Kids' shoe size chart (UK)

Find the size from the length of their foot, not their age. The chart below matches UK sizes to foot length in millimetres.

Checked against UK retailer charts on 18 October 2026.

How to measure your child's feet at home

Tape a sheet of paper to the floor against a wall.
Stand your child on it in socks, heel against the wall, weight on both feet.
Mark the end of the longest toe (not always the big toe) with a pencil held upright.
Measure from the wall to the mark in millimetres. Do both feet and use the longer one.

Shops build some growing room into each size. Marshmallow Kids' advice is a thumb's width between the toes and the front of the shoe. If the foot is right up to the end, the shoe is too small. Don't size up a long way to "grow into" shoes: Shoe Zone warns that shoes that are too big can become a trip hazard.

UK children's shoe sizes by foot length

These are Next's foot lengths for each size. Other brands differ by a few millimetres, so treat a measurement right on the line as "try both".

Next children's shoe size conversion
UK size	EU	US	Foot length
3 (child)	19	4	115 mm
3.5 (child)	19.5	4.5	119 mm
4 (child)	20.5	5	123 mm
4.5 (child)	21	5.5	126 mm
5 (child)	21.5	6	130 mm
5.5 (child)	22	6.5	134 mm
6 (child)	23	7	138 mm
6.5 (child)	23.5	7.5	142 mm
7 (child)	24	8	146 mm
7.5 (child)	25	8.5	149 mm
8 (child)	25.5	9	153 mm
8.5 (child)	26	9.5	157 mm
9 (child)	26.5	10	161 mm
9.5 (child)	27.5	10.5	165 mm
10 (child)	28	11	169 mm
10.5 (child)	28.5	11.5	172 mm
11 (child)	29	12	176 mm
11.5 (child)	30	12.5	180 mm
12 (child)	30.5	13	184 mm
12.5 (child)	31	13.5	188 mm
13 (child)	32	1	192 mm
13.5 (child)	32.5	1.5	196 mm
1	33	2	200 mm
1.5	33.5	2.5	204 mm
2	34.5	3	209 mm
2.5	35	3.5	213 mm
3	35.5	4	217 mm
3.5	36	4.5	221 mm
4	37	5	226 mm
4.5	37.5	5.5	230 mm
5	38	6	234 mm
5.5	38.5	6.5	238 mm
6	39	7	242 mm
6.5	40	7.5	246 mm
7	41	8	251 mm
7.5	41.5	8.5	255 mm
8	42	9	259 mm

UK children's sizes run from 0 to 13.5, then start again at 1. A child's size 1 comes after 13.5, and from about size 3 up the numbers carry on into adult sizes.

Average shoe size by age

Age charts are only a rough guide. Here's what two UK shoe shops publish:

Age	Shoe Zone average	Marshmallow Kids chart
2 years	UK 5–6	UK 6–7
3 years	UK 7–8	UK 8–8.5
4 years	UK 9–10	UK 9
5 years	UK 10–11	UK 10
6 years	UK 11–12	UK 11
7 years	UK 12–13	UK 12
8 years	UK 1–2	UK 12.5–13
9 years	UK 1–2	UK 1
10 years	UK 3–4	UK 2
11 years	UK 3–4	UK 2.5
12 years	–	UK 3

wearetto's chart gives these typical foot lengths, which is a quicker check if you already have a measurement:

Age	Approx. foot length
1–2 years	12–13.5 cm
2–3 years	14–15 cm
3–4 years	15.5–16.5 cm
4–5 years	17–18 cm
5–6 years	18.5–19.5 cm
6–7 years	20–21 cm
7–8 years	21.5–22 cm
8–10 years	22.5–23.5 cm
10–12 years	24–25 cm

Width fittings

Many UK children's brands make more than one width. Shoe Zone lists four standard UK fittings: D–E narrow, F standard, G wide and H extra wide. If shoes leave red marks at the sides but the length is right, try a wider fitting before going up a size.

Next: convert EU and US kids’ sizes to UK or see what age a size 10, 13 or 1 usually is.

Questions

How much room should kids’ shoes have?

Marshmallow Kids advises about a thumb’s width between the longest toe and the front of the shoe. A foot touching the end means the shoe is too small.

How often should I measure my child’s feet?

Every couple of months for younger children. wearetto points out that feet can jump half a size in that time during growth spurts.

What comes after a size 13.5 in kids’ shoes?

Size 1. UK children’s sizes run 0 to 13.5, then 1, 2, 3 and so on into adult sizes.

Where these numbers come from

Checked 18 October 2026. Brands change their charts, so always check the size guide of the shop you're buying from.