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Supplies Needed
to Measure Your
Feet
Measuring your
feet at home
isn't difficult.
In fact, it's
very easy to
calculate
your shoe size
without any
special
equipment.
Once you have
your
measurements,
you can refer to
any
manufacturer's
size charts
to find out
which shoe width
and size you'll
take in their
line.
But remember,
our feet are
actually three
dimensional, and
most size charts
only account for
two of those
dimensions. For
that reason,
your best bet is
always going to
be
trying any shoes
on
before you
purchase them.
Having said
that, I know
that a lot of
you still want
to figure out
your shoe size
yourself, so
let's get
started.
All you need to
properly measure
your feet at
home is:
- two pieces of paper, each one larger than your feet
- a pencil
- tape
- and a ruler or measuring tape.
Tape the paper
down to the
floor.
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Tracing Your
Feet
Sit with one
foot firmly on
the floor, and
your leg bent
slightly forward
so that your
shin is slightly
in front of your
ankle.
Trace the
outline of your
foot and
remember to
measure your
foot without
shoes, but with
socks similar to
the ones you'll
be wearing with
the shoes you
are buying.
Hold the pencil
or pen upright
and
perpendicular to
the paper. Do
not hold it at
an angle.
Make sure the
pencil is
resting snugly
against your
foot as you draw
around it.You
may actually
find it helpful
to have someone
else trace your
foot, but as you
can see by this
photo, it can be
done alone. You
may actually
find it helpful
to have someone
else trace your
foot, but as you
can see by this
photo, it can be
done alone.
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Mark the Length
and Width of
Each Foot
Once you've
traced your
feet, you'll
want to get
measurements for
the length and
width of each.
It's important
to do this for
both feet,
because everyone
will have some
variance between
their right and
left foot -- and
for some people,
that difference
could be a half
or whole shoe
size, or more.
Use your pencil
to draw straight
lines touching
the outermost
points at the
top, bottom, and
both sides of
each tracing
you've done.
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Measure the
Length of Your
Feet
Use your ruler
or measuring
tape to measure
the distance
from the bottom
line to the top
line that you
made on one of
your foot
tracings in step
three.
Be sure to hold
the measuring
tape straight,
and find the
closest mark
that you can on
your ruler (for
inches, use the
closest 16th
mark) - don't
round up or down
dramatically.
Write this
number down, and
repeat the
process for the
tracing of your
other foot.Now,
you have the
length of each
of your feet,
you'll need to
also measure the
width of your
feet.
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Measure the
Width of Your
Feet
A lot of people
tend to think of
their shoe size
as just one
measurement. For
example, "I wear
a size seven,"
or "I need a 10
and a half,
because the size
10 is too
small." Though
the widths do
change slightly
from size to
size, these
numbers really
only take into
account the
length of the
foot.
But in reality,
knowing your
shoe width can
make a world of
difference when
it comes to
finding
comfortable
footwear.
And, since many
people will need
narrow or wide
shoes
-- or even extra
wide or slim --
this step is
just as
important as the
last one,
because it will
determine your
shoe width.
The width of a
shoe is marked
by a letter
after the size
of the shoe. And
like sizes,
there are
different
width markings
for women
and
men.
If there is no
additional
marking, then
the size is
considered to be
a "normal,"
"average," or
"regular" width.
To measure the
width of each
foot, use your
measuring tape
or ruler to
measure from the
line on one side
of one tracing,
to the line on
the other side
of the same
tracing.
Again, be
certain to find
the closest mark
that you can
(for inches, use
the closest 16th
mark).
Write this
number down, and
repeat for the
outline of your
other foot.
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