Safety Footwear 
Shoe Sizes: What Do they Mean?
In the United States, what are the available sizes for men's, women's, and children's shoes?
Infants begin at size 1 and go up to 10. Junior sizes start at 10 1/2 and continue to 13 1/2, with the next following size being size 1 and continuing to size 6. Women's sizes usually begin at size 5 and go to size 12; Men's sizes begin at size 6 1/2 and usually go up to size 14 or 15. In some special cases, you can find men's sizes up to size 22.
How do international shoe sizes compare to shoe sizes in the United States?
Sizes in the United Kingdom are usually 1/2 smaller in number than a United States size. For example, a size 12 in the United States may be a size 11 1/2 under the United Kingdom sizing system. However, a United Kingdom size can also be 1 size smaller than a United States size. A lot of the difference depends on who manufactures the shoes. There are other shoe sizing systems as well (French, Japanese, and European) that use larger numbers than the numbers used for United States sizes. Another sizing scheme uses the metric system to measure foot sizes. This system uses centimeters to calculate shoe sizes (1 inch = 2.54 centimeters). See our shoe sizing charts for more details.
What do width sizes mean?
A wider foot calls for a wider shoe. Width sizes are given in letters that signify the width of a shoe. The higher up a letter is in the alphabet, the greater the width of the shoe. For example, a shoe that has an A width is narrower than a shoe with a B width. Width sizes typically range from A to 4E. A Men's medium width is a D width, whereas a Women's medium width is a B width. A comparative shoe width chart is shown below:
Width Sizing Chart
Men's
-
-
-
Narrow
Medium
Medium
Wide
Wide
Extra Wide
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Letter Width
3A
2A
A
B
C
D
E
EE
EEE
EEEE
Women's
-
Narrow
-
Medium
-
Wide
-
Extra Wide
-
-
Additional Information:
Click on the links below to learn more about how to fit a shoe correctly, improper shoe fitting, shoe sizes and what they mean, and to look at a sizing chart. If you have any questions feel free to call our toll free number for assistance 1-800-976-4267.
