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What Does GS Mean in Shoes? (Size Chart Included)

Fact checked by A. Thompson

what does gs mean in shoes

What does GS mean in shoes? What’s with all the different shoes charts and symbols? Why do all the famous brands have to make it so complicated? We sure have many questions regarding shoe sizes alone.

Let’s address one thing today: the GS shoes meaning. GS actually stands for Grade School, indicating a shoe size fitted for the standard feet of adolescents and youths.

Is that all? Well, read below to see more information about these Grade School sizes.

GS Size Meaning

Sneakers were first made in the 18th century, mostly targeting adults with their rubber and canvas design. Since then, we have seen the soaring popularity of these shoes associated with brands like Converse, Nike, Reebook, Adidas, etc.

These affordable, convenient, and stylish shoes soon become desirable among adolescents. Knowing the trend, all established brands started reengineering the adult sizes of the sneakers to make GS (Grade School) shoes for the new target customers.

A whole market opened up for shoe manufacturers. Therefore, we have GS mean sneakers developed and tailored to smaller sizes for adolescents and smaller males.

GS Shoe Size Chart

While women and men’s size charts simply have the numbers to indicate the measurements, you can notice the letter Y (youth) standing right next to GS shoe sizes.

gs-shoes-meaning

Below is the Nike shoe size chart for youths as a reference:

US UK EU Heel-to-toe measurements
3.5Y 3 35.5 8.5 inches (22.5 cm)
4Y 3.5 36 8.625 inches (22 cm)
4.5Y 4 36.5 8.875 inches (22.5 cm)
5Y 4.5 37.5 9 inches (23 cm)
5.5Y 5 38 9.125 inches (23.2 cm)
6Y 5.5 38.5 9.375 inches (24 cm)
6.5Y 6 39 9.5 inches (24.13 cm)
7Y 6 40 9.625 inches (24.45 cm)
7.5Y 6.5 40.5 9.8125 inches (25 cm)
8Y 7 41 10 inches (25.4 cm)

You can measure the length from your heel to your toe (either in inch or cm), then refer to the chart to see which GC shoe size is suitable.

GS and Other Abbreviations

GS or Grade School is not alone in the size chart for sneakers. Here’re some abbreviations representing different footwear for varying ages/genders/sizes that you should know:

  • I: Infant shoes
  • TD: Toddler shoes
  • PS: Preschool shoes
  • GS: Grade School shoes

Besides noticing what I, TD, PS, and GS stand for in shoes, you should also pay attention to other abbreviations such as M (male), W (Women), size numbers, foot measurements, and words like “WIDE” standing next to the shoe numbers, etc.

All the clues should be used to choose a well-fitted pair.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

gs-mean-on-stockx

1. What does GS mean on Stockx?

If you search StockX for a pair of sneaker shoes for adolescents and youths, seeing the size chart with GS indicates that you are at the right place.

The GS that you see on Stockx also means Grade School.

2. What does GS mean for Jordans?

As expected, Jordan GS meaning is also Grade School. The brand’s GS size chart also adds the letter Y (youth) after the number to indicate the shoe size.

Here’s a Jordan GS size chart for your reference:

Grade School (GS) Sizes Mens’ Sizes Women’s Sizes
4Y 4 5.5
4.5Y 4.5 6
5Y 5 6.5
5.5Y 5.5 7
6Y 6 7.5
6.5Y 6.5 8
7Y 7 8.5
7.5Y 7.5 9
8Y 8 9.5
8.5Y 8.5 10
9Y 9 10.5

3. Are grade school and men’s sizes the same?

In the Nike chart, they aren’t. The Grade School size chart is a separate one from the Men’s size chart. If you have your foot measurements, you can purchase Men’s shoes from the GC section.

However, its large sizes will only fit men with smaller feet than what’s considered as standard dimensions.

Meanwhile in the Jordan size chart, the GS size is similar to mens’.

4. What is a size 6 GS in women’s?

In the Jordan size charts, 6Y GS is size 7.5 for women’s shoes. That means if you want to get the women’s size from the GS one, you can add 1.5 to the GS number.

Conclusion

So, what does GS mean in shoes? It simply stands for Grade School, a size chart designated for adolescent and youth foot sizes. You might encounter different charts from various sneaker brands with GS or Y (youth) in their fitting instructions, allowing you to choose shoes for ages around 10 to 20.

Indeed, there are many factors, including ages, genders, weight, height, and foot measurements, that impact our buying choice. Still, the information above should give you a hint of what to expect when selecting GS shoes.

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