Many individuals often encounter difficulty in determining the correct shoe size when purchasing their Irish dance shoes. Irish dance shoes are most commonly available in UK shoe sizes and therefore finding the correct shoe size for an American Irish dancer can some times be quite difficult. All of the shoes are based on a women's shoe sizes. The boy/men's reel shoes are based on a women's shoe size; however, in this case of the boy/men's reel shoes these are normally women's American sizes.

Typically, Irish dance shoes come in three different types:

 * Soft Shoes / Reel Shoes (Female)
 * Reel Shoes (Male)
 * Hard Shoes / Jig Shoes (Unisex)

One of the easiest ways to determine your correct UK shoe size is to go to a store and try on a pair of formal/dress shoes and then look on the side of the box where the shoe size is listed. Typically, many shoe boxes also contain the equivalent UK shoe size of American shoes in a nice comparison table that you can use as a basic point of reference. Please keep in mind that Irish dance shoes are based on formal/dress shoe sizes which is an important factor when trying to determine your correct size.

Leather shoes will stretch through normal wear and use. Both hard and soft shoes will typically stretch approximately 1/2 shoe size because of normal wear. It usually takes hard shoes a bit longer to stretch but they will do so after being broken in by the dancer. I have also found that if a pair of soft shoes no longer fit then you can take them and submerse them in water and let them dry on the dancer's feet. Because soft shoes are made of very soft leather and have an open lacing structure you can sometimes gain and additional 1 to 2 shoe sizes using this technique. This technique also works really well on the smaller sizes where little feet can grow alot in a very short amount of time.

Irish dance shoes should fit tightly to the dancer's feet. They should be comfortable but will be a bit tighter than other kinds of shoes. In the case of soft shoes, the dancer's toes will fit to the end of the shoes which allows for proper pointing. also, many soft shoes do not have a right or left shoe. Instead, the dancer will need to mark the right and left shoes (normally on the sole) and through normal wear and use the shoes will then conform to the dancer's feet accordingly.

Now, on to the good stuff. The following is a basic guideline for determing the correct Irish dance shoe size. Please note that the size comparison table is an approximate guide to determining the correct shoe size. It is strongly suggested that you always consult your Irish dance instructor before purchasing your irish dance shoes as they will be able to offer a great deal of guidance. Also, sometimes there are other dancers who will let you try on their shoes to see if a size is too large or too small. There are always variances in each particular brand of shoes, however, this is a good way to purchase a new pair of irish dance shoes with confidence that they will fit.

Soft Shoes (Female) and Hard Shoes (Unisex)

US SIZE ---------------- UK SIZE

11      ---------------- 11.5
11.5   ---------------- 12   
12      ---------------- 12.5
12.5   ---------------- 13   
13      ---------------- 13.5
13.5   ---------------- 1     
1       ---------------- 1     
1.5    ---------------- 1.5   
2       ---------------- 1.5   
2.5    ---------------- 2
3       ---------------- 2
3.5    ---------------- 2.5
4       ---------------- 3
4.5    ---------------- 3
5       ---------------- 3.5
5.5    ---------------- 4
6       ---------------- 4.5
6.5    ---------------- 5
7       ---------------- 5.5
7.5    ---------------- 6
8       ---------------- 6.5
8.5    ---------------- 7
9       ---------------- 7.5
9.5    ---------------- 8
10      ---------------- 8.5
10.5   ---------------- 9
11      ---------------- 9.5
11.5   ---------------- 10
 

Please note that with children's hard shoe sizes, the shoes can sometimes be a little larger and therefore you will need to use an extra pair of socks, inserts, or foam. Keep in mind that younger children's feet grow fast and therefore this will add the proverbial "growing room" that many parents try to anticipate with children's shoes. Hard shoes should fit snuggly, but as any dancer (or parent of a dancer) knows, sometimes it takes a little bit of work to get the perfect fit. Just think of it as a personal customization process...

Soft / Reel Shoes (Male)

Usually based on an American women's shoe size. Therefore, increase the size of the shoe 2 sizes.