Shoe Sizes in Centimetres Explained
Centimetres is a direct measurement of foot length — not a branded sizing system. It is the most universal reference of all: Japanese and Chinese sizing are built directly on it, and every other system can be translated through it.
What it is
Measuring foot length in centimetres means recording the physical distance from heel to the tip of the longest toe. There is no offset, no historical unit, and no gendered difference — just a measurement of your foot.
Because the metric system is the international standard, centimetres is the most universally understood reference for foot length. The conversion data used by this site is sorted by centimetre foot length, reflecting its role as the common foundation for all sizing systems.
Where it is used
Centimetre measurements appear on sizing charts worldwide. Japanese sizing is almost identical to foot length in centimetres (a size 26 ≈ 26 cm foot), making the relationship explicit. Chinese sizing is also centimetre-based in principle.
Medical and orthopaedic sizing, children's shoe fitting in many countries, and the international mondopoint standard all use centimetres as the primary reference. For anyone buying shoes across multiple countries, knowing your foot in centimetres is the single most useful number to have.
How the numbers work
Typical adult foot lengths run from about 21 cm (small women's) to 30.5 cm (large men's), with each 0.5 cm corresponding roughly to one Japanese/mondopoint size step. One centimetre equals approximately 10 mm, or just under half an inch.
To convert a centimetre measurement to any branded system, look it up in the table on this page. The cm column is the direct link between your physical foot and any size you might find on a label.
1 centimetre = approximately 0.394 inches. 1 inch = exactly 2.54 centimetres. If you know your measurement in one unit, converting to the other is straightforward.
Men's, women's and children's
A centimetre measurement describes the foot, not a category. A 26 cm foot is 26 cm regardless of age or gender. The gendered difference in shoe sizing arises when branded systems interpret the same measurement with different scale offsets (as US and UK do for men's and women's). Using centimetres sidesteps this entirely.
Tips for buying
Measure your foot standing on a hard floor in the afternoon, when feet are at their largest. Mark the heel and longest toe, then measure the distance in centimetres.
Your centimetre measurement is the single most portable number for international shoe shopping. It is directly readable as a Japanese size, and it translates cleanly to EU (multiply by 1.5 for a rough EU approximation), US, UK, and Chinese sizes using the table on this page.
Always cross-reference with the specific brand's size chart. The same centimetre measurement can translate to different labelled sizes depending on the manufacturer, style, and intended fit.
Men's size chart: cm, US/CA, UK, EU, Japan/Mexico, China, inches
| CM | US/CA | UK | EU | Japan/Mexico | China | Inches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23.7 | 6 | 5 | 38 | 23.5 | 37 | 9.3 |
| 24.6 | 7 | 6 | 39 | 24.5 | 39 | 9.7 |
| 25.4 | 8 | 7 | 40 | 25.5 | 41 | 10 |
| 26.2 | 9 | 8 | 41 | 26 | 42 | 10.3 |
| 27.1 | 10 | 9 | 43 | 27 | 44 | 10.7 |
| 27.9 | 11 | 10 | 44 | 28 | 46 | 11 |
| 28.8 | 12 | 11 | 45 | 29 | 48 | 11.3 |
| 29.6 | 13 | 12 | 46 | 29.5 | 49 | 11.7 |
| 30.5 | 14 | 13 | 48 | 30.5 | 51 | 12 |
FAQ
What is the most accurate time of day to measure my foot in cm?
Late afternoon or evening — feet swell slightly over the course of a day, so an afternoon measurement gives a truer picture of your largest natural foot size than a morning one.
How much does foot length change between half sizes?
Roughly 4 mm (0.4 cm) per half size in the US/UK system, and about 3.3 mm per Paris point in the EU system. Small as that sounds, it is often the difference between a comfortable fit and a tight one, which is why measuring to the nearest half centimetre is worth the extra care.