‘Bha’: All you need to know about new footwear sizing system proposed for Indians

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

A pan-India survey was recently conducted as part of the larger initiative to come up with India’s sizing system for footwear.

The proposed system, named ‘Bha’ (भ), is planned to replace the existing UK/European and US sizing systems in the world’s most populated country, thereby forming the basis for manufacturing footwear in India, The Indian Express reported.

Survey results

The nationwide survey has been conducted by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Central Leather Research Institute (CSIR–CLRI).

It was conducted between December 2021 and March 2022 and saw the participation of as many as 1,01,880 people across 79 locations in five geographical zones. For the same, 3D foot scanning machines were deployed to have a wider understanding of the size, dimensions and structure of an average Indian foot.

ALSO READ | Severe heat wave conditions to continue over eastern India, forecasts IMD

Contrary to the initial hypothesis, it found that the feet of Indians are wider than those of Europeans or Americans. Due to the narrow footwear available under the UK/European and the US sizing systems, people in India have been wearing footwear which is bigger than the required size.

Further, the survey brought to attention that a large number of people in the country, including both men and women, have been wearing ill-fitted and tight footwear that often results in injuries and compromised foot health.

It also found that Indian women’s foot size on average peaked at the age of 11, while for the mean, it peaked at around 15-16 years.

What’s the need for ‘Bha’?

Experts believe that the country needs to have its shoe size system to address the diverse foot morphology of the population, which differs in comparison with Western standards.

The UK sizes in India were introduced by the British before independence. Based on it, the average Indian woman wears footwear sizes between 4-6, while the same for men is between 5 and 11.

ALSO READ | Explained: PM Modi’s ‘wealth distribution’ remarks–Part of Congress Manifesto? Or an election manifestation

Developing India’s sizing system was a difficult task as there was no data available feet structure, size and dimensions of the people in the country.

Having our indigenous sizing system will ensure that footwear available in markets is tailored to the unique needs of Indian consumers, providing them with better comfort and overall satisfaction.

Also, it is expected to streamline the manufacturing processes and give a major boost to the domestic footwear industry.

‘Bha’ proposal

The new system has suggested eight footwear sizes. These include:

I – For infants (0-1 year)

II – Babies (Between 1-3 years)

III – Small children (From 4-6 years)

IV – Children (Between 7-11 years

V – For girls (12-13 years)

VI – Boys (12-14 years)

VII – Women (For 14 years and above)

VIII – Men (15 years and above)

During the initial phase, commercial manufacturing will focus on sizes III to VIII to cater to the majority of people in India.

As per the survey, the footwear manufactured based on ‘Bha’ is expected to provide almost 85% of Indians with the right fitting and better comfort.

Moreover, manufacturers would benefit from it as it would be required to develop eight sizes as against the present 10 sizes under the English system and seven in the European system.

‘Bha’ implementation

CSIR–CLRI has submitted its report to the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the Ministry of Commerce. The Department will next send it for approval to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which is the concerned authority to implement this sizing system.

It has been suggested to provide users with footwear manufactured as per ‘Bha’ size system for trial and feedback. The new size system is expected to be implemented in 2025.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow