Shoe sizes are not standardised. Every manufacturer builds on a different last shape — with a different instep height, a different toe shape and a different width. The number from your previous shoes therefore need not apply. The only reliable basis is the length of your foot, so measure it before you buy.
Foot length is the basis for choosing the size
Drawing around the foot on paper
Measuring the foot length in centimetres
What you will need
A sheet of paper, a pencil, a ruler or tape measure, and a wall.
Step 1: Draw around your foot
Keep on the socks you will wear with the shoes. Put the paper against the wall and stand on it so that your heel touches the wall. Hold the pencil exactly upright and draw around your toes — if you tilt it, you will measure more than the real length.
Measure both feet, they are usually of different lengths. Measure in the second half of the day, when the foot has spread.
Step 2: Measure and find your size
Measure the distance from the edge of the paper, that is from the heel, to the longest toe — it need not be the big toe. Go by the longer foot.
Find the measured value in centimetres in the size chart on the product. Do not add anything to it; the room the shoe needs is already included in the chart.
What the columns in our charts mean
Foot length in cm is the measurement of your foot, the one you have just taken. Inner shoe length in cm is the measurement of the shoe itself and is always greater than the foot — do not choose your size by it. Foot width in cm is the widest point of the foot. The letter (A) in the header refers to the dimension marked on the diagram above the chart.
When trying the shoes on
- Try them on in the socks you will really wear. On duty and in the field these tend to be considerably thicker than for everyday wear.
- If your length falls between two sizes, choose the larger one. A short shoe cannot be broken in, while a larger one can be adjusted with a sock or an insole.
- Your toes must not hit the toe cap — neither when you are standing nor when stepping down from a stair. The heel should stay in place and not lift.
- Try the shoes on at the end of the day, when the foot is at its largest.
