How to Measure Your Foot for Moccasins: A Step-by-Step Sizing Guide

By the craftsmen at Sundance Leather | Handmade in Guffey, Colorado since 1971

Buying handmade moccasins online requires one thing that buying off a shelf does not: knowing your actual foot length in centimeters. Most people know their dress shoe size and assume it translates directly. It does not, for a reason that makes sense once you understand how a moccasin is built.

A dress shoe has a rigid last and a fixed amount of built-in volume. A handmade moccasin wraps directly around your foot with no rigid frame. The leather conforms to your shape as it breaks in. This means sizing a moccasin correctly depends on your foot's actual dimensions, not the number printed on a mass-produced last that may or may not match your foot's proportions.

This guide walks through the measurement process, explains how those measurements correspond to Sundance sizing, and covers the common questions about width, length, and fit differences between styles.

What You Need Before You Measure

• A piece of blank paper larger than your foot (standard printer paper works)
• A pencil or pen
• A ruler or tape measure marked in centimeters
• A wall or a hard vertical surface
• The socks you plan to wear with the moccasins, if any

Measure in the afternoon or evening if possible. Feet swell slightly over the course of a day, and measuring at their natural larger size gives a better fit for extended wear.

Step-by-Step: How to Measure Your Foot

Step 1: Trace your foot

Place the paper on a hard floor against a wall. Stand on the paper with your heel touching the wall. Hold the pencil vertically (not angled) and trace all the way around your foot, keeping the pencil as close to the foot as possible. If you are measuring alone, sit down and flex your foot up at 90 degrees to trace it accurately.

Step 2: Measure the length

Draw a straight line from the very tip of your longest toe to the back of your heel trace. Measure this line in centimeters. This is your foot length measurement. Write it down. Repeat for the other foot - most people have one foot slightly longer than the other, and you size to the longer foot.

Step 3: Measure the width

At the widest part of your trace (usually just behind the ball of the foot, at the base of your toes), draw a line from one side to the other. Measure this line in centimeters. This is your foot width. You will need this for the width section below.

Step 4: Convert to inches if needed

Divide your centimeter measurement by 2.54 to convert to inches. Most Sundance sizing charts use centimeters as the primary measurement because it gives finer precision than whole or half shoe sizes.

Foot Length to Moccasin Size: Reference Table

If your measurement falls between two rows, select the larger size. A moccasin that is slightly long will still wrap correctly. One that is slightly short cannot break in comfortably.

Understanding Width: When to Order Wide

Standard moccasin width fits a medium (B for women, D for men) foot. If your foot width measurement at the ball is more than half your foot length measurement, your foot proportions lean wide. If you have been told you wear an E or EE width, or if standard athletic shoes feel tight across the toes and you have to choose comfort over size, you should order a half size up from your length measurement in a Sundance moccasin.

The reason is construction: a moccasin has no rigid sidewall. The leather stretches and adjusts horizontally as well as lengthwise over the first few weeks of wear. Ordering a half size up gives the leather more material to accommodate width without pulling the sole up toward the sides.

Do not order a full size up for width. A moccasin that is too long will fold at the toe rather than conform to the foot, and no amount of break-in will fix a shoe that has been folded across the toe cap repeatedly.

Fit Notes by Style

Santa Fe Moccasin (leather or crepe rubber sole)

The Santa Fe is a low-cut tie moccasin with a full leather upper. It fits true to size for standard-width feet. The tie allows some adjustment for higher insteps. If you have a high instep and wide foot together, order a half size up.

High Country Moccasin

The High Country is a higher-cut outdoor moccasin. Its lacing system accommodates more instep variation than the Santa Fe. It fits true to size. For outdoor use, consider whether you will wear it with a thicker wool sock: if so, order half a size up.

Colorado Moccasin Sheepskin (indoor slipper)

The Colorado Moccasin has a sheepskin fleece lining that compresses over time. Order your true size for a fit that starts snug and loosens to exactly right after a week of wear. If you order a half size up to allow for a thick sock, the shoe will likely feel sloppy after the fleece breaks in.

Sheepskin Slipper styles (Slide, Shag Top, Skiff Clogs)

Open-back sheepskin slippers have less length constraint than closed moccasins. Order your true size. If you are between sizes, the smaller size is the better choice for open-back styles: a heel that sits well in the shoe is more important than a toe with room to spare when there is no heel counter holding the shoe on.

Sheepskin Boots

Sheepskin boots have both a sheepskin lining and more structure than slippers. Order your true size. The fleece lining will compress with wear. If you plan to wear them with heavy wool socks rather than thin or no socks, order a half size up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do moccasins stretch?

The leather upper stretches slightly in width and conforms to the shape of your foot over the first two to four weeks of wear. Length does not stretch meaningfully. Do not order a size smaller than your measurement hoping the shoe will stretch to fit lengthwise: it will not. Order your true measured length and let the width conform naturally.

My two feet are different sizes. Which foot do I size for?

Size for the longer foot. The leather on the shorter foot will conform slightly inward as it breaks in. The reverse, where the longer foot is cramped, does not resolve with wear.

I normally wear a men's 10. Do I just order a men's 10?

Trace and measure your foot rather than relying on your dress shoe size. Dress shoes are built on a last that adds volume for aesthetics and comfort in a rigid shell. A moccasin is built to wrap your actual foot. The number on your current shoes was chosen by a factory, and different brands use different last volumes. Your actual foot measurement is more reliable than any number on a label.

What if I measure between two sizes?

Choose the larger size. A moccasin that is a few millimeters long will break in to a comfortable fit. One that is a few millimeters short will cause toe pressure that does not improve with wear.

Can I return or exchange if the fit is wrong?

Contact Sundance Leather directly at sundanceleather.com to discuss exchange options. Unworn shoes can typically be exchanged. Taking the time to measure correctly before ordering is the most reliable way to get the right fit the first time.

How long until a new moccasin feels broken in?

Most wearers find a Sundance moccasin feels noticeably more comfortable after five to ten days of regular wear. Full break-in, where the leather has fully conformed to the foot's shape, typically takes three to four weeks. The leather sole (if applicable) softens at about the same rate as the upper.

Sundance Leather | Guffey, Colorado | Handmade since 1971 | sundanceleather.com