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Sizing & Fitting FAQs

Home | FAQs | How do I know if I need a regular or a narrow width?


How do I know if I need a regular or a narrow width?


The majority of people, we find, require a regular fitting. When you first try a pair of Birkenstocks, they may seem large and roomy. Once you take into consideration how a Birkenstock fits and that its design is not like a narrow fashion shoe but encourages your toes to spread outwards naturally, you should be able to gauge the correct width.


You can adjust and tighten the straps in a sandal, if the straps are still too loose on your foot you can have extra holes punched in the strap or if there is significant room on either side of your foot in the footbed you are most likely a narrow.


In a narrow fitting, you should still have some space along the sides of your feet and they should not ride up along the side rims of the footbed. You can find the width measurements, as well as step-by-step measurement instructions, a fit calculator and example images of a correctly fitted footbed on our Sizing and Fitting information page.


On the footbed of all Birkenstocks, there is a little printed footprint. The narrow width has a solid footprint; the regular width has an outline of a footprint.