Children are always wearing out their footwear at the least expected occasion, bless them! If you're on holiday in a foreign land, you may find that the scale of shoe sizes used there is different to your home country. This is where our handy boys' shoe size conversion chart will come in vital. Just find your child's shoe size in the row belonging to your own country, then look up and down the column to find sizes in other parts of the world.


USA and Canada	11.5	12	12.5	13	13.5	1	1.5	2	2.5	3	3.5	4	4.5	5
UK	11	11.5	12	12.5	13	13.5	1	1.5	2	2.5	3	3.5	4	4.5
Europe	29	29.7	30.5	31	31.5	33	33.5	34	34.7	35	35.5	36	37	37.5
Japan	16.5	17	17.5	18	18.5	19	19.5	20	20.5	21	21.5	22	22.5	23
South Africa	11	11.5	12	12.5	13	13.5	1	1.5	2	2.5	3	3.5	4	4.5

Remember that shoe size equivalents may vary for different brands. It is therefore best, especially with children's feet, to try on a sample pair of shoes if possible before finally deciding on a particular pair.

The History of Shoes in the Modern Age

From the fourth decade of the 20th century great changes began to happen in the footwear Industry, like the change from leather to rubber and synthetic materials, principally in ladies and children's shoes. Advances in technology of rubber, plastics, synthetic cloths and industrial adhesives have allowed manufacturers to create shoes that differ greatly from those made by traditional techniques, until arriving at the modern mass market shoe. Thus, leather, which had been the main material for nearly all shoes in the past, is today used mainly to make formal and more expensive shoes, whereas other footwear like sports shoes are often not made of real leather.

In today's modern world, different types of footwear are available for all terrains. The sandal, for example, allows more fresh air around the foot, the sneaker enables more capacity for movement, and the boot allows the wearer to step through watery or muddy land whilst still keeping his tootsies clean and dry.

The material which a particular pair of shoes is made is determined by the type of footwear to be made. In cold countries, mocassins and boots serve to protect and keep the feet warm, while, in warmer countries, sandals and slippers are used more, protecting the foot without stifling it. However, more unusual methods of shoe construction have also been seen such as metal shoes. Wooden clogs are a traditional item of footwear in Holland. They have the benefits of keeping the wearer's feet naturally warm in Winter and cool in Summer.

These days, shoes have transcended their initial purpose and also serve as an adornment as well as having a social function. Some brands are considered to be symbols of social status. Thus shoes are no longer just protection for the feet, but also a fashion accessory.

Today good shoes are available to most people in industrialized countries.

In 2009, China produced 56 % or the world's shoes and had 20,000 shoe manufacturing companies employing 3.5 million people to make 10.6 billion (10,600,000,000) pairs of shoes every year. China exports 80 % of its production for a 24.5 billion dollar sum, mainly to the United States and the European Union.

In 2006 the European Union subjected leather shoes made in China to a protectionist 16.5% antidumping duty. This was initially intended to last for two years from 2006 but continued until March, 2011, only being overturned as a result of an appeal made by Aokang Group Co, one of China's largest shoemaking companies. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce estimated that the European Union's protectionist duties during the years 2006 to 2010 resulted in 20,000 Chinese people being made unemployed a reduction of 20 percent in Chinese exports of footwear.

Brazillian Slaves and Shoes in Brazil

On 29 November 1807, the Portuguese Royal family and its court of almost 15,000 people fled to Brazil as Napoleonic forces advanced on Lisbon. For 13 years from1808, Rio De Janiero served as the capital of the Portugeuse Kingdom. Commerce in Brazil experienced significant growth during this time and many customs became Europeanized, including the tendency of shoes being fashion items. Brazillian slaves were prohibited to wear shoes, but those who gained their freedom would buy a pair of shoes as symbol of their new social status.They became an object of decoration and prestige, often being carried proudly, over the shoulders or in the hand.

Although several shoe shops existed in Rio de Janeiro to cater for the local high society, shoes were normally imported from Europe. At the end of the 19th century the standard shoe design was the closed ankle boot made from suede or silk for the wealthiest women, and slippers for the remainder of the female population.

In the decades of 1910 to 1920 the most popular style of women's shoe in Brazil was the high laced boot or the ankle boot, which avoided exposing the feet.

In the post-war period there was a very big change in the way of dressing and wearing shoes. Women started to practice sports and to take care of their body, including playing tennis which became popular at this time in Brazil. In addition, as dresses shortened, shoes were more on display, increasing the preoccupation with the aesthetics of the shoe.

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		Shoe Size Conversion Charts and Fascinating Facts about Shoes
Men's Shoe Size Conversion Chart and The History of Shoes from Prehistoric Times to Ancient Rome	Women's Shoe Size Conversion Chart and The History of Shoes from the Middle Ages to the Industrial Age of the 19th Century	Boys' Shoe Size Converter and The History of Shoes in the Modern Age
Girls' Shoe Size Converter plus Shoes in Fairy Tales, Legends and Mythology

Please link to this page from your website or social networking page to let your friends know about these useful tables. You can also bookmark Springfrog's Boys\' Shoe Size Converter and The History of Shoes in the Modern Age to easily revisit any time you need to get international footwear size equivalents.