By Mania, Senior Style Editor at WFashionLady
European sizes look different from US sizes, so ordering from an EU store without a chart is a guess. I have ordered from Zara, Mango, H&M, and ASOS into the US, and the chart only got me part of the way there. This guide gives you the standard women’s US to EU conversion for clothing and shoes, plus the fitting notes and exceptions that decide whether an order fits. Need UK sizes as well? Our US to UK Size Conversion Chart covers that.
Key Takeaways
- For women’s clothing, add 32 to a US size to get the EU size (US 8 is EU 40). US 00 is the one exception and maps to EU 30.
- For women’s shoes, US 8 is EU 39, and the chart below pairs each size with a foot length in centimeters.
- Every brand cuts its own sizes, so a half size of variation between labels is routine for shoes.
- Italian brands often number a garment about two sizes above the French or German scale, so an IT 44 fits roughly like an EU 40 (US 8).
- When a brand publishes its own size chart, that chart beats any general conversion.
- From my own orders: for closed-toe styles, leather boots, and winter wear, I go up to the next full EU size (US 7.5 / EU 38 becomes EU 39).
- When I am between two clothing sizes, hips decide trousers and skirts, shoulders decide blazers and coats, and fabric stretch decides the rest.
Women’s Clothing: US to EU Size Chart
| US | UK | EU | International |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | 2 | 30 | XXS |
| 0 | 4 | 32 | XS |
| 2 | 6 | 34 | XS |
| 4 | 8 | 36 | S |
| 6 | 10 | 38 | S |
| 8 | 12 | 40 | M |
| 10 | 14 | 42 | M |
| 12 | 16 | 44 | L |
| 14 | 18 | 46 | L |
| 16 | 20 | 48 | XL |
| 18 | 22 | 50 | XL |
| 20 | 24 | 52 | XXL |
| 22 | 26 | 54 | XXL |
The Quick Conversion Rule
You do not need the table every time. Add 32 to the US size and you have the EU size: US 6 becomes EU 38, US 12 becomes EU 44. Going the other way, subtract 32 from the EU size. To reach the UK size, add 4 to the US size. The only size that breaks the pattern is US 00, which is EU 30 rather than EU 32.
Women’s Shoes: US to EU Size Chart
| US | EU | Foot Length (cm) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 34 | 21 |
| 4.5 | 34.5 | 21.5 |
| 5 | 35 | 22 |
| 5.5 | 35.5 | 22.5 |
| 6 | 36 | 23 |
| 6.5 | 37 | 23.5 |
| 7 | 37.5 | 24 |
| 7.5 | 38 | 24.5 |
| 8 | 39 | 25 |
| 8.5 | 40 | 25.5 |
| 9 | 40.5 | 26 |
| 9.5 | 41 | 26.5 |
| 10 | 42 | 27 |
| 10.5 | 42.5 | 27.5 |
| 11 | 43 | 28 |
What Is a Paris Point?
Continental European shoe sizes come from the Paris point, a unit equal to 2/3 of a centimeter (6.67 mm), invented by French shoemakers in the early 1800s. The foot lengths in the chart above are rounded, so treat them as a guide for choosing between two neighboring sizes, not as an exact measurement.
How to Find Your Size Before You Order
For shoes: I trace my foot at the end of the day, when it is slightly swollen. I stand flat on a sheet of paper with my full weight evenly distributed, trace around the foot with a pencil held straight up at a 90-degree angle, then measure from the furthest edge of the heel to the tip of the longest toe with a rigid ruler. My foot measures 24.1 cm, with a standard to slightly narrow width. Find your own number in the Foot Length column and read across to your EU size.
For closed-toe leather boots: Leather boots do not flex and have rigid toe caps, so I add a 0.8 cm toe allowance to my foot length. My 24.1 cm plus 0.8 cm is 24.9 cm, which points to the EU 39 row (25 cm) instead of the EU 38 row (24.5 cm). In a 24.5 cm EU 38 boot, my 24.1 cm foot has only about 0.4 cm of room.
For clothing: Use the brand’s size chart when the product page has one, and fall back on the conversion above when it does not.
When I Am Between Two Clothing Sizes
| Garment | What I Check First | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Trousers and skirts | Hip measurement | A waist can be taken in by a tailor or belted, but tight hips distort pocket placement and pull the seams. |
| Structured blazers and coats | Shoulder width and armhole movement | If the shoulder seam hangs off or pinches across the upper back, the garment cannot be worn comfortably. |
| Fabric composition | Stretch content | I size up in 100% non-stretch woven cotton or wool. With 2% to 5% elastane or spandex, I take the smaller, snugger size. |
Why EU Sizes Do Not Always Match the Chart
Conversion charts give the standard equivalent, and any single brand can deviate from it. Two cases are worth knowing:
Italian sizing: Italian brands often number the same garment about two sizes above the French or German scale. An IT 44 fits roughly like an EU 40, which is a US 8. Luxury Italian labels also tend toward slimmer cuts.
Shoe lasts: The EU shoe number describes the last the shoe is built on, and brands cut their lasts differently. A half number of variation between labels is routine, so the same EU number can fit differently from one brand to the next.
My Fitting Notes From Ordering European Brands
My usual size is a US 6 (Small) in clothing and a US 7.5 in shoes. The chart above puts a US 6 at EU 38 and a US 7.5 shoe at EU 38, but in practice the brand decided which number worked for me: EU 36 in some, EU 38 in others. These notes come from my own orders from Zara, Mango, H&M, and ASOS.
| Brand and Item | What Happened With My US 6 |
|---|---|
| Zara, non-stretch tailored trousers and blazers | Zara’s own Find My Size tool recommended an EU 36. It matched my waist but felt restrictive, so I went up to an EU 38. |
| H&M | Fit closer to an EU 36. |
Clothing
Following a brand’s size tool strictly was misleading for structured pieces. Zara’s own Find My Size tool recommended an EU 36 for my US 6. In Zara’s non-stretch tailored trousers and blazers, the EU 36 matched my waist measurement but left no room to move across the shoulders and through the thigh, so the EU 38 was the size that actually worked. Those pieces ran about a full size smaller than standard US measurements. In my experience, Spanish and Italian cuts like Zara and Mango run smaller and narrower than German and Scandinavian cuts, so the same EU number does not mean the same fit.
Shoes
Trusting an EU to US shoe chart gave me tight toe boxes, especially in shoes built on narrow European lasts. The worst example was a pair of European leather ankle boots. The chart pointed me to an EU 38 for my US 7.5. The shoes I have ordered from Zara, Mango, and ASOS Design came only in full EU sizes, with no 38.5, so the next size up was a full EU 39. The chart above lists half sizes, but those brands did not make them. I ordered both at the same time, a common strategy with overseas brands that have strict return windows.
The EU 38 pinched my forefoot hard. The EU 39 was loose at the back: walking on a carpeted floor, my heel lifted out of the boot by nearly half an inch. I kept the EU 39 and fixed the heel with a half-length leather heel grip or tongue pad plus a thin memory foam footbed insole. The insole took up the extra vertical volume and stopped the heel slip completely, and the narrow toe box of the EU 39 then felt comfortable without crushing my toes.
The styles where missing half sizes hurt me most are rigid leather ankle boots and Chelsea boots. Rigid leather does not stretch quickly, so the smaller size stays tight and the larger size leaves room in the heel cup. Pointed-toe slingbacks and pumps have the same trade-off: with a narrow toe box, a full EU 38 cramps the toes and a full EU 39 lets the heel slip.
My rule since then: for closed-toe styles, leather boots, and winter wear, I go up to the next full EU size (US 7.5 / EU 38 becomes EU 39). The extra room fits thermal socks or cushioned insoles, and if the larger size is loose at the heel, an insole or heel grip can fix that.
Three Habits That Save Returns
Do not trust a general conversion chart blindly. Every brand cuts on its own blocks, so use the chart to get close and the brand’s own table to decide.
Read buyer reviews for fit notes. Scan for phrases like “runs small,” “narrow toe box,” or “true to size” before you pick a size.
Measure your foot in centimeters. Match that number to the brand’s product-specific size table instead of relying on letters or a country-to-country conversion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a US size 8 in EU sizes?
A US 8 is an EU 40 and a UK 12 on the standard women’s clothing chart. Individual brands can run slightly different, so check the brand’s own size guide when it has one.
How do I convert US to EU clothing sizes quickly?
Add 32 to the US women’s size to get the EU size. For example, US 10 becomes EU 42. The exception is US 00, which converts to EU 30.
What is a US women’s size 8 shoe in EU?
A US 8 women’s shoe is an EU 39 on the standard chart, which corresponds to a foot length of about 25 cm. Brands cut shoes differently, so a half size of variation is normal.
Why do EU sizes fit differently between brands?
Each brand sets its own sizing, and conversion charts only give the standard equivalent. Italian brands often number garments about two sizes above the French or German scale, and EU shoe sizes describe the shoe last, which brands cut differently.
What is a Paris point in shoe sizing?
A Paris point is a unit equal to 2/3 of a centimeter (6.67 mm) that is used for shoe sizes in Continental Europe.
Final Thought
Use the chart to get close, then lean on your own measurements. For clothing, adding 32 gets you to the right EU size in seconds, and hips, shoulders, and fabric stretch settle the choice between two sizes. For shoes, my foot length in centimeters plus a toe allowance for rigid leather boots did more than any conversion chart, and an insole fixed the one boot that came out loose at the heel.
Sources
Women’s clothing chart and conversion rules: Size.ly Women’s International Size Conversion Chart. Women’s shoe chart: ConvertSizes Women’s US to EU Shoe Size Chart. Paris point definition: Wikipedia, Paris point.
