Stack Height Chart: Heel and Forefoot Stack, Shoe by Shoe (2026)
How much shoe sits under your heel and under the ball of your foot, for every shoe we hold figures for, with who published each number. The heel figure is usually honest; the forefoot figure is the one to question.
On this page
A tall heel helps a sore heel, and forefoot thickness is what matters to a sore forefoot. Check both numbers, and trust the forefoot one least.
What stack height means
Stack height is the thickness of the shoe under your foot: the insole, the midsole and the outsole together. It is quoted twice, at the heel and under the ball of the foot, and the difference between the two is the heel-to-toe drop.
Who measures it matters. RunRepeat’s lab cuts each shoe in half and measures at 12% and 75% of its inside length, the points World Athletics uses, with the insole in. Brands and retailers rarely say where they measured, and some brands publish no stack figure at all. World Athletics caps the sole at 40 mm for road-racing shoes, and on their brands’ own figures several of the tallest trainers here exceed it.
Stack is not softness. Two shoes with the same stack can feel completely different underfoot, because the foam differs; where the lab has measured hardness, the figure is on the shoe’s review.
The stack height chart
Every figure in the table is labelled with who published it: the brand where it publishes one, otherwise a retailer, a reviewer or RunRepeat’s lab. They are the same figures our shoe reviews carry, so where a lab has also measured a shoe, its review shows both.
| Shoe | Heel stack | Forefoot stack | Drop, from these figures | Who published the figures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOKA Bondi 9 | 43 mm | 38 mm | 5 mm | HOKA |
| New Balance 860v15 | 43 mm | 35 mm | 8 mm | Running Warehouse (retailer) |
| Saucony Triumph 24 | 43 mm | 33 mm | 10 mm | Saucony |
| Dansko XP 2.0 (clog) | 43 mm | 25 mm | 18 mm | Dansko, converted from inches |
| New Balance More v6 | 42 mm | 38 mm | 4 mm | Running Warehouse (retailer) |
| Skechers Aero Burst | 42 mm | 36 mm | 6 mm | Skechers |
| HOKA Clifton 11 | 42 mm | 34 mm | 8 mm | HOKA |
| HOKA Clifton 10 | 42 mm | 34 mm | 8 mm | HOKA |
| New Balance 880v15 | 40.5 mm | 34.5 mm | 6 mm | Retailers (their figures conflict) |
| New Balance 1080v15 | 40 mm | 34 mm | 6 mm | New Balance |
| HOKA Bondi SR | 40 mm | 33 mm | 7 mm | OutdoorGearLab (measured) |
| ASICS Gel-Kayano 32 | 40 mm | 32 mm | 8 mm | Retailer listing |
| ASICS GT-2000 15 | 40 mm | 32 mm | 8 mm | Running Warehouse (retailer) |
| KURU ATOM 2 | 39.9 mm | 26 mm | 13.9 mm | RunRepeat lab |
| New Balance 990v6 | 39.1 mm | 23.8 mm | 15.3 mm | RunRepeat lab |
| Brooks Ghost Max 4 | 39 mm | 33 mm | 6 mm | Running Warehouse (retailer) |
| HOKA Gaviota 6 | 39 mm | 33 mm | 6 mm | Doctors of Running (reviewer) |
| HOKA Arahi 8 | 39 mm | 31 mm | 8 mm | Fleet Feet (retailer) |
| Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24 | 39 mm | 27 mm | 12 mm | Retailer listing |
| Brooks Beast GTS 26 | 38 mm | 28 mm | 10 mm | Running Warehouse (retailer) |
| HOKA Transport 2 | 38 mm | 26.8 mm | 11.2 mm | RunRepeat lab |
| ASICS Gel-Cumulus 28 | 37.5 mm | 29.5 mm | 8 mm | Marathon Sports (retailer) |
| Brooks Glycerin 23 | 37.2 mm | 29 mm | 8.2 mm | RunRepeat lab |
| Brooks Ghost 17 | 36.5 mm | 26.5 mm | 10 mm | Retailer listing |
| Saucony Ride 19 | 36 mm | 28 mm | 8 mm | Saucony |
| Saucony Endorphin Speed 5 | 36 mm | 28 mm | 8 mm | Saucony |
| Brooks Ghost 18 | 36 mm | 26 mm | 10 mm | Retailer listing |
| Brooks Addiction Walker 2 | 35.7 mm | 23.5 mm | 12.2 mm | RunRepeat lab |
| ASICS Gel-Nimbus 28 | 35.5 mm | 27.5 mm | 8 mm | Fleet Feet (retailer) |
| On Cloudmonster 3 | 35 mm | 29 mm | 6 mm | Doctors of Running (reviewer) |
| Saucony Guide 19 | 35 mm | 29 mm | 6 mm | Saucony |
| Altra Torin 8 | 30 mm | 30 mm | 0 mm | Altra |
| Altra Torin 9 | 28 mm | 28 mm | 0 mm | Altra |
| OOFOS OOahh Slide | 20 mm | Not published | — | OOFOS |
Figures in millimetres. Drop is heel minus forefoot from the same source, so it can differ from the drop printed on the box. Read September 2026.
The tallest and the lowest
At the heel, four shoes share the top of the chart at 43 mm on published figures: the HOKA Bondi 9, the New Balance 860v15, the Saucony Triumph 24 and a nursing clog. Measured in RunRepeat’s lab, the HOKA Clifton 10 came out taller still, at 44.4 mm against HOKA’s 42. Under the forefoot, the Bondi 9 and the New Balance More v6 lead at 38 mm on the figures we hold. At the other end, of the shoes with both figures, the Altra Torin 8 and Torin 9 sit lowest, at 30 and 28 mm with no drop at all. The OOFOS recovery slide in the table is lower again, at 20 mm under the heel.
A nursing clog as tall as a Bondi
The Dansko XP 2.0 is the surprise. Converted from Dansko’s own inch figures, it stands 43 mm at the heel, as tall as the Bondi 9, but only 25 mm under the forefoot. That is an 18 mm drop, steeper than anything else in the chart.
That shape is why clogs suit some feet on a long shift and hurt others. A steep drop eases the pull on a tight Achilles and an irritable plantar fascia. It also tips your weight toward the ball of the foot, so it can aggravate ball-of-foot pain even with the clog’s rocker sole, and a tall, rigid platform is a poor choice for anyone with unstable ankles or a history of falls.
What stack does for heel pain and forefoot pain
- Heel pain, or a thinning heel fat pad. More material under the heel spreads the impact of every heel strike. Stack is only half of it: the foam has to be soft enough to use. See the shoes for plantar fasciitis and for heel fat pad atrophy.
- Ball-of-foot pain. For metatarsalgia, sesamoiditis, a Morton’s neuroma or a healed metatarsal stress fracture, the forefoot figure is the one that matters, along with a rocker sole; a steep drop can load the forefoot more. See the shoes for metatarsalgia and sesamoiditis.
- Achilles pain. The drop matters more than the height. Our heel-to-toe drop chart sets stated drop against measured drop.
- Weak ankles. A tall stack lifts you further off the ground, and a tall shoe on a narrow base is easier to roll over. Look for a wide base; see the shoes for ankle support.
Trust the forefoot figure least
On the six shoes with published heel and forefoot figures that the lab has also measured (the brand’s own on three, a retailer’s on the other three), the heel came out close to the published number and the forefoot came out lower every time, by as much as 5.8 mm on the Bondi 9. The full comparison is on our drop chart. If forefoot cushioning is why you are buying, treat a published forefoot figure as a best case.
HOKA stack heights
HOKA publishes stack heights for some of its line, not all of it. On HOKA’s figures, the Bondi 9 is the tallest here at 43 mm at the heel and 38 mm at the forefoot, followed by the Clifton 10 and Clifton 11, each at 42 mm at the heel and 34 at the forefoot. The lab measured the Bondi 9’s forefoot at 32.2 mm, which is why its measured drop is about 9 mm rather than the 5 HOKA prints, and the Clifton 10’s heel at 44.4 mm, taller than HOKA’s own figure. Retail and reviewer figures put the Arahi 8 and the Gaviota 6 at 39 mm at the heel, and the lab measured the Transport 2, a walking shoe, at 38.
How to use this with our other charts
- Heel pain or Achilles pain: find the heel stack here, then check the measured drop on the heel-to-toe drop chart.
- Bunions or a wide forefoot: stack will not help. The toe box width chart ranks the room at the big toe.
- Orthotics: a tall shoe is not a roomy one inside. The Orthotic Volume Rating explains the check that matters.
Questions people ask
What is stack height in shoes?
The thickness of the sole under your foot, quoted at the heel and under the ball of the foot, with the insole included when a lab measures it. The difference between the two figures is the heel-to-toe drop.
What is a good stack height?
It depends on what hurts. For heel pain and long days on hard floors, a heel stack in the high 30s to low 40s gives the most material. For weak ankles or uneven ground, lower and wider is safer. There is no single best number.
Which running shoe has the highest stack?
On the brand and retailer figures we hold, the HOKA Bondi 9, the New Balance 860v15 and the Saucony Triumph 24 share the tallest heel at 43 mm, and the Bondi 9 and the New Balance More v6 the thickest forefoot, at 38 mm. Measured in RunRepeat’s lab, the HOKA Clifton 10’s heel came out taller still, at 44.4 mm.
Is a higher stack better for plantar fasciitis?
Often, but not by height alone. More material under the heel helps, and so does some drop. A tall, cushioned shoe with a real heel-to-toe drop is the usual starting point, and the drop chart shows which shoes have one.
Does stack height include the insole?
In RunRepeat’s lab it does: the insole stays in, and the measurements are taken at 12% and 75% of the shoe’s inside length. Brands and retailers rarely say, which is one reason their figures differ.
Is there a stack height limit in running?
Yes, for elite competition. World Athletics limits the sole of a road-racing shoe to 40 mm. The limit does not apply to everyday training or walking shoes.
Cite this chart: Podiatrist Tested, “Stack Height Chart: Heel and Forefoot Stack, Shoe by Shoe”, podiatristtested.com/stack-height-chart/, September 2026. Figures from brands, retailers and RunRepeat’s lab, as labelled in the table.
- RunRepeat, Stack height: tool, shoe lab data and guide: measurement points, insole included, the 40 mm limit; read September 2026.
- World Athletics, modified rules governing competition shoes, 31 January 2020: the 40 mm road-shoe limit.
- Brand, retailer and reviewer figures, as labelled in the table and recorded in each shoe’s review; read September 2026.
- Our heel-to-toe drop chart: stated against measured stack on six shoes.
Recently reviewed
Individual shoe pages state their evidence tier, published measurements and who should skip them.
Saucony Endorphin Speed 5
Spec AnalysisLight plated neutral trainer. Saucony publishes both stack heights and they match its 8 mm drop — not yet tested.
HOKA Mach 6
Spec AnalysisLower, firmer neutral HOKA. HOKA publishes a 5 mm drop and neither stack height — not yet tested.
ASICS Novablast 5
Spec AnalysisBouncy high-stack neutral. ASICS publishes an 8 mm drop and neither stack height — not yet tested.
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We earn affiliate commissions from qualifying purchases. Our policy is to assess published evidence and fit needs rather than rank products by commission rate. Current reviews are specification analyses; see our method for their limits.