Shoe size
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A shoe size is a numerical indication of the fitting size of a shoe for a person. Several different shoe-size systems are still used today worldwide. In some regions, it is even customary to use different shoe-size systems for different types of shoes (e.g., men's, women's, children's, sport or safety shoes).
Foot length versus shoe length
The length of a foot is commonly defined as the horizontal distance between two parallel lines that are perpendicular to the foot and in contact with the most prominent toe and the most prominent part of the heel. Foot length is measured with the subject standing barefoot and the weight of the body equally distributed on both feet.
The size of the left and right foot is often slightly different for many people. In order to choose a shoe size, both feet should be measured and then the shoe size should be chosen based on the larger foot.
Each shoe is suitable for a small interval of foot lengths. The length of the inner cavity of a shoe must typically be 15–20 mm longer than the length of the foot, but this relation varies between different types of shoes.
There are three characteristic lengths that a shoe-size system can refer to:
- The average length of foot for which a shoe is suitable. For customers, this measure has the advantage of being directly related to their feet. It applies equally to any type, form, or material of shoe. However, this measure is less popular with manufacturers, as it requires them to test carefully for each new shoe model, for which range of foot sizes it is recommendable. It puts on the manufacturer the burden of ensuring that the shoe will fit a foot of a given length.
- The length of the inner cavity of the shoe. This measure has the advantage that it can be measured easily on the finished product. However, it will vary with manufacturing tolerances and provides the customer only very crude information about the range of foot sizes for which the shoe is suitable.
- The length of the "last", the foot-shaped template over which the shoe is manufactured. This measure is the easiest one for the manufacturer to use, as it identifies only the tool used to produce the shoe. It makes no promise about manufacturing tolerances or for what size of foot the shoe is actually suitable. It leaves all responsibility and risk of choosing the correct size with the customer.
Length unit
The following length units are commonly used today to define shoe-size systems:
- Millimetre (mm)
- Centimetre (cm) = 10 mm
- Paris point = 2/3 cm = 6.67 mm
- Barleycorn = 1/3 in = 8.47 mm
Traditional shoe sizes by country
Warning: Most of the shoe-size systems listed in this section are not formally standardized. The exact relationship between a labelled shoe size and the interval of foot lengths for which that shoe is suitable can vary substantially between different manufacturers. The following descriptions may only approximate the exact sizing systems used by individual manufacturers. One source of discrepancy occurs when a shoe manufactured according to one shoe-size system is labeled in another system.
Continental Europe
In France, Germany, and most other European countries, the traditional shoe size is the length of the last, measured in Paris points. For shoe types where the last is 20 mm longer than the foot for which the shoe will fit:
- [\mbox = \frac}} = \frac + 20~\mathrm}}]
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand determine shoe sizes by the length of the last, measured in barleycorns, minus a constant. The UK and Australia use different constants for women's shoes, though they use the same constant for men's.
- [\mbox = \frac}}-21.5]
- [\mbox = \frac}}-19.5]
- [\mbox = \frac}}-20.5]
United States and Canada
Shoe size in the United States and Canada is based on the length of the last, measured in barleycorns, minus a constant. This constant differs for shoes intended for men, women and children.
- [\mbox = \frac}}-22]
- [\mbox = \frac}}-20.5]
- [\mbox = \frac}}-21]
- [\mbox = \frac}}-9.67]
Korea
Shoe sizes in Korea represent the length of the foot in millimeters, so the sizes are irrelevant of the wearer's gender. Size numbers come available in multiples of 5 or 10.
Formal standards
Various national and international standards (ISO 9407) recommend a shoe-size system known as Mondopoint. It is based on the mean foot length for which the shoe is suitable, measured in millimetres. A Mondopoint shoe label can optionally also specify the width of the foot, again in millimetres.
European standard EN 13402 recommends instead that shoes should be labeled with the interval of foot lengths for which they are suitable, measured in centimetres.
Width or girth designators
Some manufacturers offer shoes of different width for the same foot length. Such shoes are then also labelled according to the width or girth of the widest part of the foot (typically measured directly behind the toes with the subject standing on both feet and wearing socks or hose).
In the Mondopoint system, the shoe size label can state in addition to the length also the width of the mean foot for which the shoe is suitable, both measured in millimetres.
A number of other ad-hoc notations for width or girth are also used. Examples include (each starting with the narrowest width):
- AAAA, AAA, AA, A, B, C, D, E, EE, EEE, EEEE
- 4A, 3A, 2A, A, B, C, D, E, 2E, 3E, 4E
- N, M, W
Myths
- It is a myth that the Imperial "foot" (= 304.8 mm) is about the length of the average European male foot. The average today is less than 270 mm and 90% of the population is within 20 mm of that. So very few men today have feet that are a "foot" long. Most are over 35 mm shorter. In the past, the average length would have been less. Even the overall length of most shoes remains well short of one "foot".
- The myth that a man's foot size is correlated to the size of his penis has been discredited in anthropometric studies [link].
References
- International Standard ISO 9407:1991, Shoe sizes — Mondopoint system of sizing and marking
- European Standard EN 13402, Size designation system for clothes
- British Standard BS 4981:1984, Specification for Mondopoint footwear sizing and marking system
- Japanese Standard JIS S 5037:1998, Sizing system for shoes
- German Standard DIN 66074:1975, Shoe sizes
See also
- Brannock Device
- Small Shoes
External links
- [International shoe size conversion charts]
- [The international shoe size page]
- [Javascript Shoe Size Calculator]
- [Shoe size systems] (Department of Podiatry, Curtin University of Technology, Australia)
- [Foot measuring device] (Winkle)
- [Foot and shoe measuring devices] (PFI)
- [Foot and shoe measuring device for parents "plus12"] (Austrian research team)
- [Brannock conversion chart]
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