Shoe widths explained: B, D, E, EE and wide fit

A shoe size has two parts: the length, which the number gives, and the width, which a letter gives when the shoe comes in widths. With no letter, a shoe is the standard width of its scale.

US width letters run in steps of 3/16 in, the width step of the Brannock scale, the foot-measuring device used in shoe shops. The letters are the same for men and women, but the standard sits at a different letter, so the same letter means different things.

Shoe width chart

The changes are multiples of 3/16 in, converted at 25.4 mm to the inch. The words narrow, medium, wide and extra wide are the usual labels; brands use them their own way, and a brand may make only some of the widths, skipping 3E for instance.

How to read width letters

1. Find the standard of the scale. D for men, B for women. A men's D is medium; a women's D is wide.
2. Count the letters. Each letter away from the standard is one step of 3/16 in. Repeated letters are written two ways: EE is 2E, EEE is 3E, AA is 2A.
3. Read the width with the length. On the Brannock device, the width letter is read at the foot's length, so a D for a long foot is wider than a D for a short one. There is no single number of millimeters for "D".
4. Check the brand. Each brand builds its widths on its own lasts, as it does its lengths.

The width is taken at the ball of the foot, standing, where the joints of the big toe and the little toe stick out. How to measure your foot length and width has the steps; measure both feet and keep the wider one.

Wide fit in the UK and Europe

UK shoes have fittings too, with letters of their own that don't match US letters one for one. Many UK shops sell "wide fit" and "extra wide fit" ranges instead, named in words. EU sizes have no width letter of their own: brands that make widths name them their way, with letters or words.

So "wide fit" says the direction, not the amount. The only reliable comparison across brands is a foot width in millimeters or inches, measured the same way, against the brand's width for that size.

When a shoe comes in one width only

Many shoes come in the standard width only. For a wide foot, Ruban Size's Find my size gives this advice: "Wide feet: if this model comes in widths, choose wide; if not, half a size up may feel better." Its Women's shoes template carries the short version as its fit note: "Wide feet: take half a size up."

For a narrow foot, the tip is the width itself: "Narrow feet: if this model comes in widths, choose narrow."

Men's and women's widths

Because the standard sits two letters apart, the same letter is a different word on each side: a women's D is wide, a men's D is medium. The lengths differ too: US men's and women's sizes are separate scales for the same foot, as the shoe size conversion chart shows. To compare a men's and a women's model, convert the length first, then compare the widths in millimeters or inches.

How a Shopify store should show widths

1. Width as its own option on the product (Width: Narrow, Medium, Wide, or B, D, 2E), next to the size.
2. The standard said in words: "D is our standard width" on men's shoes, "B" on women's.
3. A foot width row in the chart, one width per size, growing with the length, in centimeters with a switch to inches.
4. A fit note when a model runs narrow or wide.
5. How to measure the width, at the ball of the foot, standing.

How Ruban Size does it

Ruban Size's shoe templates, Shoes, Women's shoes and Kids' shoes, are sized by length: US, UK and EU sizes with the foot length in centimeters. To add widths, add a row or column headed "Foot width (cm)". The size chart editor reads that header as the foot width measurement.

Find my size for shoes then asks for the foot width beside the foot length. The size comes from the length; the width weighs less and can only tip the choice between two neighbor sizes. Then the width is compared with the chart's width for the size chosen. Within half a centimeter of it, the foot is regular; more than that, narrow or wide. Half a centimeter is about one Brannock letter: 3/16 in is 0.48 cm.

A wide foot reads "Your foot width: wide." and the tip quoted above. The width row has to change with the size, as widths do on the Brannock scale: a row with the same width for every size is not used to judge width.

Questions

What does D mean in shoe width?

On the US scale, D is the standard (medium) width for men's shoes. On women's shoes, where B is the standard, a D is two steps wider: wide.

Is EE the same as 2E?

Yes. EE and 2E are two ways of writing the width two steps above D, 3/8 in (9.5 mm) wider on the Brannock scale. It is usually labeled wide on men's shoes and extra wide on women's.

How much wider is a wide shoe?

One width letter is 3/16 in (4.8 mm) on the Brannock scale. A men's wide (2E) is two letters above the D, 3/8 in (9.5 mm) more width at the same length.

What if a shoe doesn't come in wide?

Ruban Size's Find my size suggests half a size up for wide feet when the model comes in one width only. Check the brand's chart for a width per size if it gives one.