Wrist& Sole
Two departments: what goes on the wrist, what goes on the feet
ArticleBy The Wrist & Sole editorsOctober 17, 2026

Sneaker sizing, width letters and returns: how to buy online

Sneaker sizing, width letters and returns: how to buy online

Buying sneakers online fails for one reason more than any other: the number on the box is not a measurement. A US men's 9 is 10 5/16 in of foot length at Nike, 26.3 cm at adidas and 26.6 cm at VEJA, according to each brand's own chart checked October 16, 2026. Allbirds does not sell half sizes at all.

This note explains how to measure your foot once, convert it against the chart of the brand you are buying from, read the width letter if the brand offers one, and treat the return policy as part of the price. Every figure comes from a brand's published size chart, product page or returns page, with the date it was read.

adidas Samba OG's public homepage, captured automatically on October 16, 2026. Not a logged-in account; the page may have changed since.
adidas Samba OG's public homepage, captured automatically on October 16, 2026. Not a logged-in account; the page may have changed since.

Measure foot length in centimeters, not in shoe sizes

Every brand chart in our everyday sneaker set is built on foot length. Nike publishes it in inches, adidas in inches and centimeters, VEJA in both. The shoe size is a label applied to that length, and the label shifts from brand to brand.

The method is the same everywhere. Stand on a sheet of paper against a wall with your heel touching the wall, mark the tip of the longest toe, and measure heel to mark. Do both feet and use the longer one. adidas' chart says to measure at the end of the day; Nike's says to apply the longer measurement to the chart.

Nike Air Force 1 '07's public homepage, captured automatically on October 16, 2026. Not a logged-in account; the page may have changed since.
Nike Air Force 1 '07's public homepage, captured automatically on October 16, 2026. Not a logged-in account; the page may have changed since.

Nike's size guide adds a warning worth repeating: the CM figure printed on a shoe box is a Japanese shoe size, not a foot length in centimeters. Converting from a box label will put you off by a size.

Those three charts do not agree with each other at the same US number. A 27.1 cm foot is a US M10 at adidas and sits between EU 42 and EU 43 at VEJA, which VEJA says to round up. Measure once, then look up each brand separately.

Read the maker's fit note before the chart

A size chart describes the brand's general last. A fit note on the product page describes this model. When the two disagree, the fit note is the model-specific one and wins.

The four shoes in our everyday set publish four different notes, all read October 16, 2026. adidas on the Samba OG: "True to size. We recommend ordering your usual size." Nike on the Air Force 1 '07: "Fits large; we recommend ordering a half size down."

Allbirds on the Tree Runner: it "tends to run small" and Allbirds recommends sizing up. VEJA, for the Campo and most styles: "If you hesitate between two sizes, we suggest you to take the larger one."

Note the conflict inside Nike's own pages. The size chart says to size up when between sizes; the Air Force 1 product note says to go a half size down. The product note is specific to the model and is the one to follow.

Owner summaries on the brand sites usually agree with the note but add texture. adidas owners mostly confirm true to size while some size down; Nike owners mostly call the Air Force 1 true to size while commonly recommending a half size down. Read those as confirmation, not as a substitute for the measurement.

Check whether your size exists in that brand's run

Half sizes are not universal. The size runs below are from the official US product pages on October 16, 2026.

A US M10.5 buyer therefore has a half size at adidas and Nike, has to round at VEJA, and has to choose between a 10 that Allbirds says runs small and an 11 at Allbirds. Knowing that before checkout avoids the most common exchange.

Decode the width letter when the brand offers one

US width letters run from narrow to wide: for men, B is narrow, D is standard, 2E (sometimes written EE) is wide and 4E is extra wide. For women, 2A is narrow, B is standard, D is wide and 2E is extra wide. The letters are an industry convention rather than a regulated standard, so the girth behind each letter varies by brand.

Nike is the only brand in our set that publishes what its letters mean. Its size guide, checked October 16, 2026, states that wide shoes have roughly 1/4 in (6.35 mm) more girth in the toe box than regular width and extra wide roughly 1/2 in (1.27 cm) more. The Air Force 1 '07 listing we read offered one width; wide versions exist on other Nike listings.

None of the other three brands offers a width option on the shoes we read. Allbirds shows an Average Width diagram and nothing else. adidas asks owners to rate width in its review form but sells one width. VEJA sells one width. For a wide foot, the choice in this set is a roomier last (owners describe the Air Force 1 that way) rather than a wider size.

If you do not know your width, measure the widest part of the forefoot while standing and compare it with the chart of a brand that publishes girth by letter. Most do not, which is why the return policy matters as much as the chart.

Treat the return policy as part of the price

A fit mistake costs whatever the brand charges to fix it. The four policies below were read October 16, 2026, and they differ more than the shoes do.

Two habits protect the return. Try shoes indoors on a clean floor, because every policy presumes unworn condition. Keep the box and tags until the decision is final, because VEJA requires the original undamaged box and Allbirds requires tags.

An editorial calculation, not a brand figure: if a mis-sized first order at a paid-return brand costs $10 to send back, the effective price gap between a $100 shoe with paid returns and a $100 shoe with free returns is $10 before the second pair arrives.

A four-step order of operations

Put the pieces together in this order and most online sneaker purchases land on the first try.

The Samba OG vs Air Force 1 '07 pairing shows the method on two shoes with opposite fit notes, and our everyday sneaker guide ranks all four with the sizing odds built into the score.

Bottom line

Measure in centimeters, look up the brand's own chart, follow the model's fit note over the chart, confirm the size exists, and read the return policy before paying. Four brands, four fit notes and four return terms for the same foot is not a reason to guess; it is the reason to measure. The full sneaker department lists every spec read to date, and our editorial policy explains why we quote the maker's chart rather than our own feet.

Frequently asked

Should I size up or down in sneakers? It depends on the model, not the category. As of October 16, 2026, adidas calls the Samba OG true to size, Nike says the Air Force 1 '07 fits large and recommends a half size down, Allbirds says the Tree Runner runs small and recommends sizing up, and VEJA says to take the larger of two sizes. Follow the note on the product page.

What does 2E mean in shoe sizes? A wide width for men in the US letter system, where D is standard and 4E is extra wide. Nike's size guide defines its wide fit as roughly 1/4 in more toe-box girth than regular. Other brands in our set do not publish what their letters mean, and most sell one width.

Can I return sneakers I have worn outside? Every policy we read presumes unworn condition: Allbirds and VEJA say so explicitly, GREATS says to try shoes indoors on a clean surface, and Nike requires proof of purchase without addressing wear. Try them indoors and keep the box.

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