This article gives you an easy to follow, no-trouble step-by-step guide to figure out your foot type and measure your feet accurately, so you can choose the right shoe for you. I hope it helps you get those barefoot shoes you've been dreaming of with the confidence that now you know what your feet need.
Please note: while I love to share knowledge from my own experience and research, I am not a medical professional and I do not provide medical advice.
Table of Contents
Why should you measure your feet?
First things first: why? Why do you even need to measure your feet? At the time of writing, the barefoot shoe market is mostly online. More often than not, the shoe or brand you are interested in, does not have a physical shop near you. It is just the way it is at the moment, though there are some nice exceptions, of course.
This guide is meant to help you if you want to buy shoes online but are not familiar with the brand and want to figure out which size you should get, or simply if you want to track how your feet change over time. If you can't wait to order your first pair of barefoot shoes you might be asking, can't I just order my usual size?
No, you cannot just order your usual size without giving it a second thought, trust me. There is an increasing variety of barefoot options to choose from, shoes designed for specific functions, etc. But the shoe shapes and sizing charts are as varied as all the options. Barefoot shoes come in all shapes and even within a brand, you will find sizing differences in their products. To top it off, shoe brands can also measure their shoes differently. If this sounds too complicated already, fear not, I will make it simple for you.
It is not only a good idea but really a necessity to measure your feet before you buy new shoes. Especially if you wear barefoot shoes long term, your feet will likely continue to get stronger or at least change a bit, so you want to make sure you know the correct size before you click that "Go to Checkout" button. :)
There are multiple ways to measure your feet. The most common is to trace the foot with a pen/pencil, yet it is not actually the most accurate method - the "wall method" is. I will cover these two methods. My goal is to give you a step-by-step guide that is as short and as clear as possible. WOW, that was a long "introduction".
What is your foot type?
First of all, why do we care? Before I started researching and wearing barefoot shoes, I didn't give this topic much thought. It was only when I 'discovered' the world of barefoot shoes that I had that lightbulb moment: "Aha! My feet are kinda square, maybe that's related to my difficulty finding wide enough shoes?!".
Knowing your foot type is going to help you identify the brands and models that are most suitable for you. This doesn't have to be overly complicated. You just need to understand the overall shape of your foot. There are two important spectrums to be aware of: very narrow to very wide feet, and low volume to high volume feet. You want to know where you stand (pun intended) in those ranges.
Foot type
Foot type refers to the overall shape and proportions of your feet and toes. Simply put, there are three types of foot shape: Egyptian, Roman (or "square") and Greek. Roman/square feet tend to be wide, while the Egyptian and Greek types can be narrow or wide.
Foot volume
Foot volume describes how much space your foot occupies. Feet are often described as being low, medium or high volume.
If you want super detailed guides about foot types, go to the bottom of this page - I listed some interesting links in the Resources section. If you are looking for more information about barefoot shoes, take a look at this page. Having said that, my goal with this guide is to give you all the information you need while making this process as simple as possible. So let's continue - prepare to take measurements!
Measuring your feet for perfect shoe fit
Tip #1 - Measure your feet later in the day
Measure your feet in the evening. It is normal that our feet develop a bit of swelling so you should expect your feet to be a bit bigger at the end of your day. This is the best time to measure them, so you are not
Tip #2 - If you plan to wear socks in these shoes, wear socks now
If you are going to wear socks in the shoes, wear socks when measuring your feet. If you plan to wear thicker or winter socks with the shoes, measure your feet with those on too. Be careful not to wear thight socks though, as they might be squeezing your feet more than you think (we get accostumed to these things...). If you are interested in trying on socks that don't squeeze your feet, you can learn about it in this blog post.
Tip #3 - Ask for help
Asking someone for help is a really good idea, as it will ensure that you maintain a stable, reliable position while measuring your feet. This is key to ensure accuracy.
Tip #4 - Put all your weight on one foot at a time
Make sure you are standing up and putting your full weight on the foot you are measuring. You want your shoes to be big enough to comfortably house your foot when your weight is on it.
Tip #5 - Measure both feet
Finally, measure both feet! We are neither perfect nor perfectly symmetrical beings. Your feet are likely a bit different from one another, so measure both.
Let's get it done!
What you will need to measure your feet
One or two A4 paper sheets
A pen or pencil
A ruler and/or a measuring tape
A wall
Method 1 - Tracing
Stand on a sheet of paper and put your full weight on the foot you are measuring. Keeping your pen or pencil as perpendicular to the floor as possible, trace around the entire foot. This method might be a few millimeters off. Regardless of which method you use, it will be more accurate if you get someone's help to do the tracing. Now trace the other foot. Finally, to take the correct measurements, do the following:
Draw a vertical line from the middle of your heel to the top - this is the vertical axis.
Draw two lines parallel to the vertical axis, on either side of the foot, touching (tangent to) the widest point.
Draw a line perpendicular to the vertical axis, at the top of your longest toe.
To know the foot length, measure the distance between the point where your heel intersects with the vertical axis and the horizontal line at the top.
To know the foot width, measure the distance between the outer vertical lines. These are defined by the maximum width of your foot, which is what you want to know.
Method 2 - The Wall
This method provides a more accurate measure of foot length. Stand on a sheet of paper next to a wall, with your back against the wall. Make sure the sheet of paper is touching the wall (you can tape it to the floor if you like), and make sure your foot is touching the wall but not compressed against it. Put your full weight on the foot you are measuring. Draw a line/point at the top of your longest toe. Ideally, get someone's help to do this. Putting an object at the end of the foot to mark it is another easy way to get this right. You should also trace along the sides of your foot, to measure the width. Now do the same for your other foot. Similarly to the first method, do the following to get the correct measurements:
Draw a vertical, perpendicular line from the bottom of the paper sheet to the top line or point marked.
Draw two lines parallel to the first one, on either side of the foot, touching (tangent to) the widest point.
To know the foot length, measure the distance between the bottom of the paper sheet and the line or point marked at the top.
To know the foot width, measure the distance between the outer vertical lines. These are defined by the maximum width of your foot, which is what you want to know.
Bonus tip: to get an instant, accurate measurement of your foot's length, use a measuring tape to check the distance directly from the wall to the top of your foot.
Choosing the right shoe
Tip #6 - Units and Details
Measurements must be in a unit like centimeters or inches. Shoe sizes vary from brand to brand and shoe to shoe and are not a reliable unit. What you want is to know the size of your feet and compare the centimeters/inches against the sizing chart provided by the shoe brand.
It is extremelly important to know not only your foot length but also the width, do not understimate this. Our feet's healthy width typically suffers the most in non-barefoot shoes. Not all barefoot shoe brands offer this information, which is suprising and unfortunate, but you can ask them for details when needed.
Add some length: choose a size where the insole is slightly longer than your exact foot length. The advised added length varies between 0.5 cm and 1.2 cm. Example: for a summer shoe you might want to add 0.7 cm to your foot length to choose the right insole length, while if you are purchasing snow boots, you might want the insole to be 1.2 cm (or even more for some people) longer than your foot. A bit of extra room will keep your feet more comfortable and make sure you have enough space for (thick) socks, without squeezing your toes.
You might want to check if the shoe brand offers any advice about this.
Tip #7 - Check the shoe company's sizing information
Read the shoe company's sizing information carefully. Pay attention to the insole length and width, if available. Make sure you are interpreting the size chart correctly. Plus, check if the shoe company lists which method they use to measure their shoes, as there are different ways. Generally speaking though, the process of searching for shoes, measuring your feet (again) and carefully looking at sizing charts, will get easier as you start to intuitively know which details to look out for, and also as you learn which size you are in different shoe brands or shoe types - for example, it is common to order a bigger size than usual when buying winter shoes.
Remember, if you are still unsure about which size you should get after you carefully looked at the brand's sizing guide, reach out to them directly, you can send them an email asking for the details you still need and they should be able to give you more information or advise you.
Tip #8 - Bonus tip!
Compare different shoes: look for similar shoes from different brands and pay attention to the shape and proportions of the shoes. Find photos taken from the top and bottom views and compare them side by side.
Did you know?... Interesting "fun facts"
Did you know that your feet can change for natural reasons? While researching for this article, I found several texts describing how our feet can change over time. Some changes are unnatural and can turn into prolonged health issues. However, not all changes are bad and it is my belief that we should not expect our health to significantly deteriorate over time. There are very old people living with excellent health after all! Here are a few natural factors that can impact the size of your feet throughout your life:
Weight gain - feet may adapt to added weight by widening or lengthening to continue to support us. Weight gain can also affect the mechanics of how we walk.
Aging - as we get older our feet's fat pads can become thinner, which also means they might absorb shock differently.
Pregnancy - during pregnancy, levels of the relaxin hormone increase in a woman's body. This hormone loosens muscles, joints, ligaments - which can lead to foot growth, often a permanent change.
Besides buying new shoes, these are also good reasons to measure your feet somewhat regularly. If you weren't convinced yet, I hope these fun facts did it. I would love to hear about your experiences getting into the world of barefoot shoes and figuring all this stuff out. I hope this article helps, may it serve you well!
Resources
Why Your Feet Change Size Over Time - Cleveland Clinic
What are the different types of feet? - Foot Network
How to measure your foot correctly? - Shapen
What is my Foot Type? (very detailed) - Barefoot Universe
A guide for measuring feet and barefoot shoes (very detailed) - Barefoot Universe
How to walk barefoot - Xero Shoes
Benefits of Barefoot Shoes | The Problem with Modern Shoes - informative video, under 5 minutes
Shoespiracy - short documentary, under 5 minutes
Article thumbnail photo by Ekaterina Grosheva on Unsplash
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