China to US size chart
Chinese sellers list shoes in EU sizes. Convert those with the brand's published chart, such as the tables below. Clothing letter sizes from China usually run smaller than US ones, so ignore the letter: measure a garment you own and compare it with the seller's chart in centimeters.
Written for US buyers, independent of any agent · Last reviewed
Shoes · EU to US
EU to US shoe sizes, men's and women's
EU sizing is not one fixed standard. Each brand publishes its own conversion, and two brands can put the same EU number half a US size apart. The tables below copy one widely used published chart, Nike's (men's, women's; checked October 2026), for the common adult range. For other brands, use that brand's own chart.
| EU | US | UK | CM / JP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38.5 | 6 | 5.5 | 24 |
| 39 | 6.5 | 6 | 24.5 |
| 40 | 7 | 6 | 25 |
| 40.5 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 25.5 |
| 41 | 8 | 7 | 26 |
| 42 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 26.5 |
| 42.5 | 9 | 8 | 27 |
| 43 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 27.5 |
| 44 | 10 | 9 | 28 |
| 44.5 | 10.5 | 9.5 | 28.5 |
| 45 | 11 | 10 | 29 |
| 45.5 | 11.5 | 10.5 | 29.5 |
| 46 | 12 | 11 | 30 |
| 47 | 12.5 | 11.5 | 30.5 |
| 47.5 | 13 | 12 | 31 |
| EU | US | UK | CM / JP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35.5 | 5 | 2.5 | 22 |
| 36 | 5.5 | 3 | 22.5 |
| 36.5 | 6 | 3.5 | 23 |
| 37.5 | 6.5 | 4 | 23.5 |
| 38 | 7 | 4.5 | 24 |
| 38.5 | 7.5 | 5 | 24.5 |
| 39 | 8 | 5.5 | 25 |
| 40 | 8.5 | 6 | 25.5 |
| 40.5 | 9 | 6.5 | 26 |
| 41 | 9.5 | 7 | 26.5 |
| 42 | 10 | 7.5 | 27 |
| 42.5 | 10.5 | 8 | 27.5 |
| 43 | 11 | 8.5 | 28 |
Reading the tables. Find the EU size the seller lists, then read across. On this chart a women's US size is one and a half above the men's US size for the same EU number: EU 39 is men's 6.5 and women's 8. That matters for unisex sneakers, which are usually listed only in EU sizes. The CM / JP column is the size printed on Asian labels, not your foot length.
Then read the seller. A listing's notes often say whether a model runs small or large (“偏小” means it runs small, “偏大” that it runs large). When the seller gives a foot length (脚长) for each size, measure your foot against a wall, heel to longest toe, and compare that instead. If you are between sizes, ask the seller through your agent before you pay.
Clothing · CN to US
Skip the letter, measure the garment
There is no reliable letter-to-letter conversion for clothing from China. Chinese letter sizes usually run smaller than US ones, and by how much differs from shop to shop. A conversion table would give you false confidence, so we don't print one.
What works every time:
- Take a garment you own that fits the way you want this one to fit.
- Lay it flat and measure it in centimeters: chest pit to pit, length, shoulders, sleeve.
- Compare those numbers with the seller's chart. Charts list garment measurements, and a “chest” figure is usually all the way around, so double your flat pit-to-pit width.
- Pick the size whose numbers are closest to your garment, not the one whose letter you usually wear.
Measuring in inches? Multiply by 2.54 to get centimeters. Then treat a difference of a centimeter or so as a match, not a reason to change size.
Some labels carry the Chinese standard size instead of a letter, such as 170/88A: the wearer's height in centimeters, then chest girth for tops or waist girth for bottoms, then a letter for body type.
| Chinese | Means | How to measure yours |
|---|---|---|
| 衣长 | Length | From the highest point of the shoulder to the hem. |
| 胸围 | Chest (around) | All the way around. On a flat garment, double the pit-to-pit width. |
| 肩宽 | Shoulder width | Seam to seam across the back. |
| 袖长 | Sleeve length | From the shoulder seam to the cuff. |
| 腰围 | Waist (around) | All the way around. Flat: double the width across the waistband. |
| 臀围 | Hips (around) | All the way around at the widest point. |
| 裤长 | Pants length | From the top of the waistband to the hem. |
| 脚长 | Foot length | Heel to the tip of the longest toe, standing. |
Check the size again in the QC photos
Your agent photographs the item when it reaches the warehouse. That is the last cheap moment to catch a wrong size: ask for a photo of the size label, or a measuring tape across the chest or along the insole, and compare it with what you ordered. An exchange with the seller is still possible while the item is in China; once it has shipped to the US, it rarely is.
Sizes settled? Find the item in the spreadsheet, or read how to buy from a China spreadsheet for the full order of steps. The terms used here are in the glossary.
FAQ
Size questions
What US size is EU 42 in shoes?
On Nike's published men's chart, EU 42 is US men's 8.5, and on its women's chart EU 42 is US women's 10. Other brands can differ by half a size, so check the brand chart for the model you are buying and read the seller's notes on fit.
Do Chinese clothing sizes run small?
Usually, and by different amounts from one shop to the next, so don't convert the letter at all. Measure a garment you own that fits well and compare its measurements in centimeters with the seller's size chart.
What does a size like 170/88A mean?
It is the Chinese standard size label. The first number is the wearer's height in centimeters, the second is chest girth for tops or waist girth for bottoms, also in centimeters, and the letter is a body type based on the difference between chest and waist.
Is the CM size on a shoe box my foot length?
No. Nike's chart notes that the CM size printed on boxes and labels is different from foot length. Measure your foot and compare with the seller's chart if it gives a foot length (脚长).