Shoes are a big part of today’s fashion. Having amazing shoes will make you stand out, but there is more to shoes than looks. One of the most important things when looking for a shoe is the size. 

If you want to order shoes online, you need to know how various brands number their shoes. This knowledge will help you get a shoe that fits perfectly. 

This information is especially vital for running shoes since they can hurt you if they are too tight. Let’s get into the topic;

Shoe Size Comparison Between Brands

You might think you have a problem when a shoe size from one brand fits you, but it doesn’t fit when you get the same size from a different brand. This issue is because every brand has a sizing technique for their shoes that varies from others. 

Each of the major shoe brands has its system to make sure they can make shoes of varying designs. Let us look at each brand individually and see how they stand apart;

1. Nike Shoe Sizes

Nike has sizes categorized according to gender and age. Their smallest adult shoes are 8.5 inches, and they are size 5 for women or 3.5 for kids. Their smallest size for men is at 9 inches which is a size 5 for men and kids and 6.5 for women.

The sizes for men and kids tend to match, while women have a higher size number for the same shoe size. 

Statistically, women have smaller feet than men in the US, and manufacturers rely on this data to produce shoes.

The largest Nike shoe for kids is a 9.6-inch shoe, a male’s size 7 and a lady’s size 8.5.  The largest shoe for a woman in Nike production is a size 12, a man’s size 10.5, and a 10.9-inch shoe.

Men’s shoe sizes go up to size 13 in the US, and this is an 11.5-inch shoe made for the tallest people. 

The shoes are not exactly meant for women or men; it is just a system to allow the manufactures to capture a broader range of fits.

2. Adidas Shoe Sizes

Adidas starts their sizing for men at size 4, which is 8.7 inches, and this shoe is a size 5 for women. 

The next size for men is 4.5, an 8.9-inch shoe, and a size 5.5 for women. The pattern persists with larger sizes of women’s shoes matching with smaller sizes for men’s shoes.

The largest shoe size for women in Adidas is a size 15.5, a 12.2-inch shoe; this is a size 14.5 for men. 

The largest shoe for men is size 20, which is 14 inches. This size is much larger than Nike’s size 13, which is 11 inches long.

The kid’s shoes are marked K, and they aren’t numbered like the others.  These are primarily for children below the age of 4, and the most miniature shoe in this category is 1K, and it is 3.2 inches long. The largest is 13.5K which is 7.5inches.

There are more options for kids with a regular size 1, which is 7.7 inches, and this list goes to size 3, which is 8.3 inches long. 

Adidas has a broader range of shoe sizes for you to choose from, and it accounts for huge people who won’t fit in standard-sized shoes.

3. Reebok shoe sizes

Reebok has its smallest shoe for women at size 5, and it is an 8.7-inch shoe.  The most miniature men’s shoe is a size 7 and 9.8-inch shoe, which is a size 8 for women. The largest size for women in Reebok is 10.5, and it is 10.79 inches which is a size 9.5 for men.

The largest shoe size for men is size 15, and it is a 12.99-inch shoe. This is an inch smaller than Adidas. Reebok is a subsidiary of Adidas, so they share a lot in size with only a few differences.

What Do They Have In Common? 

Each brand has a different sizing system that they use because it works best for their shoe designs. It might be hard for you to know all the brands’ sizes, so you need to get a general concept to use as a guide in choosing shoes. 

The shoes are categorized as men, women, and kids shoes. This is a system that is used to make sure that everyone gets a shoe that fits.

Most sneakers are unisex, but they are still labeled with the same system to give a broader range of choices.

If a shoe in the men’s list doesn’t fit, you can look for the same sneaker in women’s size, which will work for you. 

You need to note that the size number is bigger for women than men at the same length of a shoe. 

Most of the brands share a system with either Nike or Adidas since they are some of the biggest shoe brands in the US. 

Nonetheless, make sure you look at the specific chart of the shoe you want to buy before selecting a size.

The difference between them is not always significant; they could differ by about a quarter of an inch. 

This compromise might work for you, but it will get uncomfortable over time, so you should aim for a perfect fit.

Teenagers will often be categorized with their specific genders, but they can use women’s sizes since they are smaller. 

For Kids, you need to look at the foot and make sure you don’t hurt your baby’s feet since it could do more damage to children than adults.

The most important thing you need to know is the length of your foot. Most sneakers are built with soft material that can stretch to fit a wide-footed person, but they can’t work if your foot is longer than the shoe. 

The shoes come in a wide range of sizes to make sure everyone gets a fit. With companies like Adidas, everyone from a small child to a huge NBA player can get a perfect shoe. The shoe sizes might vary between the brands, but it’s all for a good reason. 

Why Shoe Sizes Vary Between Brands 

Having varying shoe sizes can be frustrating, especially when you are ordering shoes online. You need to understand why there is a difference in the shoe sizes so let us jump into it and understand this question;

The answer to this mystery is the last. A last is the primary point of any footwear design. This is a molded form that resembles a foot and is used to repair and manufacture footwear. The material is stretched over the last to make a shoe of a given shape and size. 

The last model maker handcrafts last out of wood, then a computer will use 3D printing technology to make more lasts for all the shoes. 

The design of a last depends on the intended use for the shoes. Since different people make lasts for different shoes, the size and fit also differ. Sports shoes, running shoes, and leisure shoes all have different requirements. 

These differing requirements will need the model maker to design various ways to meet the specific user needs. 

The material used on the shoe also affects how the shoe will fit even if the last remains unchanged.

Some materials are thicker than others; other materials stretch, allowing more space for your leg to move inside the shoe. 

For instance, the last has more impact on how the shoe will fit in a stiff leather shoe since the shoe’s upper material does not stretch.

If the wrong last is used on a shoe, the shoe will fit poorly and might cause some discomfort to the user. 

Lasts for the identical shoe have to be made to account for wide footed people, different genders, medium foot, etc.

This means that several sizes of the same brand ensure that everyone can get a shoe that fits perfectly. 

While selecting the shoe sizes in a complicated list might be a problem, we cannot use a standardized system to size the shoes.

Standardizing the shoe numbering system would mess with the design difference in all the shoe brands, limiting the comfort you get from a shoe. This would mean you have to wear the identical shoe for everything, which is impossible. 

Conclusion

It would help if you had a shoe that could meet your specific needs, so it must be of a specific size. 

This means that the companies have different systems, but they all work to get the best shoe for you. Before you settle on a shoe, look at the chart and see its actual size.

The last used in making the shoe determines what size of the shoe will fit. It is for this reason that you should try to buy shoes from stores rather than online. While buying online is convenient, you might end up with a shoe that does not fit.