Is it just me or are size 8 shoes a range of sizes now?

[RoaRiRi]

I used to fairly confidently be able to buy shoes from shops online but recently size 8s now sometimes mean an EU 41 or EU 42 - and some shops have either sizes listed as size 8?
There are some shops I would never buy shoes from as they would never fit me (H&M, Zara) but now M&S and Adiddas and more seem to also be really confused about what a size 8 shoe is.

No it's not just you but I've always found this to be the case. I'm a size 42, which I always understood to be an 8.5 but it can equate to an 8 or even a 9. I find European size are often more consistent across brands.

Yes - I think you’re right. I just need to follow more accurate EU sizes. It’s just so annoying when they’re not always listed online.

Yep. EU 40 is 7. Or sometimes 6.5. Then 41 is 8 or sometimes 7.5. So if you order a 42 you don’t know if you’re getting a size 8 or 9.
I am probably 7.5 wide so it’s difficult trying to order online.
My v expensive Timberland boots have just gone to charity shop as the 42 I bought ended up being too big when I wore them out. I ordered a 7 wide and an 8 for some Clarks boots last week so I could try both. Kept the 8.
M&S seem to be consistent with their size 8.

Glad it’s not just me! I feel like it’s a fairly recent phenomenon though?

It's not just you. The size that most consistently fits me is a 41, which is sold as a 7, 7.5 or 8 and online size guides often contradict each other - eg branded shoes sold by places like Office or Schuh - the brand and the retailer will list the size differently so you never know what you're ordering.

Then there's also inconsistency within brands - I have two pairs of converse and one is in a size 40 which is noticeably larger than a pair in another style in a 41, which are a bit too small so I can only wear them with no or very thin socks.

A mens 8 is a 42.
A women's 8 is a 41.

I’ve always been 7.5. Recently some size 8s have been too small and have had to go straight back. I don’t get it either OP.

Podiatrist here .
years ago shoes were made mostly in the uk and had a standard last size .
now they come from all over and are very randomly sized!
I advise patients to start with the size they THINK they are and work up and down from there.
Difficult with an eight which is a 42 .
men and women’s sizing is the same. But men’s tend to be wider

Not true.

There are some differences between US men's and women's sizing, but not European. The issue is that there is no consistency in conversion between EU and UK sizing and I believe this is down to no standardisation in the UK. I am almost always a 41, so that seems to be quite consistent as a size, but in UK sizes I have shoes that are also sized 7, 7.5 or 8 that are nearly all 41s.

It’s not just size 8s, although I think the issue is worse with the conversion there.

I’m a 4.5UK and always used to size up to a 5 / 38. While 38 is still generally fine, I find I’m having to size down more frequently - most of my shoes are 4s now and I even have a few 3s

I am a size 41 which is about 7.5 I think so tend to look for size 41 rather than 7-8, I am a size 10 usually in US sizes. I find Josef Seibel boots fit me well in a 7 which is 41 but often the reviews say they are big because I guess many size 7/40s probably buy them.

I bought Blundstones in size 7.5 which is supposed to be a wide fit, I'm slightly on the wide side and they fit me perfectly so must be a big 7, they were half price and the only size left so I struck lucky

in M&S I can be anything from 6.5 to 8

It has always been the case, tbh. My feet are EU 42 which usually translates to a UK 8.5 although shoes very rarely come in 8.5, they often do half sizes up to size 8 and then stop or skip 8.5 and go straight to 9. Which is extremely annoying. I buy size 9 now.

Having been a size 8 for as long as I remember. I am now more often than not buying a 9... Not sure if that's because my feet have grown as I have aged..

Yes my experience is similar and I wonder the same, although even when I was younger, size 8 would sometimes be more like EU 41 and too small.

My Uggs are size 8 which is 41 in them and they fit like a 7.5

I’m in my 50s - pretty sure my feet aren’t still growing. Why do I suddenly need to try on 9s for the first time in my life?? Bizarre really.

Your feet could be growing/expanding. More so if you gain weight though. I think that can even make the bones spread.

A 42 in adidas is a 41 in any other shoe size I think.

They are the only shoes I have in a 42

Very inconsistent these days - I have stopped bothering with UK sizing and just look at the EU sizing now, far more reliable.

Has been this way for a long time. Some shops do 8-42, some are 8-41, and it's not always easy to find out which. My feet are a 42. At least I can buy shoes online now, in the olden days it was tricky because even if a shop did my size they only seemed to have a few pairs in and would be sold out.

It all seems consistent when converting between UK and EU sizes until you get to size 6 UK, which is always a 39 EU. So lots of women have probably never noticed an issue. I didn’t until my feet grew slightly after pregnancy and I no longer found a 6/39 comfortable.

Although I’m still a 6/39 if the shoes are very wide, the size that now consistently fits me best is an EU 40. This is listed as either a UK 6 (men’s), UK 6.5 (women’s) or UK 7 (women’s). So online shoe shopping is a total gamble now. Sometimes nothing will fit me, as some shops only do a 6 (EU 39) or a 7 (EU 41).

I assume everyone with a shoe size bigger than EU 39 has the same issue as me, as that’s the point when all of the size conversions go wonky!

I'm a UK 6.5 and that is an EU 39.5. But yes the gap between 39 and 40 can be really tricky. I used to wear Gabor and found their sizing consistent.

I’m a size 8 shoe, when I’m buying European shoes I’m increasingly finding I should be buying 42 rather than 41.

But if you ask for even a 41 in southern European, and you’re met with shock 😁

I found this with Hobbs shoes. An 8 is a 41 which is too small. The 42 is ever so slightly too big but not enough that they are unwearable. It's really annoying. I've always worn an 8 and always been able to buy an 8 from any shop and now I need to double check if it's a 41 or not.