Unlike other brands that advertise "wide calf boots" that really aren’t wide enough, jjfootwear.com specializes in the largest range of wide shaft boots in calf circumferences from 16 inches to 24 3/4 inches. In addition, virtually all of our boots also come in M (medium), W (wide) and WW (extra wide) foot widths.

We have lots of calf sizes so you do not need to settle (for boots that are too tight or that aren't even close to your calf size). Please take a few minutes and measure your calf to ensure the best fit.

Experts in wide calf boots since 1988, we share our decades of calf measuring tips, tools and experience below.
Please feel free to call or email us with any questions.

We Are Here To Help

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How to Measure Your Calf

Step 1:
Measure loosely around the largest part of your calf in inches.

Step 2:
Measure both calves – one calf may be larger than the other and use the larger measurement. We do not recommend ordering your exact calf size since you need room for your legs to move around when you walk or sit.

DOWNLOAD A TAPE MEASURE

DOWNLOAD PDF 

If you don’t have a tape measure, please download and
print our TAPE MEASURE PDF for an estimate.

Note: your printer settings may scale the tape measure – please compare your printout to a ruler if possible for the most accurate measurement.
Alternatively, you can place a string or ribbon around the widest part of your calf and mark your circumference. Then, measure the string with a ruler to get your circumference in inches.

Wide Calf Boot Category Guide

Are my calves Wide, Extra Wide, Super Wide or Super Plus Wide?
Once you’ve measured your calves, use our calf size estimator tool to figure out your ideal calf size category.
Shop in the suggested wide calf boot category for your best fit.

WIDE CALF BOOTSOur smallest calf range, ideal for those whose calves “almost" fit in standard size boots.Calf Size Range:15 3/4-inch calf width for shoe size 6M to 19 1/8-inch calf width for shoe size 12WW.

EXTRA WIDE CALF BOOTSCalf Size Range:17 1/8-inch calf width for shoe size 6M to 21-inch calf width for shoe size 12WW.

SUPER WIDE CALF™ BOOTSCalf Size Range:18-inch calf width for shoe size 6M to 22 3/4-inch calf width for shoe size 12WW.

SUPER PLUS WIDE CALF® BOOTSOur widest calf size and largest calf sizes on the internet, designed exclusively for WideWidths.com.Calf Size Range:19 3/4-inch calf width for shoe size 6M to 24 3/4-inch for shoe size 13WW.

Important Calf Size Info and Helpful Hints

WHY DO I NEED TO MEASURE MY CALVES BEFORE ORDERING?

As the leading online wide calf boot store, we carry a vast variety of wide calf sizes from 16 inches to 24.5 inches. Depending on your height and shoe size, you may fall into a different calf width category than what your measurements are. Please take the time to measure your calves and use our calf size estimator tool. An accurate calf measurement ensures the best fit and reduces returns. Please do not order your exact calf size as the boots may be too tight on you.

I’M IN BETWEEN CALF SIZES. SHOULD I ORDER A SMALLER CALF SIZE?

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.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SHOE SIZE AND CALF SIZE?

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.

WHAT’S CONSIDERED A WIDE CALF?

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.

DO YOU CARRY WIDE WIDTH SHOE SIZES?

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.

WHAT IS THE BOOT SHAFT HEIGHT?

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.


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.

Special Considerations

CUSTOMERS WITH LYMPHEDEMA OR HIGH INSTEPS:

We recommend ordering ONLY a WW (extra wide) foot width no matter what width you normally wear as well as considering going up a minimum of one full shoe size larger (example: size 9WW instead of 8WW). Keep in mind that there is no way to adjust or enlarge the ankle and or instep inside of a boot as there is in a shoe. With lymphedema, since swelling is an issue in the critical ankle and instep areas and a boot is totally enclosed, you will need as much space as possible there to avoid pressure. If the foot feels a bit large, you can use an insole, but you need not worry that the boot will be so large that it will fall off since boots do not come off as easily as shoes do. The boots that would fit best with this condition or with high insteps are generally ones that are not tapered in any way and that have flat heels. A boot with a high heel may not fit as well in a larger foot size and width because it changes the angle of your instep at the most crucial area of your foot unless you are considering a stretch boot which would expand across your instep. Otherwise, a flatter or lower heel is a more natural choice in a non-stretch boot and the most important thing to consider is going up in size and ordering only a WW foot width.

I’M NOT AN EXACT MATCH IN ANY WIDE WIDTH BOOT SIZE CATEGORY.

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.

MY CALF IS LARGER THAN THE SIZES YOU OFFER.

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.

WILL A PARTICULAR BOOT SHAPE WORK WITH MY CALF SHAPE?

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.

SHOULD MY BOOTS BE LOOSE AROUND MY ANKLES?

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.

I HAVE ATHLETIC CALVES.

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.