There are several main shoe size systems, with separate versions for men, women, and children. The differences between them arise more from historical, technical, and commercial factors than from actual variations in foot size from one region to another. Globally, shoe size systems can be summarized into four main types, each with versions for men, women, and sometimes children:
- The Mondopoint system, adopted as the international standard ISO 9407, measures the actual length of the foot in millimeters (e.g., 260, 265 mm) and often includes the width as well.
- The European system (Paris Point/ EU), the most common in our region, uses sizes such as 40, 41, and 42.
- The British system, which uses sizes such as 7, 8, and 9 for both men and women, is based on the barleycorn, or the length of a barleycorn, and is divided into children’s and adult sizes.
- The American system, which has been derived from the British system but modified, most notably by separating men’s and women’s sizes.
Men’s sizes are 7, 8, 9, and women’s sizes are also labeled 7, 8, 9 but follow a different scale.
Women’s shoes are typically 1.5 to 2 sizes larger than men’s shoes for the same foot length. Although there are subsystems such as Canadian, Australian, and Japanese, they are almost identical to the American and British systems.
The American system was introduced in the 1880s by New York businessman Edwin Simpson as the first detailed shoe sizing system. Its measurements were based on the British “barleycorn” system, where one inch was historically defined as the length of three barley grains placed side by side.
This system was long used for measuring custom-made shoes. Each full American shoe size is one-third of an inch (one barleycorn) larger than the previous size. The slight difference between men’s and women’s sizes is attributed to historical variations in how sizing was determined. The details of who originally determined these measurements have been lost to history, but the resulting sizing systems are still in use today.
About a decade later, the National Association of Shoe Retailers adopted Simpson’s system, providing the first national guidelines for shoe sizes. By the 1920s, stores across America had implemented standardized measuring devices, such as the Ritz wand and the Brannock sizing system, further unifying shoe measurements.
Another reason for variations is that some systems base the size on the length of the last, while others use the length of the foot plus an added “toe margin.” Some systems adjust the starting point, or zero point, of the sizing scale. As a result, even if the units are the same, the numbers do not match.
This is why the UK uses the same system for both men and women. In America, however, commercial and market considerations led to the development of a separate sizing system for women, offset from the men’s scale. The aim was to market “women’s” shoes on a specific scale, accounting for the fact that women’s feet are usually narrower but of similar length to men’s. The American system also uses letters to indicate foot width - A, B, C, D, E -which adds complexity and has made global standardization more difficult.
By Ahmad alsarraf
email: [email protected]
email: [email protected]
