Shoe Width Chart: What 2E and 4E Actually Mean (2026)
D, 2E, 4E explained for men and women — how many millimetres each width step really adds, which brands widen the shoe rather than the upper, and how to measure your foot.
On this page
- The short answer
- The width letters, by brand and sex
- What a width letter actually buys you
- The published numbers, where they exist
- Width is not the same as toe box shape
- How to measure your own foot width
- When you need width, and when you need something else
- Frequently asked questions
- What we are testing next
- Related guides & shoe pages
Testing status: the width letters and measurements on this page are the brands’ own published figures, attributed where they come from. We have not yet measured internal shoe widths ourselves; when we do, the measured numbers will be added here and to each shoe review — see How We Test.
The short answer
A width letter is not a measurement. It is a brand’s label for a fit, and the brands do not agree on what it means or how much extra room it buys you. D is standard for men and wide for women; B is narrow for men and standard for women; 2E is wide for men and extra-wide for women; 4E is extra-wide for men and, at most brands, does not exist for women at all. The same letter is therefore two different shoes depending on whose foot it is meant for.
The more useful thing to know is what changes inside the shoe when you go up a width, and here the brands are refreshingly honest once you read the fine print. Brooks states that its narrow, medium and wide versions of a model are built on the same footbed — only the upper changes — and that only the extra-wide gets a genuinely wider platform. ASICS says the difference between its widths is “usually only a couple of millimetres”. New Balance is the one major brand that publishes actual figures, and its own chart puts about 3–4 mm between one width and the next. So if your forefoot needs a centimetre more room, moving from D to 2E in the same model will not get you there. You need a different last, not a different letter — which is the subject of our wide toe box guide.
The width letters, by brand and sex
Read across the row for your sex. The letters run narrow to wide left to right.
| Brand | Men: narrow | Men: standard | Men: wide | Men: extra-wide | Women: narrow | Women: standard | Women: wide | Women: extra-wide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Balance | 2A / B | D | 2E | 4E and 6E | 4A | 2A / B | D | 2E |
| Brooks | B | D | 2E | 4E | 2A | B | D | 2E |
| ASICS | B | D | 2E | 4E | 2A | B | D | 2E |
| HOKA | — | D | 2E | — (limited models) | — | B | D | — |
| Saucony | — | D | 2E | — | — | B | D | — |
| Propet, Dr. Comfort, Apex, Orthofeet | — | D | 2E | 4E, 6E | — | B | D | 2E, 4E |
| Altra, Topo | — | one width, foot-shaped last | — | — | — | one width, foot-shaped last | — | — |
Designations are as published by each brand; availability varies by model, and a brand offering 4E on paper may offer it on only two shoes. The last row is the point most people miss: Altra and Topo do not sell widths because their standard last is already shaped like a foot rather than a wedge.
What a width letter actually buys you
This is where the letter system stops being useful and starts being misleading, and it matters clinically, because most people buying a wide shoe are buying it for a bunion, a neuroma or a forefoot that swells.
- Brooks states plainly that narrow, medium and wide shoes in the same model are built on the same footbed; the difference is how much upper material there is. Only the extra-wide gets both a wider footbed and more upper. In other words a Brooks 2E is a roomier upper on the same platform, and the 4E is the one that changes the shoe underneath you.
- ASICS says the difference between narrow, standard, wide and extra wide is “usually only a couple of millimetres”, concentrated in the forefoot, and proportional to shoe size.
- New Balance publishes a width chart in millimetres. At a men’s 10 it lists 102 mm for narrow (B), 106 mm for medium (D), 109 mm for wide (2E) and 113 mm for extra-wide (4E); at a women’s 8, 84 mm (2A), 88 mm (B), 92 mm (D) and 95 mm (2E). That is roughly 3–4 mm per step.
- Therapeutic brands — Propet, Dr. Comfort, Apex, Orthofeet — carry 4E and 6E as a matter of course and build the extra width into the last, because their customers have feet that need it. They also publish the least data of anyone about anything else.
Add those up and a realistic expectation is: one width letter buys you 3–4 mm at the ball of the foot, and sometimes only upper volume rather than platform. Two letters — D to 4E — buys you closer to 7 mm. If the bump on the side of your foot needs more than that, no letter is going to help.
The published numbers, where they exist
Only New Balance publishes width in millimetres, so this is the one brand where a foot measurement can be matched to a letter with any confidence. Figures are New Balance’s own published width chart.
| Width (men) | Foot width at men’s 10 | Width (women) | Foot width at women’s 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| B — narrow | 102 mm | 2A — narrow | 84 mm |
| D — standard | 106 mm | B — standard | 88 mm |
| 2E — wide | 109 mm | D — wide | 92 mm |
| 4E — extra-wide | 113 mm | 2E — extra-wide | 95 mm |
These are foot widths the shoe is built to accommodate at one size, not measurements of the shoe. Every other major brand publishes letters only.
Width is not the same as toe box shape
The commonest mistake in this whole subject. Width is how far apart the sides of the shoe are at the ball of the foot. Shape is where the widest point sits and whether the toe box tapers toward the big toe. A wide shoe with a tapered toe box still pushes the big toe sideways; it just does it with more room around the joint. For a bunion or a hammertoe, the shape is usually the more important of the two, which is why patients often do better in a standard-width Altra or Topo than in a 4E of a conventionally shaped trainer.
Practical version: if the pressure is on the side of your foot, you need width. If the pressure is on the ends or tops of your toes, you need shape and depth. Our wide toe box guide covers shape, and our bunion guide and Morton’s neuroma guide cover which combination each condition needs.
How to measure your own foot width
- Do it at the end of the day, standing, with the sock you normally wear. Feet spread under load and swell across the day; a seated morning measurement will send you a size too narrow.
- Stand on a sheet of paper with your weight evenly on both feet and trace around one foot, keeping the pencil upright.
- Measure straight across the widest part of the tracing — the ball of the foot, from the base of the big toe to the base of the little toe.
- Do the other foot too. A 3–5 mm difference between feet is ordinary; fit the larger one.
- Compare against the New Balance table above, adjusting for your size — every size up adds roughly 2 mm to each width band. If your measurement lands between two letters, take the wider one.
If your measured width is more than about 8–10 mm beyond the standard for your size, letters will not solve it and you are looking for a foot-shaped last or a therapeutic shoe.
When you need width, and when you need something else
| Situation | What to buy |
|---|---|
| Pressure on the side of the foot at the big-toe joint (bunion) | Width and shape: a foot-shaped last first, a wide letter second. See our bunion guide. |
| Burning between the third and fourth toes (neuroma) | Width at the ball of the foot plus a cushioned stack; avoid thin soles. See our neuroma guide. |
| Toes rubbing on the top of the shoe (hammertoes) | Depth, not width. A deeper toe box or a therapeutic shoe; extra width alone does nothing. |
| Feet that swell across the day or with heat | A width up, plus adjustable closures — laces or straps that open right down to the toes. |
| Diabetes, neuropathy, or a history of ulcers | A therapeutic last with 4E/6E availability and seamless linings; not a standard trainer in a wide letter. See our diabetic shoe guide. |
| A rigid, deformed or collapsed foot (Charcot) | Custom or therapeutic footwear with a moulded insert. See our Charcot guide. |
| Room needed for a custom orthotic | Volume, not width. A removable factory insole and enough depth — check the Orthotic Volume Rating in each review. |
Frequently asked questions
What does 2E mean in shoe width?
For men, 2E is wide — one step above the D standard. For women, 2E is extra-wide, two steps above the B standard. It is the same letter describing two different shoes, which is why women who need room are often better served buying a men’s D or 2E in the same model, a size and a half down.
How much wider is 4E than 2E?
About 3–4 mm at the ball of the foot on New Balance’s published chart, and unstated elsewhere. Going from a standard D to a 4E buys roughly 7 mm in total. That is real, but it is far less than most people expect from a label that says “extra wide”.
Is a wide shoe actually wider, or just looser?
Depends on the brand and the letter. Brooks says its wide shoes use the same footbed as the standard with more upper material, and only the extra-wide widens the platform. ASICS describes a couple of millimetres. New Balance publishes millimetres and does widen the last. If the pressure you feel is bone against the side of the shoe rather than fabric across the top, you want a brand that widens the platform.
Do Altras and Topos come in wide?
Mostly no, and they do not need to for the same reason. Both build a foot-shaped last as standard, with the widest point over the toes rather than behind them, so a standard Altra is often roomier at the toes than a 2E of a conventional trainer while being no wider at the midfoot. Some Altra models do offer a wide, but the shape is doing most of the work. Our zero drop guide covers the family.
Should women buy men’s shoes for extra width?
It is a reasonable option when a woman’s foot is genuinely wide and the model tops out at 2E: buy the men’s version about one and a half sizes down. The trade-off is a slightly higher-volume heel and midfoot, which can slip. Lace it through the top eyelet with a heel lock before deciding it does not fit.
How do I know if my shoes are too narrow?
Look at the shoe, not the foot. ASICS’ own advice is the right test: visible stretching or bulging of the upper along the outside of the forefoot means the shoe is too narrow. Add to that a callus along the outer edge of the foot, numbness in the toes after twenty minutes, and a sock that shows pressure marks across the ball.
What we are testing next
Internal width is on the bench list: measured across the inside of the forefoot at a fixed landmark, with the sockliner in and out, at men’s 10 and women’s 8, for the standard and wide versions of the same model. That is the measurement that answers whether a 2E is really wider, and no brand publishes it. Those figures will appear here and in each review as they are taken.
Related guides & shoe pages
- Wide toe box shoes — the difference between a wide shoe and a wide toe box
- Best shoes for wide feet
- Best shoes for bunions
- Best shoes for Morton’s neuroma
- Best shoes for diabetics
- Heel-to-toe drop chart — stated vs measured
- How we test — and what the Orthotic Volume Rating measures
Recently reviewed
Individual shoe pages state their evidence tier, published measurements and who should skip them.
New Balance Fresh Foam X More v6
Spec AnalysisNew Balance's tallest shoe, 38 mm forefoot, 4 mm drop, APMA seal — not yet tested.
ASICS GEL-CUMULUS 28
Spec AnalysisLight neutral gel trainer, 8 mm drop, 4E available at $145 — not yet tested.
Saucony Ride 19
Spec AnalysisLight neutral daily trainer, 8 mm drop, wider base than the 18 — not yet tested.
Measured, worn, scored — never sponsored
No brand has ever paid for a review, a score, a ranking or the seal. Where we earn a commission the link says so, and the score does not change.