Men to Women Shoe Size Converter
The common US retail rule: a women's shoe is about 1.5 sizes up from the men's equivalent. Convert precisely in either direction, with the caveats that matter.
Tip: measuring your foot in cm or inches is the most accurate starting point — see how to measure. Conversions between named size systems are approximate by nature.
How this conversion works
Men's and women's US scales describe the same feet on two offsets: a foot that measures US men's 8 is labeled US women's 9.5 on the common retail scale (some charts using the FIA scale show one size less — a reminder that the whole mapping is convention, not physics). The pattern continues below the adult range, where youth sizing merges into adult numbering — the Y number is the men's size and the women's equivalent is 1.5 up (6Y = men's 6 = women's 7.5, per Nike's official kids chart). Each scale's full grid lives in the men's shoe size converter and the women's shoe size converter. The same foot length also pins down the US to EU conversion, which is unaffected by the men's/women's offset question.
Width is the honest caveat: women's shoes are cut on a narrower last. If you are crossing categories to buy (for example, buying a men's model because you have wide feet), going up 1.5 sizes gets the length right but the forefoot may still be roomier than a women's model in that size — which wider feet actually appreciate.
The +1.5 offset is the common US retail convention — not a universal law. Nike's and ASICS's official charts both corroborate it on the standard scales, and Nike's kids chart pins the same 1.5 gap where youth sizing meets women's. But the FIA scale marks women's shoes one size above men's instead of 1.5, and ISO 19407 relates the systems through foot length rather than endorsing any retail gender offset at all. Brand labels can also drift a half size in either direction, which is why every result here is converted through measured foot length and marked approximate.
Men's to women's conversion table
| US Men | US Women | UK | EU (Paris point) | Centimetres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 6.5 | 4 | 36–36.5 | 22.9 |
| 5.5 | 7 | 4.5 | 36.5–37 | 23.3 |
| 6 | 7.5 | 5 | 37–38 | 23.7 |
| 6.5 | 8 | 5.5 | 38–38.5 | 24.1 |
| 7 | 8.5 | 6 | 38.5–39 | 24.6 |
| 7.5 | 9 | 6.5 | 39–40 | 25.0 |
| 8 | 9.5 | 7 | 40–40.5 | 25.4 |
| 8.5 | 10 | 7.5 | 40.5–41 | 25.8 |
| 9 | 10.5 | 8 | 41–41.5 | 26.2 |
| 9.5 | 11 | 8.5 | 41.5–42.5 | 26.7 |
| 10 | 11.5 | 9 | 42.5–43 | 27.1 |
| 10.5 | 12 | 9.5 | 43–43.5 | 27.5 |
| 11 | 12.5 | 10 | 43.5–44 | 27.9 |
| 11.5 | 13 | 10.5 | 44–45 | 28.4 |
| 12 | 13.5 | 11 | 45–45.5 | 28.8 |
| 12.5 | 14 | 11.5 | 45.5–46 | 29.2 |
| 13 | 14.5 | 12 | 46–47 | 29.6 |
| 13.5 | 15 | 12.5 | 47–47.5 | 30.1 |
| 14 | 15 | 13 | 47.5–48 | 30.5 |
| 14.5 | 15 | 13.5 | 48–48.5 | 30.9 |
| 15 | 15 | 14 | 48.5–49.5 | 31.3 |
Sizes between rows are normal — the tool above shows both candidates when you land on a boundary.
Common size questions
What is a men's size 8 in women's shoes?
Add 1.5: a US men's 8 is a US women's 9.5 on the common retail scale. The same foot measures about UK 7, EU 40–40.5, and 25.4 cm — the converter above resolves all of them, and the US to EU converter handles the European direction.
What is a women's size 8 in men's shoes?
Subtract 1.5: a US women's 8 is a US men's 6.5 — approximately UK 5.5 and EU 38–38.5, with a foot length around 24.1 cm. The rule is symmetric: whichever direction you cross, the offset is the same 1.5 sizes.
Youth to women's shoe size
Youth (big kids) sizes continue straight into adult numbering: the Y number is the men's size, and the women's equivalent is 1.5 up — youth 6Y = men's 6 = women's 7.5 (per Nike's official kids chart). Type a size like 6Y into the converter above and it resolves the men's, women's, UK and EU equivalents at once.
Common questions
What size men's shoe is a women's 9?
Subtract 1.5: a US women's 9 is a US men's 7.5 (approximately UK 6.5, EU 39.5–40).
Can women buy men's shoes and vice versa?
Yes — convert the size, then judge the last. Men's shoes run wider and higher-volume; women's run narrower. The length conversion is reliable; the fit depends on foot shape.
Why do some charts say +1 instead of +1.5?
Two US women's scales exist: the FIA scale sits one size above men's, while the common retail scale sits 1.5 above. Most brand charts today use +1.5, which is what our table shows.
Do youth sizes convert to women's too?
Yes — youth (big kids) sizes continue into adult numbering: add 1.5 to the Y number for women's (6Y = women's 7.5) and take the same number for men's (6Y = men's 6). Our kids converter handles that path.