Guide
Air Force 1 and Dunk Low: do they run big or small?
· By Redacción HYPEIBIZA
The Air Force 1 is roomy, so most people go half a size down. The Dunk Low fits closer to your usual Nike size. Here is how to pick the row.
Short answer: the Air Force 1 runs big and the Dunk Low runs close to true size. Take half a size down in the Air Force 1. Keep your usual Nike size in the Dunk Low, or go half up if your feet are wide.
Both models use the same Nike size scale, so the label in your current Nike pair is the starting point. The difference is the shoe around that number, not the number itself.
Why the Air Force 1 feels long
The Air Force 1 was a basketball shoe, and it kept a wide, deep toe box and a thick cupsole. Your foot sits in a lot of volume. In your usual size, many people feel a gap at the toe and some heel slip.
Half a size down fixes that for most feet. The leather upper is stiff when new and softens with wear, so a pair that feels firm on day one usually settles. A pair that is loose on day one only gets looser.
Product
Nike Air Force 1 Low '07 White
Style code: 315122-111/CW2288-111
from119,99 €
Cheapest today: Zalando ES, 11teamsports, Afew
View productIf your feet are wide or high at the instep, try your usual size first. The extra room that most people remove is the room a wide foot needs.
Half a size down on the Nike chart
Read this table by your US men's size, because the US scale moves in clean half steps. The EU column does not: on the Nike chart, EU 41 to EU 42 is half a size, but EU 42 to EU 42 1/2 is also half a size.
Your usual Nike size and the Air Force 1 size half a step down, from the Nike adult chart.
| Usual US | Usual EU | AF1 US | AF1 EU |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 40 | 6.5 | 39 |
| 7.5 | 40 1/2 | 7 | 40 |
| 8 | 41 | 7.5 | 40 1/2 |
| 8.5 | 42 | 8 | 41 |
| 9 | 42 1/2 | 8.5 | 42 |
| 9.5 | 43 | 9 | 42 1/2 |
| 10 | 44 | 9.5 | 43 |
| 10.5 | 44 1/2 | 10 | 44 |
| 11 | 45 | 10.5 | 44 1/2 |
One row needs care. EU 39 and EU 40 are both UK 6 on the Nike chart, printed as 6 (39) and 6 (40). If you buy in UK sizes and wear UK 6, the half step down does not exist in UK numbers. Choose by EU or US instead.
Why the Dunk Low stays at your size
The Dunk Low has a lower, slimmer toe box than the Air Force 1 and a thinner sole. It holds the foot closer, so the usual Nike size fits most people. Going half down usually pinches the toes.
Wide feet are the exception. The Dunk Low tapers at the front, so a wide foot often feels the sides before the toes. Half a size up gives more width, at the cost of a little extra length.
So the same person often wears two sizes. Someone who takes US 9.5 in a Dunk Low usually takes US 9 in an Air Force 1. That half step is normal and does not mean either label is wrong.
The two adult reference pairs. Open each page and pick the size from the table above:
Women's and GS pairs use other rows
Women's pairs carry a US women's number that sits 1.5 above the men's number for the same EU size. EU 38 is US men's 5.5 and US women's 7. The fit advice does not change: half down in the Air Force 1, usual size in the Dunk Low.
GS pairs, for older kids, use sizes that end in Y. They follow the men's rows: 4Y is EU 36 and UK 3.5, the same as US men's 4. An adult with a small foot can wear GS, up to 7Y, which is EU 40.
Women's and GS versions of the same two models:
A quick check before you order
- Find the US men's size in a Nike pair that fits you well.
- For the Air Force 1, take the row half a size below it.
- For the Dunk Low, keep that size, or go half up for wide feet.
- On a women's or GS page, convert with the Nike chart for that grade first.
- Open the product page and check that the size you need is listed.
If you are between two rows and cannot try a pair, the safer error differs by model. In the Air Force 1, the smaller size usually works out. In the Dunk Low, the larger one does.
Charts and catalogue pages for both models: