How to Calculate the Size of a Sport Shoe
- 1). Place your socked foot on a sheet of 8-by-11-inch paper on the ground. If your foot is too long to fit lengthwise, step on the page diagonally. If your foot is still too long, use a piece of legal paper or newspaper.
- 2). Trace around the edges of your foot with a pencil or pen, holding the writing utensil vertically.
- 3). Measure the width of the tracing of your foot from the point farthest to the left to the point farthest to the right. Usually the point farthest to each side will be the ball of your foot. This will determine the width of your foot.
- 4). Measure the length of the tracing of your foot from a point 1/4 of an inch past the farthest point of the top of your foot to the point farthest to the bottom. Usually the point farthest to the top will be the end of your big or middle toe and the point farthest to the bottom will be the back of your heel. This will determine the length of your foot.
- 5). Examine an old pair of running shoes to determine the pronation of your foot. If the shoe is worn more on the inside of the foot, your feet are overpronated. If the shoe is worn more on the outside of the foot, your feet are underpronated or supinated. If the shoe is worn equally, your feet are neutrally pronated. This information will allow you to determine what type of arch you should look for in your sport shoe.
- 6). Use your measurements to determine the length and width of your shoe or take your measurements to a shoe store and have an employee do it for you. There are charts available online that will help you convert measurements into shoe size (see Resources). Shoe size typically increases by one full size for every 1/3 inch that the foot length increases. So a 9-inch foot is a size 5, a 9 1/3-inch foot is a size 6, a 9 2/3-inch foot is a size 7, and so on. Width size typically increases by one full size for every 1/2 inch the foot width increases. So if you have a size 13 shoe and a 4-inch-wide foot, your width would be a B or C, but a size 13 shoe with a 4 1/2-inch-wide foot would be a D.
