How To Convert Your Shoe Size

In the last piece of our four-part series, learn how to find your right fit every time – even when you’re shopping in a different department!

Like most shoe stores, Shoe Carnival has three shoe departments: men’s, women’s, and kids’. These gender- and age-based groupings are based on traditional US sizing, but that does not mean you necessarily have to shop the department that corresponds with your gender or age. If you’re the parent of a tween who’s outgrowing youth sizes, a woman looking for the perfect office oxfords, or a man who needs narrow shoes, shopping in a new section may be the perfect solution! Check out the list below of frequently asked questions about shoe size conversion and make sure your next shoe purchase is the perfect fit.

Try shopping for a similar shoe in a different department - you might just find your perfect fit!

“How Do You Convert from Kid Shoe Sizes to Adult Shoe Sizes?”

When your child outgrows youth sizes, it’s time to start shopping in the men’s or women’s departments. Converting from kids’ shoe sizes to adult shoe sizes is easy. Simply start by determining your child’s current size in youth shoes.

If your child is transitioning to the men’s department, use the same size in the men’s department. Believe it or not, a youth size 7 is the same as a men’s size 7.

If your child is converting to the women’s department, take their youth shoe size and add 1 ½ or 2 sizes. For instance, if your child is in a youth 6, start by looking at women’s 8. Keep in mind women’s shoes may be narrower than youth sizes, so a tween with wider feet may require a women’s wide-width shoe.

“How Do I Convert Women’s Sizes to Kids’ Sizes?”

If you wear a smaller women’s shoe size and prefer a wider shoe, a children’s shoe may be your best fit. For women, take your US shoe size and subtract 1 ½ or 2 and this would equal the US kids’ shoe size that would fit you. For instance, if you typically wear a women’s 7 ½, try a youth size 6 or 5 ½.

“How Do I Convert from Women’s Shoe Sizes to Men’s Shoe Sizes?”

Generally speaking, there is a 1 ½ size difference in length between men’s and women’s shoe sizes, with men’s shoes typically being a little wider than women’s shoes. When converting from women’s sizes to men’s sizes, subtract 1 ½ from your US women’s size and take the width differences into account. So, for example, if you are a women’s size 9 ½ wide, then your men’s size would be an 8 medium.

“How Do I Convert from Men’s Shoe Sizes to Women’s Shoe Sizes?”

This same principle may also be applied to converting men’s sizes to women’s sizes. Add 1 ½ to your typical men’s size and then consider the width differences. So, if you wear a men’s size 10 ½ narrow, then you would wear a women’s size 12 medium width.

“How Do I Account for Shoe Widths When Shopping Other Departments?”

A letter at the end of a shoe size indicates the width of the shoe. There are two common scales used to indicate shoe width.

One scale simply uses “N” for narrow, “M” or “R” for medium or regular width, “W” for wide, and “EW” for extra wide. This scale is gender-specific, meaning a women’s wide could be narrower than a men’s wide.

The other scale uses letters AA through EEEE, with AA being the narrowest width and EEEE being the widest. This scale is not gender-specific, meaning a men’s B is the same width as a women’s B.

In general, a B width is equal to a women’s medium width, and a D width is equal to a youth medium width, a men’s medium width, and a women’s wide width. For example, a women’s 8D, a women’s 8W, a youth 6M, and a men’s size 6 regular would all be approximately the same width.

Have more questions about width? Check out our Size Chart and our wide and narrow fit guide for more information.

Find your perfect fit in European sized shoes, like Birkenstocks,  using our easy size chart

“How Do I Convert from US Shoe Sizes to Euro Shoe Sizes?”

Converting from US sizing into European sizing may seem daunting, and we’re here to help you figure it out!

To convert a men’s US size to the Euro size, all you need to do is add 33 to your US size. For example, if you’re wearing a men’s US size 11, then you would be in a Euro size 44.

For women’s conversions from US sizing to Euro sizing, add 31 to your US size, so a women’s size 6 shoe is a Euro size 37.

Need a visual on US-to-European sizing? Check out the Birkenstock size chart.

No matter your shoe size, you’re sure to find your perfect fit at Shoe Carnival!

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