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Men's to women's shoe sizes: the offset depends on the brand

Updated . 4 minute read.

The short answer

On the brand charts we checked, the most common rule is women's size = men's size + 1.5 (6 of 10 brands that print both). It is not the only one: 3 different offsets are in print.

The number is only the length. A men's shoe in your converted size is normally a width wider, so the offset gets you the right length and says nothing about fit.

The offset each brand prints

Each row groups the brands whose charts put the women's size that far above the men's. A brand that is not consistent across its size run appears in more than one row.

How far a women's size sits above the men's size printed beside it, on each brand's own chart.
Women's minus men'sBrands
+1adidas, Arc'teryx and La Sportiva
+1.5Merrell, Mizuno, New Balance, Nike, Onitsuka Tiger and Saucony
+2VEJA Campo
Tinted rows differ from the most common offset. Brands that print no men's size beside their women's sizes are not listed.

Women's to men's, size by size

US women's to US men's. The formula column is the common scale (minus 1.5); the brand columns are read from 11 charts.
US women'sMen's by formulaMost brands printOther answers in print
64.54.5 (6 of 10)5: adidas, Arc'teryx, La Sportiva; 4: Converse
6.555 (6 of 10)5.5: adidas, Arc'teryx, La Sportiva; 4.5: Converse
75.55.5 (6 of 10)6: adidas, Arc'teryx, La Sportiva; 5: Converse
7.566 (6 of 10)6.5: adidas, Arc'teryx, La Sportiva; 5.5: Converse
86.56.5 (6 of 11)7: adidas, Arc'teryx, La Sportiva; 6: Converse, VEJA
8.577 (5 of 9)7.5: adidas, Arc'teryx, La Sportiva; 6.5: Converse
97.57.5 (6 of 11)8: adidas, Arc'teryx, La Sportiva; 7: Converse, VEJA
9.588 (6 of 10)8.5: adidas, Arc'teryx, La Sportiva; 7.5: Converse
108.58.5 (6 of 11)9: adidas, Arc'teryx, La Sportiva; 8: Converse, VEJA
10.599 (6 of 10)9.5: adidas, Arc'teryx, La Sportiva; 8.5: Converse
119.59.5 (6 of 11)10: adidas, Arc'teryx, La Sportiva; 9: Converse, VEJA
A brand is counted once per answer.

Why two offsets exist

US sizes are counted in thirds of an inch from a fixed starting point, and the women's scale has two starting points in use. The common scale starts a size and a half below the men's, the FIA scale one size below. Neither is wrong; they are different conventions, and a brand picks one. The definitions are in how shoe sizes are built.

Length converts, width does not

US brands usually label standard width B in women's sizing and D in men's. Buying the men's or unisex version of a shoe in your converted size therefore usually means a wider shoe, and buying the women's version of a men's size a narrower one. If you wear a women's wide, the men's standard width may be the closer match. Reports on each shoe tell you more than the chart can: see running shoes.

What to do

  1. Look for the men's and women's columns on the brand's own chart and read across the same row.
  2. If the chart prints a foot length or a JP size, compare that instead of applying an offset.
  3. Expect a men's or unisex shoe to be wider than the women's shoe of the same length.
  4. Moving between two brands as well? Use the converter, which reads both charts.

Common questions

How do I convert a men's shoe size to women's?

On most brand charts a women's size is the men's size plus 1.5, so a men's 7 is a women's 8.5. Some brands use a different offset, and the table on this page lists what each chart prints. Use the offset of the brand you are buying.

Why do some charts say plus 1 and others plus 1.5?

There are two US women's scales. On the common scale a women's size is 1.5 above the men's; on the FIA scale it is 1 above. Both are in use, which is why two brands can label the same last with different women's numbers.

Are men's and women's shoes the same apart from the number?

Not usually. US brands usually label standard width B in women's sizing and D in men's, so a men's shoe in the converted length is typically wider. Brands may also build the two on different lasts.

What about unisex shoes?

Unisex shoes are normally labelled in men's sizes. Convert with that brand's own chart, or skip the conversion and compare the foot length or JP size the brand prints.

Sources

Checked on 18 September 2026. Brand charts change: the linked page is the authority, not this one.

Offsets are computed from the men's and women's sizes each brand prints on the same row of its own chart, for US women's 6 to 11.

Skip the conversion table

Tell us one item you own and how it fits. TrueToSize reads the brand's own chart and gives you your size at other brands, with a confidence level on every answer.

Start with one item you ownMen's to women's tableShoe size converter