How to Size Hockey Skates

Sizing hockey skates is a bit of a process, but it doesn’t have to be difficult if you know the way that it’s done. We’re going to help you understand how you can size your youth hockey skates so you can get a pair that’s comfortable for you.

There are two main methods that you can use to size your hockey skates. One of them is a bit simpler, but it’s also less likely to get you a pair that’s absolutely snug fitting and comfortable. The second method is a bit more time consuming but will likely land you with a pair that’s snugger and a better fit for your feet.

1. 1. Method 1 – Approximating

The first method is to use the size of your shoes to decide upon the size of your hockey skates. The general rule for sizing hockey skates is that senior skates – which are generally used for older players over the age of 18 – can be approximated by moving 1.5 sizes lower than your current shoe size.

Youth skates (as well as junior ones) for infants all the way up to age 18, are generally size 1 size down from a boy’s shoe size. There is a correlation here between senior (or men’s) shoe sizes and boy’s shoe sizes compared to the relevant size of skates.

So, if you’re a young lad who’s trying to get some skates and you have size 8 boys shoes, then you’re going to want to get a pair of size 7 skates.

However, a good thing to consider when buying youth skates – especially if you don’t have the finances to afford another pair right away – is to get a size of skate that’s only 0.5 a size smaller than the current shoe size. That’ll allow your feet to have extra room to grow without you having to deal with a skate size that’s too small or too large.

Furthermore, it’s important to remember that hockey skates aren’t sized with the same guidelines or regulations as shoes. That means that different manufacturers might have slightly different sizes, so it’s important to make sure you know what you’re looking. For review on hockey skates by different manufactures, check honesthockey.com

1. 1. Method 2 – Foot tracing

This method is a bit more complicated but it’ll also ensure that you get a better fitting skate. However, this method is also for people who have mostly stopped growing – there’s not a whole lot of point in getting a tightly fitted skate if you’re going to be growing out of it right away, unless you can afford to replace the skates right away.

This way is useful because it allows you to figure out the width of your skate as well as the length, and you can also determine your fit type. First, get a hard floor to stand on, some paper, and a writing utensil. You’ll also need a ruler.

• Set the paper on the floor.
• Make sure you’re wearing skate socks if you wear them so you get the measurement for your foot including the skate sock. Then put your foot on the paper making sure there’s a few inches of space on either side.
• Trace the outline of your foot, making sure your foot remains stable so your tracing follows the same angle. Also make sure you keep your pencil perpendicular so you don’t accidentally trace under your foot and throw off the measurements.
• Measure from the farthest point of your toes to the end of your heel.  This is the measurement of length.
• Measure the widest part of your forefoot from side to side. This is the measurement of width.
• Make sure you do all these steps for both feet because the measurements might be different.
• Divide the left foot measurement by the left foot width to get your left foot width ratio. Do this again for your right foot.

Now that you’ve got the measurements, you can use the longest length out of both feet. Compare this to a hockey skate chart under the length in cm column. Feet longer than 25.1cm should make use of the senior skate measurements, otherwise use the youth.

You can also use the width ratio divided by width to find out how wide your foot is compared to how long it is. A chart can be found here to help you find out the fit type using these measurements.

If you have a width ratio of lower than 2.5 then that means you’re in the high volume category. In layman’s terms, that means your feet are wider than longer. If it’s between 2.5 and 3, you’re a medium, and any bigger than that then you’re going to need low volume skates because your feet are thin.

1. 1. In conclusion

This should be enough information for you to properly fit your skates and get a pair that’s snug and comfortable for all your ice skating endeavours. Hopefully you have a good time out on the ice!