Orthofeet Width Guide: Medium, Wide or X-Wide

I have measured feet for more than thirty years, and the width question is the one that goes wrong most often when people order online. Orthofeet gives you three widths on nearly every style, which is the reason the brand exists. But you have to pick the right one, and the size on your old sneakers will not tell you.

What the labels mean

Orthofeet sells men's shoes in Medium (D), Wide (2E) and X-Wide (4E). Women's run Medium (B), Wide (D) and X-Wide (2E). A few women's styles, the Kita among them, go one step further to XX-Wide (4E). Each step adds room around the ball of the foot and in the toe box. The length does not change. A 10 Wide is the same length as a 10 Medium, just fuller.

How I decide in the store

I measure both feet standing, because feet spread under weight. I take the length to the longest toe, which is not always the big toe, and the width across the ball. Then I look at three things the measuring device cannot tell me. First, whether the foot has a bunion or a wide forefoot with a narrow heel, because that foot needs width up front without a heel that slips. Second, how thick any orthotic is, since a full-length device eats a width's worth of room. Third, whether the foot swells by evening. I fit the bigger foot and the end of the day, not the morning.

Measuring at home

You need a sheet of paper, a pen, a ruler and a wall. Put the paper on a hard floor against the wall. Stand on it with your heel touching the wall, wearing the sock you will wear in the shoe. Hold the pen straight up, not angled under the foot, and trace around the whole foot. Do the other foot. Now measure two things on each tracing: the length from the heel to the tip of the longest toe, and the width across the widest part, usually the ball. Write both down for both feet. Use the larger foot.

For length, a US size is about a third of an inch, so if your tracing is a third of an inch longer than the length of a shoe that fits, you are a size up. For width, lay the tracing on top of a shoe that fits well and one that pinches, sole side up. If the tracing shows past the sole of the shoe that pinches at the ball, you need at least one width more than that shoe. Every last is different, so treat this as a starting point. Then call me with the numbers at (704) 846-0301. Tell me the length and width of each foot and what hurts, and I will tell you the width to order.

Orthotic users

Every Orthofeet shoe we stock is built on an extra-depth last with a removable insole. Take the factory insole out and put your device in. That usually works in your normal width. If your orthotic is a rigid full-length device, or has a heel post, go one width up. If you use the factory insole with the arch booster that Orthofeet includes, stay in your normal width. Fitting spacers are also included so you can take up slack in a shoe that is slightly roomy.

Swelling

If your ankles or feet swell, order for the swollen foot. A shoe that fits at 8 a.m. and cuts in by 4 p.m. is the wrong shoe. Stretch uppers like the Nira, Kita, Yari and Tilos give across the top of the foot, and they are what I reach for when swelling changes through the day. The Naya has a strap you can loosen. Leather styles like the Wander and Navigate hold their shape, which is good for support and bad for a foot that grows.

Which styles come in which widths

Every Orthofeet style we stock comes in at least three widths. The Kita is the only one that goes to XX-Wide, and it is not in stock as I write this, so call before you plan around it. The full list is in our Orthofeet collection.

Who should not order by this guide

If you have diabetes with numbness in your feet, a foot ulcer, or a foot that is a different shape on each side, do not order from a paper tracing. Get measured in person, by us if you are near Matthews or by any pedorthist near you. A shoe that is a quarter inch wrong on a numb foot can do damage before you feel it. The same goes if you have had foot surgery in the last year. The tracing works well for the ordinary case of a wide foot that has been crammed into narrow shoes.

Questions people ask

Should I size up instead of going wide?

No. A longer shoe puts the flex point behind the ball of your foot and lets the heel slip. Keep your length and change the width.

Is Orthofeet Wide the same as 2E?

For men, yes, Wide is 2E and X-Wide is 4E. For women, Wide is D and X-Wide is 2E. The letters differ between men's and women's lasts, so go by the word, not the letter, when you switch brands.

What if I am between widths?

Take the wider one and use the fitting spacers Orthofeet includes to take up the room. Too roomy can be fixed. Too tight cannot.

Do the widths differ between models?

The labels are consistent, but a stretch upper feels roomier than leather in the same width. If you were a Wide in the leather Wander, you might be a Medium in the knit Nira. Call if you are switching.

What if I get it wrong?

Orthofeet orders ship free direct from Orthofeet, and we email tracking. Try the shoes indoors. If the width is wrong, call (704) 846-0301 and we will exchange or refund under our Comfort Guarantee.