Do Common Projects Shoes Run Big or Small?

What the Feetlot Data Says About Common Projects Sizing

Based on 112 owner-reported pairs across 7 Common Projects models in the Feetlot database, the brand runs about half a size big, meaning the typical pair comes up roomier than the Nike Air Force 1, the reference shoe Feetlot uses as its baseline. In plain terms, the everyday Common Projects sneaker fits about half a size larger than that baseline, which is why the standard advice is to size down a half.

The more useful finding is consistency, and here Common Projects scores moderate. Fit varies a fair amount from one model to the next, so a verdict that is true for the flagship low top is not automatically true for the boots and slip-ons. The sample is heavily weighted toward one shoe, so the "half a size big" call rests mostly on the model people actually own in volume. Trust the size-down-a-half rule for the core sneakers and check the specific model before buying anything outside that core.

One quirk drives most of the confusion: Common Projects are produced in EU whole sizes, with no half sizes to fall back on. Because the brand runs large, the rounding decision when you convert your US size to EU matters more than it would for a brand with half sizes. That mechanical fact, not just the minimalist leather, is why so many owners end up with a pair that is too long.

Which Common Projects Shoes Run Big, and Which Run Small

Most of the Common Projects range runs big or close to true in the Feetlot data, with the famous low top leading the size-down group. If you remember one thing: size down a half in the Achilles line, and treat the boots and slip-ons as their own cases.

Models that run big (size down about a half size)

The flagship Achilles Low Top Sneakers runs about half a size big and is by far the most-owned model in the data, with 99 pairs logged, so this is the best-supported call in the lineup. The Achilles Mid Top Sneakers behaves the same way and also runs about half a size big, so the size-down-a-half rule carries across the core Achilles silhouettes.

Models that run close to true (start at your normal size)

A handful of styles sit closer to true to size. The Track Low Top Sneakers, the Hiking Boots, the BBall Low Top Sneakers, and the Low Top Slip On Sneakers all read as true to size in the Feetlot data, so your normal size is the right starting point for these rather than the half-down move you would make on the Achilles. Each is a thinly represented model, so treat that read as a starting point and lean on the EU rounding guidance below.

The exception that runs small

The Suede Chelsea Boots break the pattern and run about half a size small, so this is the one Common Projects model where sizing up a half makes sense. It is a single-owner data point, so weight it lightly, but it shows the brand-wide "runs big" headline does not apply to every silhouette.

How to Find Your Common Projects Size

Start from the EU whole-size system, because that is what constrains the decision. Common Projects list sizes in whole EU numbers, so converting from your US size often lands you between two EU numbers and forces a round. Because the core lineup runs about half a size big, rounding down is the safer bet for most feet.

• Convert US to EU first: find your usual US sneaker size and read across to EU. If it maps to a half step between two whole EU numbers, round down to the lower EU number on the Achilles models, since they run big.
• Achilles Low and Mid: size down a half from your everyday sneaker size. With the minimalist leather upper, a half size too long shows up as heel slip, so the smaller EU number usually wins.
• Track, BBall, Hiking, and Slip On: start at your true size. These read closer to true to size in the Feetlot data, so take the EU number that matches your normal length rather than going down.
• Suede Chelsea Boots: lean the other way and consider the larger EU number, since this model runs small in the data.
• Wide feet: the leather is firm out of the box and relaxes across the ball of the foot with wear, so width tends to ease. Do not chase width with a larger EU size on the Achilles, or the shoe will be too long once the leather softens.
• Narrow feet: the size-down-a-half move on the Achilles works in your favor; take the lower EU number.
• Measure first: measure both feet in the evening, in centimeters, fit to the larger foot, and match to the EU column below, since the EU-only system leaves no half-size cushion.

Common Projects vs Other Brands

Against the big sneaker brands, Common Projects run roomy, so a straight size transfer usually leaves you with too much shoe. If you wear a size 10 in Nike, you wear about a size 9.5 in Common Projects, because Nike runs half a size smaller-fitting than Common Projects. Adidas, New Balance, and Vans sit in the same place as Nike: all three run about half a size smaller-fitting than Common Projects, so people coming from those brands should drop half a size in their Common Projects number.

Converse is the close match, fitting about the same as Common Projects on average, which fits their shared flat, minimalist court-style build. The running specialists sit further apart: Brooks and ASICS both run a full size smaller-fitting than Common Projects, so anyone cross-shopping from a Brooks or ASICS running shoe should buy a full size smaller number in Common Projects. In short, Common Projects fit larger than almost every mainstream athletic brand except Converse, and the EU-only sizing makes that gap easy to get wrong if you do not round down.

Common Projects Size Chart (US / UK / EU)

Common Projects are built on EU sizing and sold in whole EU sizes only. Find your usual US number, read across to the EU column, then apply the model-specific guidance above.

Because the brand has no half sizes, anyone whose US size lands between two EU numbers should default to the lower EU number on the Achilles models. For women, subtract roughly 1.5 from the US men's number; the EU and centimeter values stay the same.

How Feetlot Measures This

Feetlot fits a global offset model to more than 100,000 owner-reported shoe records. Each shoe gets a single number that captures how its fit drifts from the reference shoe, the Nike Air Force 1. Aggregating those numbers across a brand's models reveals the overall pattern, how consistent it is, and which models break from it. For Common Projects, that aggregation across 112 pairs and 7 models surfaces the split between the Achilles low and mid tops that run about half a size big, the Track, BBall, Hiking, and Slip On styles closer to true, and the Suede Chelsea Boots that run small. The verdict is grounded in what people actually own and wear, not a manufacturer chart. To get a personal recommendation in any Common Projects model, sign in, add the shoes you already own and how they fit, and Feetlot will translate your real fits into a predicted size across the lineup.