Plans proposed for Indian shoe sizing system

Researchers hope that a new scheme will be adopted for the Indian footwear market.

A new, indigenous shoe sizing system just for India has been proposed by the nation’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Central Leather Research Institute. The system, called ‘Bha’ is named after ‘Bharat’ – an alternative name for India which is mentioned in the country’s constitution.

Between December 2021 and March 2022, research using three-dimensional foot scanning technology was conducted on just over 100,000 people across five geographical zones. The survey is said to have discovered that the average Indian woman’s foot size peaks at around 11 years of age, while for Indian men this stage is reached at an age of about 15 or 16. The developers have now submitted their recommendations to the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade which, in turn, has forwarded the proposals to the Bureau of Indian Standards for approval.

Wider fitting

According to the survey, Indian feet tend to be wider than their Western counterparts. The developers of the Bha system claim that this difference has resulted in children and teenagers wearing shoes which have been made to overseas systems and that are either too tight or too loose.

Eight sizes are proposed under Bha, intending to cater to various age groups and genders. ‘Bha I’ is envisioned for babies up to one year old, size ‘II’ is intended for infants aged one to three, ‘III’ will be for small children of four to six years old, and size ‘IV’ is planned for children aged seven to 11. Size ‘V’ is meant for girls 12 to 13 years of age, ‘VI’ will be for boys of 12 to 14, size ‘VII’ is hoped to fit women 14 years old and above, and ‘VIII’ will be for men aged 15 and older.

While proponents are still trying to persuade stakeholders within India that their proposal is the way forward, they hope that the Bha sizing system will be implemented during 2025.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 4 of the April 2024 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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