Found a great pair listed only in EU sizes? Here is how to translate that number into US sizing without guessing.
European brands, from Italian leather makers to German sportswear, almost always print their shoes in EU sizes. If you grew up with US numbers, a label that says 41 or 38.5 gives you nothing to go on. The good news is that EU sizing is consistent and easy to convert once you have a chart, and unlike US sizing it does not split into separate men's and women's scales.
The EU system measures the length of the shoe last in Paris points, where each point is two thirds of a centimeter. Because the unit is fixed and the same scale runs for everyone, a EU number maps directly to a foot length. That is why it does not line up with round US numbers: the two systems were built on completely different units. A EU 40, for example, sits between a US men's 7 and 7.5.
Women's first, then men's. Foot length is approximate.
| EU | US | UK | CM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36.5 | 6 | 4 | 22.9 |
| 37.5 | 7 | 5 | 23.7 |
| 38.5 | 8 | 6 | 24.6 |
| 40 | 9 | 7 | 25.4 |
| 41 | 10 | 8 | 26.2 |
| EU | US | UK | CM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 7 | 6 | 25.0 |
| 41 | 8 | 7 | 25.8 |
| 42 | 9 | 8 | 26.7 |
| 43 | 10 | 9 | 27.5 |
| 44.5 | 11 | 10 | 28.3 |
If you want to be sure, do not convert from your US number straight to EU. Instead, start from your foot length in centimeters. Measure your foot, find that length in the CM column, and read across to the EU size the shoes are sold in. Centimeters are the one measurement that every system agrees on, so anchoring to them removes the rounding errors that creep in when you hop from one coded scale to another.
European brands do not always offer the same half sizes that US shoppers expect. Some lines jump straight from 42 to 43 with nothing in between. If your true size falls on a gap, size up rather than down, and consider a thin insole to take up the small amount of extra space. This is especially common with leather dress shoes, which tend to stretch slightly with wear anyway.
A conversion chart gets you to the right length, but it cannot account for how a particular brand cuts its shoes. Italian dress shoes often run narrow, while some sport brands run long. Treat the converted US size as your starting point, then check the specific brand size guide and any fit notes in reviews before you commit.
A few European sizes come up again and again because they sit right in the middle of the adult range. A EU 42 is one of the most common men's sizes and lands close to a US 9. A EU 38 is a frequent women's size, roughly a US 7.5. A EU 39 often causes confusion because it can appear in both men's and women's lines, mapping to about a US 6.5 in men's and a US 8.5 in women's. Whenever a single EU number could be read two ways, the gender of the shoe and your foot length together tell you which row of the chart to trust.
It also helps to remember that EU half sizes are written differently by different makers. Some print 42.5, others round to 42 or 43 and rely on the shoe stretching. If you are between EU sizes, the centimeter measurement is again your safest reference, because it does not depend on how a brand chooses to label its half steps.
For a single quick conversion, use the homepage converter, set the system to EU, type the number from the box, and see the US, UK, and CM equivalents instantly.