How to Measure Your Calf

A smaller calf size will be too tight, may not fit at all, and will be very uncomfortable. We recommend choosing the next larger calf size category. Example: Your shoe size is an 8, and you are shopping in the Extra Wide size calf category. If your calf circumference is greater than the calf measurement listed for the size 8 Extra Wide Calf boot, jump to the next calf size category and look for size 8 boots in the Super Wide Calf category.

Your shoe size is the length of your foot. Your calf size is the circumference of your calf (the part of your leg below your knee). The M, W or WW foot widths have no bearing on the calf circumferences and they refer to the foot widths. For each product, WideWidths.com lists the shoe size plus the actual calf circumference of that particular boot so that you can experience the best fit. We offer many suggestions on our site but unfortunately we cannot guarantee the fit. For each boot, you’ll notice the calf circumference increases as the shoe size increases. Our calf size estimator tool will help you determine your closest calf width category based on your shoe size, calf circumference and height.

Standard women’s boots are made with a 14 to 15 inch calf circumference. If you are under 5’4” tall with a 14-15 inch calf width, standard boots may be too tight for you. We explain this below.

Yes, in addition to offering many wide calf sizes, most WideWidths.com boots are available in three different FOOT (shoe size) widths: Medium (M), Wide (W) and Extra Wide (WW). Helpful tip: The letters, M, W and WW, next to the shoe size (i.e. 7WW) refer to the width of your foot, not your calf. If you are in between sizes or if you sometimes need to wear a larger size, please order the larger size or width since they can be made to fit smaller with an insole but they cannot be made to fit larger.

Shaft height is the length of the boot from the base of your bare foot (not including any heels) to the top of the boot. The majority of our wide calf boots have a 14" - 15" shaft height. The shaft height of each boot is listed in the product description. All of the calf circumferences listed on the website are always measured around the outside of the boot at the very top of the shafts. Using a tape measure, please measure the circumference of your calf at 14" - 15" up from the base of your foot to find your correct calf measurement. If there is a portion of your calf that is wider than that measurement, then please order using the larger of the 2 measurements.

Please watch our video for petite ladies on this page. All boots are made for women who are of average height (5’5” and up), and the largest part of their calves generally line up with the widest part of the boot. Therefore, if you are petite (5’4” or shorter), your calf is larger at a point that is several inches lower down inside the shaft of the boot than on someone who is taller.

If you are under or at 5’ 4,” please measure the circumference of your calf at its widest point instead of at the top of your calf. We cannot guarantee the fit, but we suggest ordering a style that is approximately 1.5 - 2 inches larger than the measurement of your wider calf. This is accurate 95% of the time and we offer many suggestions on our site for you to try to make the best choices. If your torso is shorter and you feel you have longer legs, then you can choose a boot closer to your actual calf measurements. Remember, it is always preferable to have more space in the boots than to go to a smaller calf size.

Here is an example: One woman is 5'2" tall and has a 19" calf. Another woman is 5'6" and she also has a 19" calf. They both wear the same shoe size. When the taller, average height woman tries on her 19" calf boot, the largest part of her calf is exactly at the very top of the shaft where the circumference is 19." The shorter 5'2" woman tries on the same exact boot but now the widest part of her calf is 4" lower down inside of the boot because she is 4" shorter and her legs are shorter too. Since a boot shaft is graded from the ankle going upwards and is in an almost "V" shape, it begins smaller at the ankles and gradually gets wider and wider until it reaches the top at 19." Because the shorter woman's legs are 4" below that spot, the shaft is not anywhere near 19" yet inside of the boot - it is considerably smaller at that point by as much as 2-3 inches and the ankle and shin will not zip up either. This is why we recommend that you order a boot that is approx. 2 inches more than your measurements if you are petite.

1. Once you try on this larger calf size, you may find that you have space at the very top of the shaft even though the ankles and mid-calf fit you well. This is because the widest part of your calf can be up to 5” below the top of the boot because of your height or because your legs might be shorter and your calf is widest several inches below that portion. We suggest tucking your pants into the boots, wearing them the way they are or having the very top altered by a shoemaker or tailor since any boot with a smaller calf size will not fit the lower part of your calf. In addition, the boots have been in a box with the shaft folded flat since they left the factory. Once you wear them and the leather softens, the top will not be as stiff and they will look more natural. Most people do not have a perfect fit in their boots (even in standard 14" calf sizes!) and it is very unlikely that you will have a better fit any other way unless you have boots custom made for you and the cost for that is prohibitive, if you can even find anyone to make boots for you.

2. All boots are made for women who are of average height (5’5” and up), and the largest part of their calves generally line up with the widest part of the boot. Therefore, if you are petite, your calf is larger at a point that is several inches lower down inside the shaft of the boot than on someone who is taller. This is the same concept as to why petite women fit into petite clothing better - because they are proportioned differently for them. Although our cutoff for petite ladies is 5’4,” the information on this page suggesting that you add 1.5 – 2” more if you are under 5’ 4” is most likely valid for you if you are 5'4" (or even 5'5") as well. If you find that your legs are shorter than your torso and/or petite pants or skirts fit you better than standard (average) inseams on these clothes, then you should definitely consider also adding some extra sizing to your calf size measurements the way we recommend that people who are under 5’ 4” should do. If you chose a boot whose calf size is the same as yours, then the ankle and shin would not zip up because boots with your calf size are graded for taller women and they would be too small on you.

3. Each foot size has a different calf size and on the sites where you see a general calf size (i.e. 17”), it is generally based on an average size 8 foot size. Since we specialize in this market, we list each calf size because we are very well aware of the needs of women who require plus calf boots. Anna, the owner of our company, had a retail shoe store for 21 years and she came into contact with hundreds of petite women who wore wide calf boots. In addition, we have also had feedback from tens of thousands of customers since we began to sell wide calf boots online in 2001. With this experience, she was able to determine that the reason their calf measurements didn’t coordinate with the boot calf sizes was because of the fact that their legs were shorter and the widest part of the boots (at the top where the measurements are taken) did not line up with the widest part of a petite person's legs.

If, after measuring your calf, you find that your size falls between two different categories (e.g., Extra Wide Calf Boots or Super Wide Calf Boots), you have two options: you can order the smaller calf style if you need only 1” more in size and then have them stretched on a boot stretcher (or have the elastic gore enlarged by a shoemaker) OR you can order the next larger category and have them taken in at the seam by a shoemaker. Either of these choices will customize the boot to your specific calf measurements.

If your calf is larger than any of the ones shown on our website there are no boots at all made anywhere with wider calves than we carry unless they are custom made for you and that option is very expensive (at least $800 - $1000). Virtually all of our wide calf boots are manufactured for us with an elastic gore near the zippers, which will expand and give you extra room and more comfort. A shoemaker can alter your boots for you by making the elastic gores larger or even adding more leather to the seams. Since our boots already have the widest calf sizes on the market to begin with (in calf sizes over 4" larger than other boots), you don't need to add 6-7 inches of extra leather to a 15" calf boot. This is a very simple and inexpensive procedure and our customers have been doing this for many years.

One of the most important factors to take into consideration when ordering your boots is to look at the silhouettes or shapes of the boots we picture on our website. Our boots are manufactured to offer a varied selection of different calf shapes to fit different leg shapes. By carefully looking at the contours of our boots, you will be able to distinguish which shape will be a better fit for your calf.

Many of our customers, especially those of you who have never been able to find boots to fit you before, are under the impression that their boots should be a "perfect" fit. Few, if any, women have a "perfect" fit in a boot. If you look at stars on TV, women wearing boots in the streets (yes, even those in "standard" calf boots!), pictures in catalogs, magazines and even at models wearing boots, you will notice that these boots do not fit anyone perfectly and wrinkles and gaps are commonplace and completely normal. If you feel that you want a leather boot that will be a "perfect" fit, the only option you will have is to have a pair custom made for you. This extremely expensive and a very hard-to-find option and you might want to consider having a pair of our boots altered once you receive them if you feel they are too full or tight for you anywhere along the shaft.

Please keep in mind that only a stretch boot can fit close against the ankles because they conform to any calf shape since they are unstructured. It is commonplace for the ankles in any pair of boots to be wrinkly or loose (baggy). Most riding boots almost always have straight silhouettes and the ankle therefore cannot be fitted whereas a boot with a dressier look to it (and most always one on a heel) has a more tapered ankle. All boots are made to fit many different calf shapes and may not necessarily be fitted enough for each person's concept of how they should look on them. Please remember that ideally, all boots should have extra room in the ankles in order to allow room for movement when walking and wrinkles and gaps at the ankle of your boot are totally normal.

Boots that have a more uniform shaft or stretch boots should fit almost every leg shape, including those of you who have larger ankles or mid-calves and whose calf outline is more uniform and straight up-and-down. Many of our customers laughingly call them "cankles!" These styles should also fit those of you who have problems getting zippers on "standard" boots past your ankles or mid-calf. All of the boots with straight silhouettes to them and all of the low heeled riding boot styles are meant to have a fuller fit in the lower shaft. Low heeled boots - even in "standard" calf sizes - are not manufactured with smaller ankles.

If any of our boots have more tapered and fitted shafts from the ankle through the mid-calf this will be noted in their descriptions and they should fit ONLY those of you that have smaller ankles and mid-calves and those of you who have no problem zipping "standard" boots past the middle of the boot but need the extra room at the top of the shaft.

Boots should always be a bit loose around the ankles and no boots should fit tightly against them. In order for the boots to fit you comfortably when you walk, you need extra space in them to move freely. If the boot is tight against your ankle they will dig into your ankles and they will hurt when you walk in them. The ankles on "standard" calf boots are also loose on women who wear those sizes. Since boots are manufactured to fit many different ankle and lower shaft sizes, the ankles on ALL of these styles may not fit as tightly against you as you may want unless you have your boots custom made. If you are interested in a tighter fit in this area, you may want to consider one of our non-structured stretch boots or to have your boots altered by a shoemaker as we mentioned above.

At WideWidths.com we realize that many women who run, ride bikes, dance, etc. have well developed athletic calf muscles that make it hard to find a boot to fit them. Our entire collection of plus-calf knee-high boots is geared to all of you who do not fit into a "standard" boot and who need boots for athletic calves. All of our knee high wide calf boots for women can accommodate athletic calves and we ask that you follow the measuring instructions on this page in order to choose a pair of extra wide calf boots that will fit you perfectly.