Boot Laces Length Guide: Discover Perfect Shoelace Length

Have you ever come across the situation where you went to buy new boot laces and ended up having no idea what length you should get? And when you reached home, you found out that the new laces are just not the right fit for your boots!

Well, I myself had landed on the same board and learnt the hard way round, but I don’t want you to be in the same situation and that’s why I thought of making things easier for you.

This article will give you a detailed idea of how to choose the right length for your boots and also tell you how to tie them the best way!

The length of your boot laces is actually decided by the number of the eyelets in your boots. The more the eyelets, the longer the laces. If your boots have 4 eyelets it should be 26 inches, for 6 eyelets it should be 45 inches and for 8 eyelets it should be 63 inches, for 10 eyelets it should be 84 inches long.

How to Determine Shoe Lace Sizing

1.) Take Measurement of Your Boot Laces Before It Breaks

Do not wait for your laces to break to take its measurement, otherwise, you will have to do a lot more calculation in your head to get an idea about the original length; and if mathematics is not your strong suit, then get ready to get humiliated by even more.

Just take the bootlaces out of your boots and take their measurements. The perfect way to do it is to measure them from one tip to another.

The result that you are going to get will be the length that you need to buy your next bootlaces in, or else they just won’t fit your boots.

2.) Do You Know the Type of Your Shoe?

There are two types of boots that are mostly in use; one is work boots and the other is hiking boots. There are also street shoes that use bootlaces, and for all these kinds of boots and shoe bootlaces of standard length will do.

3.) But Wait! Have You Counted the Eyelets?

It is yet another detail that you will have to keep in mind before you go bootlace shopping.

But counting eyelets is not that difficult. You can either count the hole on one side of the boot or count all the holes and then divide the result by two.

The number that you get is the actual number of eyelets that your boot has; again, select the first process as you will get a prompt result.

Now that you have got an idea about how to count eyelets on shoes, consider the table below to find the eyelets shoelace length match.

Boot Laces Length Chart

FAQs

How Long are boot laces for 4 Eyelets ?

The boot size table shows the shoelace length for 4-5 eyelets is 36” inches or 91 cm. However you have to consider the fact that some shoes are wide with a lot of horizontal spacing, some are narrow so the range can vary from 30” inches to 40” inches.

How Long Shoelace length for 5 Eyelets do I need?

As per our research the length of hiking boot laces for 5 eyelets is from 36” to 45” inch. Below are the shoelace length results from some other websites for 5 pair eyelet

1.)  Shoelacesexpress – 36” inch

2.) Ian’s Shoelace – 5 pair

3.) Ironlace – 33” inch to 45” inch

What’s 6 eyelets lace length?

A 6 eyelet boot lace should be around 45 inches to 54 inches. That said, the exact measurement of a 6 eyelet boot lace should be 45 inches, but a bit longer up to the length of 54 inches is manageable with proper knots. Here are results from other site

1.) Shoelacesexpress – 40” inch 

2.) Ian’s Shoelace – 6 pair eyelets

3.) Ironlace – 33” inch to 45” inch

You can very well use a 5 eyelet boot lace or a 7 eyelet boot lace for your 6 eyelet boots.

What’s 8 eyelet boot lace length?

Our research table shows that 8 inch boot lace length ranges from 63” to 72” inch. Check what other sites are saying

1.) Shoelacesexpress – 54” inch for 8 pair eyelets

2.) Ian’s Shoelace 

3.) Ironlace – 63” inch to 72” inch

10 eyelet boot lace length:

A 10 eyelet boot lace should be more than 75 inches and less than 96 inches.

But if you want to know the perfect measurement of a 10 eyelet boot lace; then it should be of 84 inches!

So, if you already have a 9 eyelet boot lace or a 11 eyelet boot lace that falls under the aforesaid measurement, you can easily use it for your 10 eyelet boots.

What to do when your boot laces are too long?

I understand some boot laces are really unnecessarily long and that for sure is irritating to walk with or to even tie them in proper size knots!

So, here are some tips with which you can make your long laces shorter:

1.) After the laces are run through the eyelets, wrap the remaining extra length of the laces around the feet and tie the knot there.

2.) The best solution of course is to cut off the extra length of the laces at the ends and then putting back the aglets back to the new lace ends.

You can also seal the frayed ends with glue or any other sealants of your choice. And always remember to shorten the laces at just one ends so that the other end remains untouched.

3.) One of the easiest methods to reduce or I would rather say hide your long laces is to use the under-foot-tuck method in which you tie a single knot in the laces and then tuck the entire length of the laces inside the shoes under your feet. The weight of the body in this case helps to hold the laces in place.

4.) The next option is to use the tie and tuck method. First you need to start with the top two eyelets by pushing the laces in from the outside of the shoes into the inside and then tie a knot and then finally tuck it underneath the tongue of the shoes.

5.) The next method is the wrap and tuck. Here too, make sure that you start with the top eyelets and the laces run from the outside to the inside of the shoes.

Next you need to wrap the ends of the laces around your feet and then tie a knot at the top and then again tuck the laces under the tongue of the shoes.

6.) The last and probably the best option is the double lacing. Undo the laces down to the middle sets of eyelets and then when you take one of the laces and pull it across the opposite side, push it through the hole and then go back to the place that you just started from.

Pull it through the hole again across the top to cover the previous lace, and pop it back in the hole. This will leave it so that you got two laces sitting flush on top of each other and then you can simply continue lacing up the shoe as normal.

How to tie boot laces the right way?

Lacing your boots is a hard task I admit. But I bet these techniques will help you lace your boots pretty fast:  

The criss cross lacing style:

This is the most standard lacing style and looks good in any boot.

• Start with putting the lace from the outside of the two bottom most eyelets

• Your lace has come upwards now

• Now you have to cross each lace from the inside to the outside

• Remember you have to pull the lace from the inside to the outside

• Repeat the steps until all the eyelets have been covered

The ladder lacing style:

This style was initially followed by the soldiers or the military men as they offer the best support.

• Unlike the crisscross, you need to start with the two bottom most eyelets from the inside to the outside

• Now taking the right lace, go straight upwards to the next eyelet and pull the lace outwards

• Taking the same lace now go to the left eyelet and pull from the outside to the inside

• Now take the left lace and and go straight upwards to the next eyelet and pull the lace upwards. Now take the lace to the right eyelet and pull from the outside to the inside

• Just keep one thing in mind that you need to keep the left lace underneath the right lace always and make it through the next eyelet upwards

• Repeat these steps until you reach the end of the eyelets.

What are boot laces made of?

Boot laces are generally made of the following materials:

1.) Leather boot laces: these are high-quality laces that do not fray or tear and don’t even stretch.

2.) Kevlar boot laces: Kevlar is one of the strongest and the most durable material which even has the capability to stop bullets.

So, if your boots laces are made of Kevlar (or Kevlar and nylon mixed) you can be sure they are going to stay secured in the knotted state and offer you a lifetime service.

3.) Paracord boot laces: the tensile strength of paracord is 550 lbs. and is being even used by NASA in making of the space ships. Also, during the WW11, it was used as a parachute cord and since then it has become an all-purpose cord for life-saving situations.

Difference b/w boot and sneaker lace length.

A sneaker’s lace length is around 150-160 cm (60-63″), whereas a boot’s lace length is around 210- 260 cm (100-110″). However, the length also depends on the number of eyelets a pair of shoes or boots have.

Do different brands have different boot lace lengths?

Not necessarily, because the length of the laces is totally dependent on the number of eyelets present on the boot, irrespective of any boot brand.

Why These Information Matters?

Armed with this information, you will be easily able to buy the bootlace you need. You can even buy them from online stores as you do not need the help of store employees to determine the laces that are best for your boots.

Even if you are thinking of gifting someone brand new shoelaces, you can take help from the above list and determine what lace will be best for their boots.

Just consult the list and get an idea of what lace goes with which shoe and then choose the lace of best quality and nice color as a gift for your friend after you determine the type of boot that they own and the number of eyelets that is present in the boot.

Now to Conclude

You might not have thought much about the bootlace and the eyelets of your boot, but now, after reading this article, we expect that you are much wiser and will make the right decision when you face the trouble of broken lace.

Do not panic, when your bootlace does break, remember about this boot lace length and make your purchase with confidence.