Korean Shoe and Clothing Size Converter

Korean shoe sizes are in millimetres, so converting one to US, UK or EU sizing is a lookup rather than a guess. Korean clothing sizes are the opposite: 44, 55 and 66 came from a standard that no longer exists. Convert either below, then read what the number is actually measuring — that is what decides how far you can trust the conversion.

Korean shoe sizes: millimetres, not a code

Korea sizes footwear with the Mondopoint system (ISO 9407), which labels a shoe by the foot length it is built for, in millimetres. A 260 is made for a 260 mm foot. This is the one part of Korean sizing that is a measurement rather than a convention, so if you know your foot length in millimetres you already know your Korean size.

Sizes step in 5 mm increments and there is no half-size notation — 265 is the step between 260 and 270. The EU, UK and US columns below are the standard Mondopoint correspondences, but US and UK numbers are conventions rather than measurements, and brands sit half a size either side of them.

Why the length can be right and the shoe still wrong

The millimetre figure describes length and nothing else. Width is a separate specification that most listings leave out, and it is the usual reason a correctly sized Korean shoe feels tight. Sizing up to fix a width problem gives you a shoe that is too long as well as still narrow, so it is worth checking whether a brand publishes a width figure before changing length.

Korean women's clothing sizes: 44, 55, 66, 77, 88

These numbers are the remains of a national standard introduced in 1981, built on a 1979 body survey of about 1,700 people. The standard encoded two measurements in one label. Korean women in their twenties averaged 155 cm in height and 85 cm in bust, and taking the leading digit of each gave 55. Every step up added 5 cm of height and 3 cm of bust, and every step down subtracted the same.

The Height and Bust columns are what the standard defined. The last two columns are not: they are market convention, and they are the reason conversion charts disagree with each other.

The standard was withdrawn in 1999, after Korean body measurements had moved far enough from the 1979 survey to make it misleading. The KS clothing standard replaced it with direct body measurements — labels that state bust, hip and height outright. Shops carried on using 55 and 66 regardless, so the numbers survive with nothing official behind them. That is why the same 66 fits differently across brands, and why a conversion chart can only ever give you a starting point here.

Korean men's clothing sizes: the number is your chest

Men's sizing works differently and is far easier. The number is the chest measurement in centimetres — a 100 is cut for a 100 cm chest. Because it is a measurement, it converts exactly.

One overlap catches people out: women's clothing also uses chest-based numbers under the current standard, in the 85–95 range. A women's 95 and a men's 95 both refer to a 95 cm chest but are cut completely differently, so the number alone does not tell you which scale a label is using.

For the full background — where the 1981 standard came from, what replaced it, and how to read 프리 사이즈 listings — seeKorean Clothing Sizes Explained. If you are shopping as a visitor, thetax refund guide covers the part that trips people up at the airport.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Korean shoe size 250 in US sizing?

Korean size 250 means a 250 mm last, which corresponds to a US men’s 7.5, a US women’s 8.5, a UK 6.5, and an EU 39.5. US and UK numbers are not standardised measurements, so a given brand may run half a size either way.

How does Korean shoe sizing work?

Korea sizes footwear by foot length in millimetres, using the Mondopoint system (ISO 9407). A size 260 shoe is built for a 260 mm foot. Sizes step in 5 mm increments, so there is no half-size notation — 265 is the half step between 260 and 270.

Do Korean shoes run small?

The length number is a measurement rather than a convention, so it is not systematically small. Most fit complaints come from width, which the millimetre figure does not describe at all: two shoes both labelled 260 can differ in how wide the last is. If a Korean shoe feels tight in your usual length, check the width rather than sizing up.

What does size 55 mean in Korean women’s clothing?

It comes from a 1981 national standard that encoded height and bust in one number. Average height for Korean women in their twenties was 155 cm and average bust 85 cm, and the leading digit of each gave 55. Each step up added 5 cm of height and 3 cm of bust, producing 66 (160 cm / 88 cm) and 77 (165 cm / 91 cm); each step down produced 44 (150 cm / 82 cm).

Is the 44/55/66 scale still an official standard?

No. It was withdrawn in 1999 because Korean body measurements had shifted, and the KS clothing standard now labels garments with direct body measurements instead. Shops kept using the old numbers anyway, so 55 and 66 still appear on labels with nothing official defining them — which is why the same 66 fits differently from brand to brand.

What do Korean men’s sizes 95, 100 and 105 mean?

The number is the chest measurement in centimetres. A men’s 100 is cut for a 100 cm chest, which is 39.4 inches. Because it is a measurement rather than a code, it converts exactly — unlike the women’s scale, which no longer has a definition behind it.