Read the size column before ordering Altra shoes
Use Altra Australia's own chart to distinguish AU, US and centimetre columns, then keep the exact shoe variant beside your size note.
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Start with the column, not the remembered number
An Australian shoe size is incomplete without its size system and the range it belongs to. Before ordering from Altra Australia, open the brand's current size chart and read the heading above the number you intend to select. Its page says orders use US sizes. That makes a remembered AU number a starting note, rather than a checkout instruction. Keep the exact model, men's or women's range, selected width and chart link together so the information survives a later colour or retailer change.
Follow a row across
The men's table provides a concrete way to catch a column mistake. Its 26 cm row shows US 8 and AU 7; the 26.5 cm row shows US 8.5 and AU 7.5; the 27 cm row shows US 9 and AU 8. Copy the complete row relevant to your enquiry instead of copying an isolated number from a search result. These entries describe the published chart. They do not establish the internal length of a particular shoe, and we have not measured or worn a sample to validate fit.
Keep men's and women's tables distinct
A second check shows why a size label needs context. At the 27 cm entry, the women's table lists US 10.5 and AU 10.5, while the men's table lists US 9 and AU 8. Both entries show EU 42.5. That shared European label is not evidence that the shoes have identical width, volume or construction. A shopper moving between ranges should ask about the specific model and width, rather than treating matching centimetres as permission to substitute one product for another.
Write down what you actually measured
Keep your own foot-measurement note separate from the chart transcription. Record the method, which foot you measured and the units you used. If another brand's instructions add an allowance, do not silently carry that adjusted figure into this chart and add another allowance on top. Ask the relevant seller how its chart should be used when the measurement sits between entries or the instructions are unclear. A clear question is more useful than rounding repeatedly until the numbers appear to match.
Match the listing and the box
Before payment, compare the size selector with the product title and any width option. Save the selected variant with the order confirmation; a screenshot containing only a price or a colour is not enough to reconstruct what was chosen. When the parcel arrives, compare the box and shoe labels with that record before removing packaging or using the shoes outside. The archive photographs here illustrate different views of Altra footwear, not current stock, a recommended model or proof of the fit you will receive.
Leave yourself a clear next step
Your final note should contain the model, range, width, chart row, selected US size and the seller that will fulfil the order. Reopen the official chart before paying if any of those details changes. Confirm the current seller's return conditions separately; a size conversion cannot promise either comfort or an accepted return. If the chart and the listing disagree, pause that order and ask the seller to resolve the mismatch in writing. The useful outcome is an unambiguous order record, not a claim that one chart can choose shoes for every runner.
