Countries like France and Italy are known for their culture and quality, which is why shoe brands from these places are almost always top-of-the-line. However, before you purchase a pair of shoes from a French online store, you need to make sure that the shoe will actually fit.
Unfortunately, your shoe size in the US may not be the same in France and vice versa. So, take a look at this French Shoe Size Chart to see what size shoe to get.
French Shoe Size Chart
What you’ll find in the following charts is that French shoe sizes start at a much higher number than their US, UK, and Japanese counterparts. This makes shopping for shoes in French stores even more confusing, which is why you have to be more careful when comparing shoe sizes.
Men’s Shoes
| Size | Length (Heel to Toe) |
| 41 | 9.25 in. |
| 42 | 9.62 in. |
| 43 | 9.94 in. |
| 44 | 10.25 in. |
| 45 | 10.56 in. |
| 46 | 10.75 in. |
| 47 | 11.25 in. |
| 48 | 11.65 in. |
| 49 | 11.75 in. |
Women’s Shoes
| Size | Length (Heel to Toe) |
| 36 | 8.56 in. |
| 37 | 8.87 in. |
| 38 | 9.25 in. |
| 39 | 9.5 in. |
| 40 | 9.87 in. |
| 41 | 10.2 in. |
| 42 | 10.5 in. |
| 43 | 10.87 in. |
| 44 | 11.25 in. |
| 45 | 11.5 in. |
Children’s Shoes
| Size | Length (Heel to Toe) |
| 18 | 4 to 4.125 in. |
| 19 | 4.25 to 4.5 in. |
| 20 | 4.675 to 4.75 in. |
| 21 | 5 in. |
| 22 | 5.125 to 5.25 in. |
| 23 | 5.5 to 5.675 in. |
| 24 | 5.75 in. |
| 25 | 6 to 6.125 in. |
| 26 | 6.25 in. |
| 27 | 6.5 to 6.675 in. |
| 28 | 6.75 in. |
| 29 | 7 in. |
| 30 | 7.125 to 7.25 in. |
| 31 | 7.5 to 7.675 in. |
| 32 | 7.75 in. |
| 33 | 8 to 8.125 in. |
| 34 | 8.25 to 8.5 in. |
French Shoe to US Shoe Size Conversion Chart
Now, let’s compare US and French shoe sizes together. Here, I’ll provide a chart for men, women, and children shoes, as well as describe a rough formula for converting French to US shoe sizes and vice versa.
Men’s Shoes
| French | US |
| 41 | 6 |
| 42 | 7 |
| 43 | 8 |
| 44 | 9 |
| 45 | 10 |
| 46 | 11 |
| 47 | 12 |
| 48 | 13 |
From the table above, we can see a consistent increase in shoe size comparison. To convert US to French shoe sizes, you will have to add 35 to your US shoe size (start at size 6). Conversely, you would have to subtract 35 from your French shoe size to get its American equivalent.
Women’s Shoes
| French | US |
| 36 | 5 |
| 37 | 6 |
| 38 | 7 |
| 39 | 8 |
| 40 | 9 |
| 41 | 10 |
| 42 | 11 |
| 43 | 12 |
The formula for converting women’s French shoes to women’s US shoes is to subtract 31. So, for instance, a size 38 shoe in France is the same as a size 7 in the US. If you want to buy French shoes but only know your US shoe size, just add 31 on top of that.
Children’s Shoes
| French | US |
| 18 | 2.5 to 3 |
| 19 | 3.5 to 4 |
| 20 | 4.5 to 5 |
| 21 | 5.5 |
| 22 | 6 to 6.5 |
| 23 | 7 to 7.5 |
| 24 | 8 |
| 25 | 8.5 to 9 |
| 26 | 9.5 |
| 27 | 10 to 10.5 |
| 28 | 11 |
| 29 | 11.5 |
| 30 | 12 to 12.5 |
| 31 | 13 to 13.5 |
| 32 | 1 |
| 33 | 1.5 to 2 |
| 34 | 2.5 to 3 |
As you can see from the table above, size 32 shoes in France are the same as size 1 in the US. This refers to the next age group (usually teens to young adults), whereas the previous sizes are in regard to elementary school children.
There really is no rhyme or reason here, so the safest way to get your French shoe size is to measure your foot and compare it to the children’s French shoe size chart.
General Fresh Shoe Size Conversion Chart
Men’s Shoes
| French | US | UK | EU | Japan |
| 35 | 4 | 1 | 34 | 21 |
| 36 | 5 | 2 | 35 | 22 |
| 37 | 6 | 3 | 36 | 23 |
| 38 | 7 | 4 | 37 | 24 |
| 39 | 8 | 5 | 38 | 25 |
| 40 | 9 | 6 | 39 | 26 |
| 41 | 10 | 7 | 40 | 27 |
| 42 | 11 | 8 | 41 | 28 |
| 43 | 12 | 9 | 42 | 29 |
Women’s Shoes
| French | US | UK | EU | Japan |
| 35 | 4 | 1 | 34 | 21 |
| 36 | 5 | 2 | 35 | 22 |
| 37 | 6 | 3 | 36 | 23 |
| 38 | 7 | 4 | 37 | 24 |
| 39 | 8 | 5 | 38 | 25 |
| 40 | 9 | 6 | 39 | 26 |
| 41 | 10 | 7 | 40 | 27 |
| 42 | 11 | 8 | 41 | 28 |
| 43 | 12 | 9 | 42 | 29 |
What About Half Sizes?
Not only do you have to concern yourself over adding large numbers to your US size, but you should also be aware that French shoemakers usually don’t have half sizes (adults). So, if you sport size 9.5 sneakers in the US, you would have to take a risk and choose between size 44 and size 45 French shoes.
You can overcome the confusion by simply measuring the length of your foot from the heel to toe. That figure can make finding the right shoe size a lot easier for the seller.
Why Are French and US Shoe Sizes So Different?
Here’s the thing about shoe sizes. Although almost everyone in the entire world wears shoes, shoemakers do not stick to a universal sizing system. And you don’t even need to compare brands between countries; 2 brands from the same country may have different shoe size numbers for the same shoe length.
Shoemakers usually set their own sizing standards, which makes it increasingly more difficult to shop for shoes online. Again, you can overcome the sizing differences by measuring your foot and giving that figure to a sales rep.
How to Measure Foot for Shoe Size
If you want to manually measure your foot for shoes, here’s how it’s done. You’ll need a sheet of paper (longer and wider than your foot), a pencil or pen, and a ruler.
- Trace your foot onto a sheet of paper.
- Record the farthest distance between your heel and your toe, which is the length.
- Add 0.5 to 0.75 inches to the length.
- Measure the widest point between the sides of your foot.
- Add 0.5 to 0.75 inches to the width.
If you’re shopping for a pair of boots, you will have to give your shoe sales rep a few more measurements.
- Use a tape measure to measure the circumference around your ankle.
- Measure the height from your heel to how high you want your boots.
Be careful when recording these measurements, especially if you’re shopping and in another country. Sending in the incorrect measurements may mean ending up with a pair of shoes that are far too big or too small for your liking.
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