HOW DO I WORK OUT MY SHOE WIDTH?

The shoe width may be different for the left and right foot (as is usually the case with shoe size, i.e. the shoe length varies slightly between the left and right foot). Generally, right-handed people have a slightly wider right foot and the same goes for left-handed people, respectively. Therefore, you ideally need to measure both feet. When you are low on time or motivation to measure your feet, those of you who are right-handed should use their right foot, and left-handers their left foot for taking measurements. As it goes, the wider foot always determines the shoe width that you should select.
 

1. You should measure the width of your feet whilst barefoot, using a measuring tape whilst standing. As an alternative to using a measuring tape, you can also use a shoe lace or piece of string and measure this against a ruler.
    
2. It is best to measure the shoe width in the afternoon or evening, rather than in the morning, as the foot is at a suitable width for measuring at this time of day. Due to the stress your feet are put under during the day and the increased blood flow, they increases in size. And since your shoes need to fit perfectly in the evening too, this is the perfect time to measure the width of your feet.
    
3. Attempt to spread your weight evenly across both feet, as the foot bearing more weight will otherwise be wider. In order to be able to measure accurately, we recommend having your feet measured by a second person.
    
4. Place the tape measure around your foot at the widest part of the ball of your foot. Do not pull the measuring tape too tightly. The ball of the foot is where rubbing or painful bruises are most likely to occur (the ball of the foot is at the front on the bottom side of the foot).
    
5. You can now compare your shoe width measurement with the shoe width table below.

Shoe width table:

For example:

Your shoe size is 42 and you measure your shoe width to be 24.8 cm. You can now use the table to determine your shoe width. If the shoe width is between two round numbers, round it up to the higher value, in this case 25 cm. This gives you a width of H.

You can, of course, also have your shoe width measured in a shoe shop or healthcare supply store. This way you can get a 100% accurate measurement carried out by a specialist. On the other hand, our online shoe width guide will quickly provide you with the information that you need.

The shoe width is not the only factor that needs to be considered when it comes to ensuring optimal comfort. The shoe size also plays a crucial role. Find out here how to measure your own shoe size.