Adidas and Nike are two giants of the sports footwear world, and many people – whether involved in sports or not – enjoy wearing their products.
However, since people make more and more of their purchases online, when it comes to buying shoes, it’s important to order the right size – otherwise, you’ll find yourself having to go through the hassle of returning them simply because they don’t fit.
To help you avoid this kind of trouble, here we give you an in-depth guide to sizing Adidas and Nike sports shoes to make sure you buy the right ones first time.
Why is this even an issue?
Before we start, let’s take a step back and think about a basic question – why is sizing like this even an issue? After all, shoes have sizes, right? So why can’t we just buy footwear that matches the size of all our other shoes?
Well, in theory, shoes all have sizes, so if you take a size 9, you should just buy a size 9.
However, the problem is that although this system of shoe sizes exists, it has never been fully standardized, so what one company calls a size 9 won’t necessarily match the size 9 of another shoe manufacturer.
This means that some brands are known to be below average size (they “run small”), while others tend to be above average (they “run big”). Shoes that match the average size are said to be “true to size”.
As a result, when buying shoes online, as well as knowing your regular shoe size, you should also find out whether the brand you want to buy runs big or small or if they are true to size. You can then choose the size you buy accordingly.
Do Adidas and Nike run true to size?
Generally speaking, Adidas are considered to run true to size, which means you will normally be safe buying the size you usually wear.
Adidas shoes are known for being quite generous in width too, so if you have wide feet, you don’t need to worry about buying a larger size.
However, note that Adidas Ultraboost 1.0 and 2.0 shoes are narrower than most Adidas shoes, so with these, you should choose a pair half a size above your normal size. However, for 3.0 models, just buy the size you normally wear.
Conversely, Adidas Cloudfoam shoes for women run slightly larger than other Adidas shoes, so if you are unsure which ones to go for, you are safer choosing half a size smaller than usual.
Nike shoes, on the other hand, are known to run slightly small compared to Adidas and most other shoe brands – so you should probably choose a pair that is half a size larger than the size you usually take.
At the same time, Nike shoes usually have quite a snug fit in terms of width, so if you have wide feet and are just buying a regular pair of Nike shoes, you are probably best choosing a pair half a size larger again than the shoes you normally wear.
That said, Nike also produces several types of sports shoes specifically designed for people with wider feet, so if you know your feet are wider than average, it would be a good idea for you to choose one of those models.
A more accurate way to decide
Of course, what we have described above involves a certain amount of guesswork, so you are still just hoping for the best when buying shoes. But, as you would expect from two of the world’s largest sportswear companies, there is a more accurate way to work out your size.
Whether you are buying Adidas or Nike shoes, the most accurate way to work out which shoe size you require is to measure your feet. Once you have established the length of your feet, you can then refer to the size tables provided by the two companies – which we have included below.
Here’s how to measure your feet:
1. Place a piece of paper on the floor against the wall and then stand on it with your heel gently touching the wall.
2. Mark on the paper the point where your foot is longest. Bear in mind that this may be either your big toe or your second toe, depending on the shape of your feet.
3. Next, measure the distance from the wall to the point you marked on the paper and use this measurement to refer to the relevant table below.
By using this technique, you can work out exactly which size shoe to buy according to the company’s guidelines. This way, you can be sure that when the shoe arrives, you have the best chance of it fitting and you are unlikely to need to return it.
Here is the sizing table for Nike sports shoes:
Nike Sizing Chart
| Heel to toe (inches) | EU Men’s | EU Women’s | UK Men’s | UK Women’s | US Men’s | US Women’s |
| 8.5 | 35.5 | 3 | 3.5 | |||
| 8.7 | 36 | 35.5 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 4 | 5 |
| 8.8 | 36.5 | 36 | 4 | 3 | 4.5 | 5.5 |
| 9 | 37.5 | 36.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 5 | 6 |
| 9.1 | 38 | 37.5 | 5 | 4 | 5.5 | 6.5 |
| 9.3 | 38.5 | 38 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 6 | 7 |
| 9.5 | 39 | 38.5 | 6 | 5 | 6.5 | 7.5 |
| 9.7 | 40 | 39 | 6 | 5.5 | 7 | 8 |
| 9.8 | 40.5 | 40 | 6.5 | 6 | 7.5 | 8.5 |
| 10 | 41 | 40.5 | 7 | 6.5 | 8 | 9 |
| 10.1 | 42 | 41 | 7.5 | 7 | 8.5 | 9.5 |
| 10.3 | 42.5 | 42 | 8 | 7.5 | 9 | 10 |
| 10.5 | 43 | 42.5 | 8.5 | 8 | 9.5 | 10.5 |
| 10.7 | 44 | 43 | 9 | 8.5 | 10 | 11 |
| 10.9 | 44.5 | 44 | 9.5 | 9 | 10.5 | 11.5 |
| 11 | 45 | 44.5 | 10 | 9.5 | 11 | |
| 11.1 | 5.5 | 10.5 | 11.5 | |||
| 11.3 | 46 | 11 | 12 | |||
| 11.5 | 47 | 11.5 | 12.5 | |||
| 11.7 | 47.5 | 12 | 13 | |||
| 11.8 | 48 | 12.5 | 13.5 |
And here is the same table for Adidas shoes:
Adidas Sizing Chart
| Heel to toe (inches) | EU | UK Men’s | US Men’s | US Women’s |
| 8.7 | 36 | 3.5 | 4 | 5 |
| 8.8 | 36 2/3 | 4 | 4.5 | 5.5 |
| 9 | 37 1/3 | 4.5 | 5 | 6 |
| 9.1 | 38 | 5 | 5.5 | 6.5 |
| 9.3 | 38 2/3 | 5.5 | 6 | 7 |
| 9.5 | 39 1/3 | 6 | 6.5 | 7.5 |
| 9.7 | 40 | 6.5 | 7 | 8 |
| 9.8 | 40 2/3 | 7 | 7.5 | 8.5 |
| 10 | 41 1/3 | 7.5 | 8 | 9 |
| 10.1 | 42 | 8 | 8.5 | 9.5 |
| 10.3 | 42 2/3 | 8.5 | 9 | 10 |
| 10.5 | 43 1/3 | 9 | 9.5 | 10.5 |
| 10.7 | 44 | 9.5 | 10 | 11 |
| 10.9 | 44 2/3 | 10 | 10.5 | 11.5 |
| 11 | 45 1/3 | 10.5 | 11 | 12 |
| 11.1 | 46 | 11 | 11.5 | 12.5 |
| 11.3 | 46 2/3 | 11.5 | 12 | 13 |
| 11.5 | 47 1/3 | 12 | 12.5 | 13.5 |
| 11.7 | 48 | 12.5 | 13 | 14 |
| 11.8 | 48 2/3 | 13 | 13.5 | 14.5 |
| 12 | 49 1/3 | 13.5 | 14 | 15 |
| 12.2 | 50 | 14 | 14.5 | 15.5 |
Tips for getting it right
To finish, here are a couple of tips to help you find the most perfectly fitting shoes for your feet.
Measure your feet at the end of the day
Since your feet can swell up during the day, you should always measure your feet in the evening. This way, you will be measuring your feet at their largest, so you know the shoes you buy won’t end up being too small. For the same reason, you should always shop for shoes at the end of the day.
Don’t assume your size based on other shoes you wear
You shouldn’t assume that just because the shoes you always wear are a particular size, you can be sure that new shoes of that size will fit your feet. Shoes become larger through use, and your feet can change size and shape as you grow older, suffer from illness or get pregnant. Also, as we have seen, shoe sizes vary between companies, so the best advice is always to measure your feet whenever you buy new shoes.
Account for thick socks or inner soles
If you wear thick socks or use inner soles in your shoes, you should account for this when buying your shoes since these can add half a size to the shoes you should buy.
Read online reviews before buying
It’s not a bad idea to spend a bit of time reading online reviews of shoes before buying them. If shoes run big or small, people are likely to mention this in their comments, and this will help you choose the correct size when buying.
Use the Nike app or a Nike Fit mat
The Nike app has a feature that can tell you the size you need from a photo of your feet, so it’s a good idea to make use of this before buying. Also, in Nike stores, you can use the Nike Fit mat to find out the correct size for your feet. You can then use that size when buying online. Be as accurate as you can.
While the best option is still to buy shoes in a store where you can try them on first, the second-best choice is to measure your feet to accurately determine the correct size to buy.
Adidas shoes usually run true while Nike shoes generally run slightly small – however, using this information to guess which size to buy is still a little risky, and it’s better to be more scientific about it.