Knitting guide

How to measure feet for hand-knit socks

Updated October 5, 2026 by Khokhar Sab

Wrap a tape measure around the widest part of the foot, across the ball just below the toes, and measure the length from the back of the heel to the tip of the longest toe. Knit the sock about 10 percent smaller around than the foot so it stretches to fit, and start the toe shaping before you reach the full foot length.

What you need

Get a soft tape measure, a ruler and something to write with. Measure bare feet, or feet in thin socks, standing on a hard floor. Standing puts weight on the foot, so it spreads the way it does inside a shoe.

Feet are not always the same size. Measure both, and use the larger numbers for the pair.

How to measure feet for socks: circumference

The Craft Yarn Council body sizing page says to measure around the widest part of the foot. Mary Maxim's sock tutorial places that spot on the ball of the foot, just below the toes.

1. Stand with your weight on both feet.
2. Wrap the tape around the ball of the foot, over the joint where the big toe meets the foot.
3. Pull it so it lies flat on the skin without digging in. If the foot has a bunion, keep it inside the tape. Katia's guide on measuring your foot for socks says to include it.
4. Read the number to the nearest quarter inch and write it down.
5. Repeat on the other foot.

This number sets the stitch count for the whole sock. Mary Maxim notes that the leg and the foot use the same count, so an error here shows up everywhere.

Mary Maxim also calls the gusset area the largest part of the foot. If the person has a high instep, measure diagonally around the heel and the top of the foot too. The calculator doesn't use this number, but it tells you whether the sock will pull on easily.

How to measure foot length

The Craft Yarn Council method is simple:

1. Lay a ruler or tape measure flat on the floor.
2. Stand with the back of your heel at the start of the tape.
3. Read the measurement at the tip of your longest toe. On some feet that is the second toe.

If it's hard to see the tape, stand on a sheet of paper with your heel against a wall. Mark the longest toe, then measure from the wall to the mark.

Turn the circumference into stitches

A sock the same size as the foot wrinkles and slides down. Mary Maxim recommends knitting the sock 10 percent smaller than the foot, which is called negative ease. The sock calculator starts at 10 percent.

Here is the math for a foot that measures 8 inches around, knit at 32 stitches per 4 inches, which is 8 stitches per inch:

1. Take off the ease: 8 × (1 − 0.1) = 7.2 inches.
2. Multiply by the gauge: 7.2 × 8 = 57.6 stitches.
3. Round to fit the cuff rib. A 2x2 rib needs a multiple of 4, so 56. A 1x1 rib needs a multiple of 2, so 58.

At 8 stitches per inch, 56 stitches make a sock 7 inches around, 12.5 percent smaller than the foot. 58 stitches make 7.25 inches, or 9.4 percent smaller. Pick the tighter count for a sock that grips. Pick the looser one for a thick yarn or a stitch pattern with little stretch.

Other sources use the same rule with different rounding. Good Knit Kisses' sock sizes chart multiplies the foot by the gauge, takes off 10 percent and rounds to an even number. For a 9.5 inch foot at 7 stitches per inch that is 9.5 × 7 × 0.9 = 59.85, so 60 stitches. The sock calculator rounds to a multiple of 4 for 2x2 rib and lands on 60 as well.

Foot circumference and cast-on at a glance

This table uses the same settings: 32 stitches per 4 inches, 10 percent negative ease and a 2x2 rib.

The actual ease moves around because the cast on has to be a multiple of 4. Your own gauge changes every number, so swatch in the round with your sock yarn first. The guide on how to measure gauge walks through it.

Standard foot sizes and the cast on at three gauges

If you can't measure, the Craft Yarn Council's foot size chart lists a typical circumference and length for each range of US shoe sizes. The last three columns run those sizes through the sock calculator at 10 percent negative ease and a 2x2 rib, at three common sock gauges in stitches per 4 inches.

A women's 7 to 9½ and a men's 6 to 8½ share the same 8 inch circumference in the chart, so they get the same cast on. Knit with Freedom's sock size lesson sizes its fingering weight pattern the same way: small for a 7 inch foot, medium for 8 and large for 9. A real measurement still beats a chart, because the chart gives one circumference for a whole range of shoe sizes.

Measuring for taller socks: the leg

Ankle socks need only the foot measurements. For a sock that climbs the leg, Katia's guide adds a third number: the calf circumference, taken at the height where you want the sock to end. The sock calculator uses one stitch count for the leg and the foot, as Mary Maxim's tutorial does, so it suits socks that end below the calf. For a taller sock, compare the calf number with the sock's finished circumference before you start.

Use foot length to place the toe

The calculator gives foot length no negative ease. You knit the foot to the full length, measured from the back of the heel. The trick is to stop early and leave room for the toe shaping.

Because you measure from the back of the heel, the heel counts toward the length. In the example, the heel flap uses half the stitches, 28, worked for 28 rows, which is about 2.5 inches at this gauge. After you turn the heel, pick up 14 stitches along each side of the flap. Then decrease the gusset over 16 rounds until you are back to 56 stitches.

The example sock has 44 rounds per 4 inches, or 11 rounds per inch. Its wedge toe takes 18 rounds: 7 decrease rounds worked every other round, then 4 worked every round, until 12 stitches remain. That is 18 ÷ 11 = 1.64 inches of toe.

For a 9.5 inch foot, knit until the sock measures 7.86 inches from the back of the heel. Then start the toe. Graft the last 12 stitches with Kitchener stitch, 6 on each needle.

Try the sock on before you start the toe, if you can. The fabric should reach about the base of the toes.

Measuring feet for a gift

Ask for the two measurements, or ask the person to trace a foot on paper while standing. You can read the length from the tracing. Circumference needs a tape around the real foot.

Katia's guide offers a rough check when you can't ask: it says the forearm usually measures about the same as the sole of the foot. Treat that as a hint for length, and use a chart or a real measurement for the stitch count.

A shoe size gives only a rough idea, because shoe sizes vary by brand and country. The Craft Yarn Council publishes a foot size chart you can use as a fallback. Once you have numbers, the guide to knitting ease explains how much smaller to make other fitted pieces.

Sources and further reading

• Craft Yarn Council: foot size chart.
• Craft Yarn Council: standard body measurements.
• Katia: how to measure your foot to knit socks.
• Mary Maxim: how to make a sock.
• Knit with Freedom: choose a sock size.

Video tutorial

"How to Measure Your Foot for a Sock" by Roxanne Richardson, on YouTube. The video loads only when you press play.