Shoe facts: Did you know that …
… the shoe size as a numerical indication of the length of a shoe is not determined solely by the length of the foot in centimeters? A ladies foot with size 38 is of course not 38 cm long. For the determination of the shoe size another auxiliary size is used. In continental Europe, the so-called 'Paris point' is the proverbial measure of all things in the footwear industry.
A Paris point is 2/3 cm, i.e. 6.67 mm long. This measure was established around 1800 in France. In order to determine the shoe size, the length of the moulded piece based on a foot on which a shoe is made, is required. A toe allowance is added to the actual foot length, which creates the important free space for the toes, which are pushed to the tip when walking. This information, measured in centimetres, is divided by the value of the Paris point in centimetres. The result is the shoe size. Conversely, the shoe size multiplied by the Paris point gives the length.
