How to Measure Foot Width (and Find Shoes for Wide Feet)

What you need

• A sheet of paper bigger than your foot
• A pen or pencil
• A ruler or tape measure
• A hard floor and a wall
• The socks you'd normally wear

How to measure foot width, step by step

1. Measure in the afternoon. Feet swell through the day and spread under your weight, so a morning measurement can run small. Why your feet get bigger when you stand.
2. Put the paper on the floor against a wall. Tape it down if it slides.
3. Stand on it with your full weight, heel touching the wall. Sitting gives a narrower result.
4. Trace around your foot with the pen held straight up, not angled under your foot. Ask someone to help if you can.
5. Measure the width straight across the widest part of the tracing.
6. Measure the length from the heel line to the tip of your longest toe (not always the big toe).
7. Repeat with the other foot. Most people have one foot slightly bigger. Use the larger numbers.

Where is your foot widest?

This matters more than the number itself. Look at your tracing:

• Widest at the toes: your toes fan out. Most shoes taper here, so this is where they pinch. You need a foot-shaped toe box.
• Widest across the ball of the foot: the classic "wide foot". A wide size or a roomy toe box both help.
• Wide all the way back to the heel: you need a wide size and a roomy upper overall.

A wide toe box and a wide shoe are not the same thing. Here's the difference.

Shoe width letters, decoded

US shoe brands mark width with letters. The exact measurements vary by brand and by length, but the letters follow the same order:

Many brands don't use letters at all, especially barefoot brands. Their shoes are shaped wider at the toes as standard, so the toe-area measurement and the brand's own size chart matter more than a letter.

How to find shoes for wide feet

• Compare your measurement to the brand's chart, not just your usual size.
• Look at the shape of the sole. Hold the shoe upside down: is it widest at the toes, or does it taper to a point?
• Avoid raised heels. They slide your foot forward into the narrowest part of the shoe. Why zero drop helps.
• Choose soft uppers. Canvas and knit give where your foot is widest; stiff leather doesn't.
• Do the insole test. Take out the insole and stand on it. If your foot spills over the edges, the shoe is too narrow.
• Don't just size up. A longer shoe adds length, not much width, and leaves your toes pinched.

Where Fission.01 fits

Fission.01 has a foot-shaped toe box that's widest at the toes, a zero drop sole, a soft organic cotton canvas upper and a 3 mm removable insole, so it suits most feet that are widest at the toes or the ball. It runs small, so order half a size up; if you're wide all the way back to the heel, go a full size up from your usual and use the insole test. Shop wide toe box shoes, for men or for women, or go straight to the black, cream or white pair.

Common questions

Can I measure foot width without a ruler?

Yes. Mark the widest points of your tracing, then lay a piece of string between the marks and measure the string against anything with a known length, like a dollar bill (6.14 inches long).

Do feet get wider with age?

Often, yes. Feet can lengthen and spread over the years, so it's worth re-measuring every few years rather than buying the size you've always bought.

Can wide feet get wider in barefoot shoes?

Toes that have been squeezed for years often spread out once they have room, so your feet may feel a little wider at the toes over time. That's normal.

New to barefoot shoes? Read are barefoot shoes good for your feet? and how to transition.