Shoe Fitting Guide

The shoe industry does not have standard sizing. One company’s size 8 is another company’s size 7 or 9. Shoes are made from patterns that are used to cut the material from which the shoes are made. These materials are then formed over a last, a wooden or plastic representation of the shoe’s shape. While patterns and lasts can be uniform shapes and sizes, all feet are different.

Have you feet measured with a Brannock device?
Shoe sizing charts on the web are inaccurate.  Go to a store that has a Brannock device, which is the best standard of foot measurement and measures:

1. Toe length
The measurement from your heel to the longest toe.

2. Arch length
The measurement from your heel to the ball joint (first metatarsal joint where your forefoot bends) of your foot.

3. Foot Width
The width across the ball of your foot from the first to the fifth metatarsal joints determines how narrow or wide your shoe fit should be.

Try to find shoes that match the same shape as your feet.
For slender, tapered feet – try a tapered toe-box shape.
For broad feet – try a square toe-box shape.

If your toe length is longer than your arch length (which is rare), use your toe length measurement to size your shoes.

Secure the arch of your foot in the arch of the shoe.
Refer to the foot placement diagrams below for proper shoe fit.

• Your first metatarsal joint or big toe joint will sit in the cradle of the shoe (the point of foot flexion and where the arch of the shoe ends and the forefoot shape begins). Check the placement of your first metatarsal joint when you are standing. The ball of your foot (the first metatarsal joint) will move slightly forward as your foot bears your weight.
• If your first metatarsal joint is forward of the cradle, try the next shoe size up.
• If your first metatarsal joint is sitting too far back in the cradle and is located in the arch area of the shoe, try the next shoe size down.
• If you have too much play in the toe box when the ball of your foot (the first metatarsal joint) is resting where it should be, in the cradle of the shoe, add a toe filler pad all the way in the bottom of the shoe’s toe box.
• These pads can be purchased at any store selling foot care products.
• Each pad should snug one-width fit. Add pads in layers until the foot is comfortably snug and you have lost the play or sloppy feel in the shoe.
• Never snug the fit too tightly since your forefoot needs good circulation for it to remain comfortable.

Fit your shoes in your width measurement, if available (higher quality shoes usually list the width).

• Standard width measurements are: AAA, AA, AA, B, C, D, E, EE, EEE, EEEE, EEEEE, or EEEEEE.
• S for slim, N for narrow, M for medium, W for wide, and either WW or XW for doublewide. Larger widths are usually only used in therapeutic footwear for people with issues of severe Edema and deformities.
• If the shoe comes in a medium width only, adjust 1/2 size up for a wider fit or down for a narrower fit.
• Never sacrifice the proper length for a better width fit. The width can be altered; the length cannot.
• When a shoe size goes up in length, it also goes up in width.
• If a shoe lists the width and you need to adjust your length size up, you will need to adjust the shoe’s width size down in order to remain at your width measurement. For example, a 9A is the same width as an 8-1/2B.