EU 26 is where the mislabelling problem bites: a 2018 study of 1898 children's shoes found 86 percent measured shorter inside than their printed size, some by up to four sizes.
Brand fit: Japanese makers cut this 16.0 cm last in widths B through G, so two shoes matching the length can differ by several girth grades on the same foot.
EU to US conversion
EU to US kids' sizing runs smoothly until EU 34, where the US column restarts at 1, so EU 34 is US 1 rather than the US 13.5 just before it. EU 33 is US 13, then the next size up drops to US 1 while the foot keeps growing. Because the US number falls as the shoe gets bigger here, matching by the EU value or the millimetre length is the only safe way through the jump.
At this size, EU to US
One size up from EU 26, US moves 0.5 to US 9.5 while EU rises 1 to EU 27, so the two scales spread wider. Both EU 26 and US 9 are whole numbers here, so nothing rounds. For EU 26, the US column here runs US 8.5, US 9, US 9.5, stepping a half size at a time.
Size Chart EU US UK CM 24 8 7 15 25 8.5 7.5 15.5 26 9 8 16 27 9.5 8.5 16.5 28 10 9 17 28.5 10.5 9.5 17.5
Frequently Asked Questions Does EU 26 round up or down in US? Buy by the inner length in millimetres, not the number on the box, and round toward the larger measured shoe; the label alone is unreliable at this age.
ℹ️
Note Kids sizes transition to adult sizes around EU 38 / US 5 Children's feet grow rapidly - remeasure every 3-4 months Allow 10-15mm growing room when fitting Shoe sizes can vary by brand and style See a number that looks off? Report an error on this page.