = 40. The chart says 40. Correct.
• US men's 9 + 33 = 42. The chart says 42.5. Half a point short.
• US men's 12 + 33 = 45. The chart says 46. A full point short.
• US women's 8 + 31 = 39. The chart says 39. Correct.
• US women's 10 + 31 = 41. The chart says 42. A full point short.

The shortcut drifts because a US size step is shorter than a Paris point, so adding a fixed number can only be right in a narrow band. Fine for guessing a friend's size, not for placing an order.

Reading the label on a European shoe

Most shoe boxes and tongue labels print several systems at once: US, UK, EU and often a centimeter or JP figure. When you're unsure which conversion a brand used, read the whole label rather than just the EU number. The centimeter figure is the brand's own statement of the foot length the size is meant for, and it is the easiest number to compare across brands.

Some European shops, especially in Britain and Ireland, list UK sizes instead of EU. UK is a separate system again: a US men's 9 is a UK 8 on the standard chart but a UK 8.5 on the Adidas and New Balance charts. If a shop lists UK, convert from your US size to UK using that brand's chart. Don't go US to EU to UK, because each hop adds rounding.

Does the type of shoe change the conversion?

The number stays the same; how you handle the in-between cases changes.

• Running shoes: you want about a thumb's width in front of the longest toe. If you fall between two EU sizes, take the larger one.
• Sandals and slides: many European sandal makers sell whole EU sizes only. With no toe box, choose the size where your heel sits in the heel cup and your toes stay on the footbed.
• Leather shoes and boots: leather relaxes across the width over time but never gains length, so pick the EU size that gets the length right and let the width settle.
• Ski boots and skates: these usually use Mondopoint, which is simply your foot length in millimeters. Skip the EU conversion and measure.

Converting EU back to US

Going the other way, use the same tables in reverse: find the EU number, read across to US. Two cases need care.

• Whole EU sizes on a half-size US chart. An EU 42 on the standard men's chart is a US 8.5, while EU 41 is a US 8. If a European brand lists only whole numbers, you may need to choose between two US half sizes.
• Adidas thirds. If you see 42 2/3, that's a US men's 9 on the Adidas chart. Don't round it to 43 and look that up on another brand's chart; you'll end up half a size off.

For quick lookups in either direction, our shoe size calculator and the printable shoe size conversion chart use the same data as the tables on this page.

Getting the conversion right first time

1. Measure your foot in centimeters, standing, and use the longer foot. Our guide on how to measure your feet takes about five minutes.
2. Find your US size and the matching EU size on the standard chart.
3. If the shop uses a specific brand's chart, check the EU number against that brand's row.
4. Apply the model's fit advice: half down for shoes known to run long, half up for narrow ones.
5. When an EU-only brand forces a whole size, choose by activity and fit preference.

Follow those steps and the half-size disagreements between brands stop being a mystery. They become something you check for in thirty seconds before you click buy.