Do adidas Run Small? A Model-by-Model Sizing Guide
Short answer: adidas doesn't run small as a brand. Individual models do, and the reason is that they were designed for different sports decades apart on completely different lasts.
Asking "do adidas run small" is a bit like asking whether cars are fast. Depends which one. Here's the breakdown.
The narrow ones: Samba, Spezial, SL 72
These come from indoor sport and racing, where a snug fit was the point. They're low-volume — not just narrow across the foot but shallow over the instep.
Most people take their true size and it works. If you have a wide foot or a high arch, go up a half. Sizing down is almost never the answer with these.
Full detail in the Samba sizing guide and the Handball Spezial sizing guide.
The roomy one: Superstar
The Superstar goes the other way. It's a basketball shoe built on a wider last, and the rubber shell toe gives the front of the foot more space than the shape suggests.
Plenty of people take a half size down. If you're between sizes, down rather than up. See the Superstar sizing guide and the Superstar II size guide.
The middle: Gazelle
The Gazelle is the most true-to-size shoe in the lineup. It was a training shoe rather than a competition shoe, so it was built with a bit more room from the start, and the all-suede upper gives as it breaks in.
Take your normal size. More in do Gazelles run true to size.
Running models
Modern adidas running shoes follow running conventions rather than heritage ones, so they generally fit true to size with a bit more toe room. Knit uppers stretch with wear, so a snug fit out of the box usually settles. See the Ultraboost 1.0 sizing guide.
What if you have wide feet?
adidas heritage models don't come in width options, so the move is to pick a wider model rather than a bigger size. Going up a full size to gain width leaves you with a shoe that's too long, and your foot slides forward and jams the toe box anyway.
Ranked roughly widest to narrowest: Superstar, Gazelle, Campus, Handball Spezial, Samba, SL 72. Start at the top of that list.
How does kids' sizing work?
Sizes marked K are little kid. Sizes marked Y are grade school, and they use the same numbering as US men's — a 6Y is about a men's 6 and roughly a women's 7.5.
Other brands
If you're cross-shopping, we've covered whether New Balance run small as well.
Still deciding on a silhouette? Samba vs Gazelle vs Spezial compares the three that get confused most. Shop Sambas, Gazelles, Handball Spezials, and Superstars.
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