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International shoe size conversion chart children and babies

Children's shoe sizing has three systems and one measurement that governs all of them. Measure the foot in centimetres, in the afternoon, standing up, and read across. Below is the conversion from newborn to the point where children's sizing meets adult sizing, plus the room to leave and how often to re-check.

US
UK
EU
Updated Free, no sign-upCompiled by the DesignerBox team

Children's shoes: the quick answer

Measure the child's foot in centimetres and read across. A 15 cm foot is a US 8C, a UK 7.5 and a EU 25. European sizes come from the length of the shoe last, which is the foot plus about 1.4 to 2 cm of walking room, so the European number always runs several sizes above the foot measurement.

Quick converter

Convert your size in one step

Pick the system you know and the size you take. Every other system appears below, and the matching row is highlighted in the chart.

Children and baby shoe sizes

Read from the foot length. The age column is a rough guide only, because feet vary far more than ages do.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Children and baby shoe sizes: International Shoe Size Conversion Chart: Children & Baby
Foot (cm)Foot (in)USUKEUTypical age
9.13⅝1C0.5160–3 m
10.03⅞2C1.5173–6 m
10.84¼3C2.5186–9 m
11.64⅝4C3.5199–12 m
12.54⅞5C4.52112–18 m
13.35¼6C5.52218–24 m
14.25⅝7C6.5232 y
15.05⅞8C7.5252–3 y
15.96¼9C8.5263 y
16.76⅝10C9.5273–4 y
17.66⅞11C10.5284–5 y
18.47¼12C11.5305–6 y
19.37⅝13C12.5316–7 y
20.17⅞1Y13327 y
20.88¼2Y1337–8 y
21.68½3Y2348–9 y
22.38¾4Y3369–10 y
23.19⅛5Y43710–11 y
23.89⅜6Y53811–12 y
24.69⅝7Y64012–13 y
US sizes restart at 13. A US 13C and a US 1Y are consecutive, about 8 mm apart, and some brands add a 13.5C between them. Some brands drop the C and Y, so check the EU number when a listing is ambiguous. A US barleycorn step is 8.47 mm against a European Paris point of 6.67 mm, so roughly every fourth US size skips a European number, which is why 20, 24, 29, 35 and 39 do not appear.
How the systems relate

Why the numbers differ

The US system is the confusing one, because it restarts. Sizes run 1C to 13C for babies and small children, then reset to 1Y and count up again. A US 13C and a US 1Y are consecutive sizes about 8 mm apart, one barleycorn, not a twelve-size jump, and some brands including Nike insert a 13.5C between them. The C stands for child and the Y for youth, and some brands write them as 13 and 1 with no letter at all, which is where most wrong orders come from.

Europe never restarts. A European size is the length of the shoe last in centimetres multiplied by 1.5, and the last is the foot plus about 1.4 to 2 cm of room to move in, the same allowance adult lasts use. It is why the European number sits several sizes above the foot measurement, keeps climbing straight into adult sizing with no break, and is the safest column to buy from.

The UK counts from a fixed point at the heel in barleycorns, which are a third of an inch, and it also restarts at 13. UK sizes sit about half a size below the US child size through most of the range.

Room to grow is not optional in children's shoes, it is part of the fitting. Leave about 1.2 to 1.7 cm between the longest toe and the end of the shoe, which is roughly a thumb's width. Less than that and the shoe is already too small; much more and the child trips.

How to measure

Take the measurements yourself

A conversion is only as good as the size you start from. Use a soft tape, and measure over skin or light clothing rather than over a jumper.

Measure the foot

  1. Put a sheet of paper on a hard floor against a wall and stand the child on it, heel to the wall.
  2. Make sure they are standing with their weight on both feet, because a foot spreads when loaded.
  3. Mark the paper at the tip of the longest toe, which is not always the big toe.
  4. Measure from the wall edge to the mark in centimetres, do both feet, and use the larger number.

Add walking room

  1. Add 1.2 to 1.7 cm to the measured length, which is roughly a thumb's width.
  2. This is the room the foot needs to roll forward in the shoe as the child walks.
  3. Do not add more than 2 cm, because a loose shoe makes children trip and changes how they walk.
  4. Use the measured foot length, not the padded number, when reading the table.

Check the fit on the child

  1. Have the child stand up in the shoe with it fully fastened.
  2. Press your thumb down at the end of the shoe to find the longest toe.
  3. Check the heel does not slip when they walk a few steps.
  4. Look for red marks after ten minutes of wear, which mean it is too tight regardless of what the size says.
Buying tips

Shopping across sizing systems

Six rules that matter more than the conversion itself once you are ordering from another country.

Measure every six weeks under three

In the first three or four years a child's feet can gain up to two whole sizes a year, and as much as three in the first year. By school age that slows to about one size a year.

Measure in the afternoon

Feet swell over the day. A shoe fitted first thing in the morning can be tight by the evening.

Buy for the larger foot

Most children have one foot slightly larger. The shoe has to fit that one, and the other can take a thicker sock.

Do not hand down worn shoes

A shoe moulds to the foot that wore it, so a used sole puts the next child's foot in the wrong position even at the right size.

Width matters more than length for babies

Pre-walkers need room to spread. A soft, wide shoe at the right length beats a stiff one half a size up.

Use the EU number when a listing is unclear

European sizes never restart, so they cannot be confused the way US 13C and 1Y can.

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Children's shoes sizing, answered

The questions that come up most often when buying clothing or footwear across borders.

What is a US 8C in EU shoe sizing?
A EU 25, which fits a foot of about 15 cm and is typically a two to three year old. Measure the foot rather than going by age: the age column on any children's chart is the least reliable part of it.
What is the difference between US 13C and US 1Y?
They are consecutive sizes about 8 mm apart, one barleycorn. US children's sizing restarts at 13, so 1Y is one step bigger than 13C rather than twelve steps smaller. Some brands insert a 13.5C between them.
How do I measure my child's foot at home?
Stand them on paper against a wall with their heel touching it and their weight on both feet, mark the tip of the longest toe, and measure from the wall to the mark in centimetres. Measure both feet and use the larger.
How much growing room should a child's shoe have?
About 1.2 to 1.7 cm between the longest toe and the end of the shoe, which is roughly a thumb's width. More than 2 cm makes children trip.
How often should I measure my child's feet?
Every six weeks under three, every three to four months from three to six, and every four to six months after that.
What EU size is a 15 cm foot?
A EU 25, a US 8C and a UK 7.5. European sizes measure the shoe last rather than the foot, so the number runs several sizes above the foot length in centimetres.
When does children's shoe sizing become adult sizing?
At about a EU 40, which is a US 7Y. A US 7Y and a US men's 7 are the same length, so the two ranges meet rather than overlap.
Are UK and US children's shoe sizes the same?
No. UK sizes run about half a size below US child sizes, so a US 8C is a UK 7.5. Both systems restart at 13, which is why the EU number is the safest one to order from.

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