The short answer
- The size grade is the single biggest lever on returns — more than yarn, more than packaging.
- Socks are graded by foot length and stretch, not by shoe size alone. Shoe sizes overlap between grades.
- Higher gauge (200N) means a finer knit and a sharper logo, but a tighter size tolerance.
- Tell us the size chart your listing or packaging will publish, and we will grade the pattern to match it.
Adult sock size conversions
Sock sizes are quoted by foot length, with shoe sizes provided as a convenience. Where two shoe sizes sit on the boundary of a grade, either will normally fit — the sock stretches.
| Grade | EU shoe | UK shoe | US men | US women | Foot length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 34–36 | 2–3 | — | 4–5.5 | 21.5–22.5 cm |
| S | 36–38 | 4–5.5 | 4–5.5 | 6–7.5 | 22.5–24 cm |
| M | 39–42 | 6–8 | 6–8.5 | 8–10 | 24–26.5 cm |
| L | 43–46 | 9–11 | 9–11.5 | 10.5–12 | 26.5–29 cm |
| XL | 47–49 | 12–14 | 12–14 | — | 29–31 cm |
Kids’ sock size conversions
| Age | EU shoe | UK shoe | US child | Foot length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–1Y | 16–19 | 0–3 | 0–4 | 9.5–11.5 cm |
| 1–3Y | 20–23 | 4–7 | 5–9 | 11.5–14 cm |
| 4–6Y | 24–27 | 8–10 | 10–12 | 14–16.5 cm |
| 7–10Y | 28–33 | 11–1 | 13–4 | 16.5–20.5 cm |
| 11–14Y | 34–38 | 2–5 | 4–7 | 20.5–24 cm |
Kids’ grades are the most market-specific of all. A UK size 7–10Y chart and a US one do not line up neatly, so tell us which market you are publishing for and we will grade to that chart rather than to a generic one.
Why the size grade causes more returns than anything else
A sock that is half a size out is not obviously defective — it simply gets returned, or quietly stops being worn. The cost lands entirely on you: a return on a marketplace costs more than the margin on the order, and in retail it shows up as a range that does not repeat.
The most common way this happens is a supplier who produces to one generic block and then scales it. A properly graded pattern is developed against a specific size chart, and the measurements are confirmed on the sample. That is why we ask which market you are selling into and which size chart you intend to publish, before we grade anything.
How gauge affects size and fit
Machine gauge is the number of needles per inch, quoted as "N" — 84N is a chunky knit, 200N is a fine one. It affects fit in two ways. A higher gauge produces a finer, less elastic fabric, so the size tolerance is tighter and the size grade has to be more precise. A lower gauge with heavier yarn stretches more, so grades overlap more generously.
It also affects your logo. A 144N knit can carry a logo with reasonable detail; a 200N knit can carry one that looks printed. A 84N knit cannot carry fine detail at all. If the logo matters more than the hand-feel, the gauge decision is being made by the artwork.
What to send us
- The size chart you intend to publish (a screenshot of a listing is fine)
- Your target market — EU, UK, US or GCC, because the charts differ
- The size range you need to cover, and your rough size curve if you have one
- The logo artwork, if the gauge decision depends on it
For compression socks the grading is different again: sizes are based on ankle and calf circumference rather than foot length, because the pressure profile depends on circumference. See the compression sock range for those size sets.