Have you ever been into a store and asked for a size 8 only to be given a European size 41? Or ask for a Men's size 10 and receive a 44?
Shoe sizing isn't exactly a science but some shoe size conversion charts are almost a full size out by the time they reach the upper end of the scale and here's why...
Comparing English and European sizes is like comparing centimetres and inches. They are two distinct measuring systems. Here is a scale taken from the back of one of our shoe boxes.
Lets say we start with a size 36 (which is what most shoe shops will do) and then work upwards from there. The closest equivalent on the scale above is a UK size 3.
Next, a 37 equates to a size 4 (not a bad equivalent) and size 38 is a UK 5 (which sort of makes sense). However once we reach 39 The scale has started to slide out by a half size and by size 40 its far from a UK 7 yet shops across the UK still insist on calling a size 40 a UK 7.
A European size is actually 0.7 of a UK size.
It is worth mentioning that many shoe boxes don't have a scale like this on the back so its understandable why so many people in the industry incorrectly translate EU to UK sizes.
So our advice is:
If you can see a European size on the box or somewhere printed on the shoe itself then don't trust the UK conversion and instead convert it yourself or learn what your European size is.
And of course you can always pop in to our shop for some friendly fitting advice.