How to Tell If Shoes Are Regular or Wide Width
Shopping for men's or women's wide-width shoes can make shoe shopping a chore. Although shoe manufacturers have similar shoe sizing, there are not any standards with regard to shoe sizes. This means that from brand to brand, and even different styles of the same brand, shoes can fit differently. This applies to the width of the shoe as well. Manufacturers determine what makes a shoe wide width and market their larger-than-normal-sized shoes as such.
Instructions
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Look on the outside of the box for a sticker that gives information about the shoe. This sticker will include the shoe style, shoe size and might include width information. If the shoes are wide width, the label will say "wide width," "W" or "WW." Narrow shoes will say "N," while regular-width shoes might be labeled "M" for medium, "B" or might not have any reference to the width. "E" or "EE" denotes extra wide and extra extra wide shoe width.
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Find the printed label inside the shoe. Many shoes, such as running shoes, have the shoe size and other information printed on the inside of the shoe. Like the shoebox label, if the shoes are wide width, that information will be marked on the printed label.
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Measure the width of the shoe at the widest section. For women's shoes size 5 to 8, a width of 3.56 inches or more usually is a wide width, and for sizes 8 to 11, a width of 4 inches or more usually is a wide width. For men's wide-width shoes: sizes 6 to 7 have a width of 3.68 inches or more; shoes sized 7.5 to 8.5 have a width of 3.93 inches or more; shoes sized 9 to 10 have a width of 4.12 inches or more; shoes sized 10.5 to 11.5 have a width of 4.3 inches or more; and shoes sized 12 to 13 have a width of 4.37 inches or more.
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Tips & Warnings
The wide-width shoe measurements might not be the same for every shoe. For the best fit, try the shoe on.
References
- Photo Credit shoes image by Ruta Saulyte from Fotolia.com
