Shoe sizes
Proposed (not decided): shoe size = foot length in digs, in half-dig steps (0;6 di ≈ 5 mm).
Today's systems: UK and US sizes count barleycorns (1/3 in, 8.5 mm) from different starting points, with separate men's, women's and children's scales; EU sizes count Paris points (2/3 cm) of the shoe's last, not the foot. Japan and China already use foot length in cm, and the ISO Mondopoint (ski boots, military) uses foot length in mm. A dig is about a centimetre, so digs work the way Japanese sizes do, with half-dig steps close to their 5 mm steps.
| Foot length | Digs (nearest half) | US (approx.) | UK (approx.) | EU (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 cm | 14 di | kids' 9 | kids' 8 | 26 |
| 24 cm | 20 di | women's 7 | 5 | 38 |
| 25 cm | 21 di | women's 8½, men's 7 | 6 | 39-40 |
| 26 cm | 22 di | men's 8 | 7 | 41 |
| 27 cm | 23 di | men's 9 | 8 | 42-43 |
| 28 cm | 24 di | men's 10 | 9 | 44 |
- Sizes vary between brands; the US/UK/EU columns are rough
- Width could be added the Mondopoint way, as a second number