This is one way to measure your foot in a pinch and can get you close. It does have limitations though.

Keep reading and see why we feel this is...A Better Way

This device was invented by Charles Brannock in Syracuse, NY over 80 years ago. He was passionate about finding the best way to measure your foot he could. It's still being manufactured and used around the world today. Needless to say it's the de facto standard way to measure your foot because it works very well. Charles got it right!

Here's a mini-tutorial (so you can make sure the sales person is doing her job well!).

Fair warning here! This gets a bit technical and a bit of information overload. We've tried to simplify as much as possible. Our goal here is to help you understand what is going on between your feet and the shoes so you can make your own informed judgements. Remember - when it comes to how you measure your foot, it's sometimes more art than science here!

You need to be standing with your weight equally on both feet and with your feet side by side - not one in front of the other. You want to make sure that your foot has elongated and spread as far as it does when you walk. Yup, they do change shape - and size - between when you're not standing on them and standing on them!

Wear the socks you plan on wearing with the shoe you're purchasing (or no socks if you plan to wear the shoes that way). Make sure your sock fits properly with no toe or heel slack. You're measuring your foot here, not extra sock material!

When you measure your foot you need ...



Three Separate Measurements

• Heel to longest toe length
• Heel to ball length (arch length)
• Foot width

Heel To Toe Length
Place your heel snugly in the correct cup of the device. There's a different one for each foot. Note the size marking closest to the longest toe. Don't add another half or full size to this number. Toe room allowance is already built into the shoe itself-usually 3/8"-1/2" more.

Heel To Ball (Arch) Length
The most important shoe fit criteria. It matches shoe flex with foot flex. It also fits the widest part of the foot with the widest part of the shoe.

With your heel snugly in the cup, position the concave slider on the inside of your foot so that the ball joint (bump behind your big toe) fits snugly into it. Note the size on that scale. This shoe size may or may not be the same as the shoe size indicated by your heel to toe length. Confused? Read on!

Differences in your heel-to-toe length and heel-to-arch length size are basically an indicator of whether you have longer or shorter toes than the average. If there is less than a 1/2 size difference between the two measures then you should try the heel-to-ball shoe size on first.

In cases where there is more than one size difference between these two measures then split the difference. Start with that shoe size. We are trying also here to match the widest part of your foot with the widest part of the shoe which just happens to be where the shoe flexes! So let's finish with...

Foot Width

...the final measurement! So with the heel snug in the cup and the ball snug in the concave slider we move the width slider against the outside of the foot. Here you have to find the shoe size from the previous step on the scale to find the correct width.

In cases where there is a big difference between your heel-to-toe and heel-to-arch measurement you should compromise between the two measurements and see if a shoe with a longer vamp (ball to toe) length is available.

What Next?

Now that you have all this knowledge about measuring your feet and fitting shoes, what do you do with it?

Well...now it just helps you actually START fitting shoes. Yup, you start trying on shoes with these size criteria. You still have to decide how they feel, how they flex and how your feet feel when you walk with them. That is the true test if you have succeeded in fitting shoes for you.

This is where the 'art' part of fitting your shoes comes in AFTER you've learned how to measure your foot. There are just so many variations in feet, it's impossible for manufacturers to exactly match each and every variation.

You have to try them out. You be the judge. The measurements just get you started in the right direction. You'll be very close. You might need a wee bit of fine tuning though.

Feet can also be higher above the arch than normal, may have differences in heel size, really long toes, have more volume. Sometimes you may need a slightly wider, narrower or different size shoe than the numbers tell you. In a lot of cases these 'unique' fit issues can be handled successfully.

The list is just about endless.

Not to fear. This is where a knowledgeable sales person can be worth their weight in gold when it comes to doing a great job fitting shoes for you.

In some cases you are will need shoes that have to be a bit bigger in one area to accommodate another part of your foot, Maybe a higher than normal foot top with a very narrow heel say or a need for more volume in the toe area. Fitting shoes in these cases can also be helped a whole lot with some special Shoe Lacing Techniques. Check it out.

Hey. Here's a thought. When you find a really good shoe professional in your area why not Contact Us and let us know. You can share and help folks in your part of the world.