New Balance 990v5 Sizing Guide w/ Photos [Fit Big or Small?]


This New Balance 990v5 Sizing Guide uses direct comparison photos where I put my 990v5 shoes next to other popular shoes so you can see the difference in sizing. I will also discuss things like weight, width, flexibility, heel drop, and sole height. After trying these shoes, do New Balance 990v5 shoes run big or small?

New Balance 990v5 shoes fit true to size for most people. They have a fit that is very comparable to other types of athletic casual shoes. I ordered my normal sizing and they fit comfortably. In the article below I have side-by-side photos comparing New Balance 990v5 sizing to the sizing of other popular shoes.

When I compared New Balance 990v5 sizing to the sizing of other popular shoes, I found the 990v5 to fit true to size. For example, here is my New Balance 990v5 (on the right) compared to Nike Zoom Winflo:

new-balance-990-vs-nike-zoom-winflo-sizing

And here is my New Balance 990v5 (on the right) compared to Skechers Afterburn sizing:

new-balance-990-vs-skechers-afterburn-sizing

I ordered my normal sizing for the 990v5 and they fit comfortably. In this article I will provide helpful comparison sizing photos where I compare both men’s and women’s New Balance 990v5 sizing to the sizing of other popular shoes.

Table of Contents

New Balance 990v5 Sizing Photos for Men

The 990 is part of the New Balance Made in USA collection, and can be used as a running shoe or casual shoe. The photos below use a men’s size 12 shoe and a women’s size 7 shoe. The photos below start with men’s (jump to women’s section). The exact version used is the 990v5.

New Balance 990 On My Foot

To give you an idea how the 990 responds on a foot, here I am wearing mine:

New Balance 990 (right) vs Adidas 2k Boost Sizing

new-balance-990-vs-adidas-2k-boost-sizing

New Balance 990 vs Reebok Classics Sizing

new-balance-990-vs-reebok-classics-sizing

New Balance 990 vs Nike Zoom Winflo Sizing

new-balance-990-vs-nike-zoom-winflo-sizing

New Balance 990 vs Skechers Go Walk Slip On Sizing

new-balance-990-vs-skechers-go-walk-slip-on-sizing

New Balance 990 vs Brooks Adrenaline Sizing

brooks-vs-new-balance-990-sizing

New Balance 990 vs Skechers Go Walk Sizing

new-balance-990-vs-skechers-go-walk-sizing-1

New Balance 990 vs Saucony Shadow 6000 Sizing

new-balance-990-vs-saucony-shadow-6000-sizing

New Balance 990 vs Adidas Superstar Sizing

new-balance-990-vs-adidas-superstar-sizing

New Balance 990 vs Under Armour HOVR Sizing

new-balance-990-vs-under-armour-sizing

New Balance 990v5 Sizing vs Nike Air Force 1

new-balance-990-vs-nike-af1-sizing

New Balance 990 vs Asics Sizing

new-balance-990-vs-asics-sizing

New Balance 990 vs Hoka One One Sizing

new-balance-990-vs-hoka-sizing

New Balance 990 vs Converse Chucks Sizing

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New Balance 990 vs Skechers Afterburn Sizing

new-balance-990-vs-skechers-afterburn-sizing

New Balance 990 vs Nike Cortez Sizing

new-balance-990-vs-nike-cortez-sizing

New Balance 990 vs Nike Blazer Sizing

new-balance-990-vs-nike-blazer-sizing

New Balance 990 (left) vs 993 Sizing

new-balance-993-vs-990-sizing

New Balance 990 (right) vs 574 Sizing

new-balance-990-vs-574-sizing

New Balance 990v5 Sizing Photos for Women

All photos below use a size 7 women’s shoe.

New Balance Women’s 990 (right) vs Under Armour Sizing

new-balance-990-womens-vs-under-armour-sizing

New Balance Women’s 990 (right) vs 880 Sizing

new-balance-990-womens-vs-880-sizing

New Balance Women’s 990 (right) vs 860 Sizing

new-balance-990-womens-vs-860-sizing

New Balance Women’s 990 (right) vs 327 Sizing

new-balance-990-womens-vs-327-sizing

New Balance Women’s 990 vs Hey Dude Wendy Sox Sizing

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New Balance Women’s 990 vs Skechers D’Lites Sizing

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New Balance Women’s 990 vs Nike Air Max 90 Sizing

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New Balance Women’s 990 vs Converse Chucks Sizing

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New Balance Women’s 990 vs Keen Sizing

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New Balance Women’s 990 vs Crocs Sizing

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Women’s New Balance 990v5 Sizing vs Nike Air Max 1

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New Balance Women’s 990 vs Nike Blazer Sizing

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New Balance Women’s 990 vs Air Force 1 Sizing

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New Balance Women’s 990 vs Hoka Sizing

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New Balance Women’s 990 vs Brooks Adrenaline Sizing

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New Balance Women’s 990 vs Asics Gel Kayano Sizing

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New Balance Women’s 990 vs Columbia Sizing

new-balance-990-womens-vs-columbia-shoe-sizing

Do New Balance 990 Shoes Fit Wide or Narrow?

This shoe is built using the SL-1 last, which is designed to create a standard width and fit.

In my experience, New Balance 990v5 shoes do not fit too wide or too narrow. Overall, the toe box area has average width. For example, here is my New Balance 990v5 compared to my Nike Cortez shoes. The Nike Cortez are well-known for having a narrow, shallow toe box.

new-balance-990-vs-nike-cortez-sizing

As you can see, the 990v5 shoe fits wider than the narrow Nike Cortez.

But the 990v5 standard also isn’t noticeably wide. If you have wide feet, these shoes are available in both wide and extra wide.

To get a better idea of how wide these shoes are, below is the width of my New Balance 990v5 shoes (standard) compared to the Nike Air Monarch 4E (which is a popular extra wide shoe):

new-balance-990-vs-nike-air-monarch-sizing

Below is a photo of me measuring the width of the outsole on the 990v5 men’s (size 12) and women’s (size 7) shoe. The men’s version is first and the women’s version is second:

new-balance-990-width-outsole
new-balance-990-women-width-measurement-outsole

These New Balance 990v5 width measurements are very standard compared to other types of athletic shoes. The 990v5 is available in wide sizes.

New Balance 990v5 On Foot

Here I am wearing my New Balance 990v5 shoes, which I found to have a true-to-size, comfortable fit. They have that chunkier design that was popular for 90’s running shoes:

new-balance-990v5-on-foot

Do New Balance 990v5 Shoes Run Big or Small?

When I compared the New Balance 990v5 sizing to other types of popular athletic-style shoes pictured above, I found the fit to be very similar. In my experience, the New Balance 990v5 shoes fit true to size.

To read more about sizing, visit my article Do New Balance Shoes Fit Big?


How Much Do New Balance 990v5 Shoes Weigh?

My size 12 men’s New Balance 990v5 shoes weigh 1.01 pounds per shoe.

new-balance-990-weight

A size 7 women’s New Balance 990v5 shoe weighs 0.72 pounds per shoe:

new-balance-990-women-weight

Recently I tried over 30 different types of New Balance shoes. Overall, these shoes are reasonably lightweight, however, I did find that other types of New Balance running shoes weighed less. To read about how these shoes compare to other New Balance shoes, visit my article about New Balance Weight.

Are New Balance 990v5 Shoes Breathable?

Yes, the New Balance 990v5 shoes are breathable. Here is a close-up look at the breathable material on my 990v5 shoes:

new-balance-990-women-material

Although the 990v5 is reasonably breathable, it isn’t as breathable as other types of New Balance running shoes. For example, here is the the New Balance Propel that I own:

new-balance-propel-breathable

You can actually see light passing through the Propel shoe.

The main takeaway is, yes, expect the New Balance 990v5 to be breathable, but I think there are more breathable options made by New Balance (Propel, Rebel).

How Flexible are New Balance 990v5 Shoes?

Flexibility can play a large role in the fit and comfort of a shoe.

The New Balance 990v5 shoes have a flexible design that feels responsive on my foot. The 990v5, however, does have a sturdier build than other types of modern running shoes, so don’t expect it to be as flexible and lightweight as certain types of New Balance running shoes (Fresh Foam, FuelCell, etc).

In the videos below I tried to capture how flexible these 990 shoes are:

Do New Balance 990v5 Shoes Fit Tall?

New Balance 990v5 Sole Height

I found the New Balance 990v5 sole height for my size 12 shoes to be just under 2 inches tall near the heel. Overall, this is a standard heel height that is very similar to other types of athletic casual shoes.

In the photo below, I tried to capture the heel height, and the overall height of the 990v5 shoe:

new-balance-990-sole-height

For a women’s size 7 shoe, the sole height measured very near 1.50 inches near the heel. Here is a look at the height of the women’s 990v5:

new-balance-990-women-sole-height

New Balance 990v5 Heel Drop

The New Balance 990v5 sizing page lists the heel drop as 12mm. I decided to measure it myself to verify.

To measure my shoes, I used an 8-inch Digital Outside Caliper. As you can see below, I also found the heel drop to be right at 12mm.

Here I am measuring the heel drop of the New Balance 990v5 shoes:

new-balance-990-heel-drop
new-balance-990-heel-drop-measurements

**It is important to understand that although I tried my best to get accurate measurements, the best way to measure heel drop is to cut the shoes in half and use an industrial caliper. Obviously, I didn’t want to destroy my shoes, but this is a convenient alternative way to measure the New Balance 990v5 heel drop.

The point is, think of this number as an approximation. For all official measurements, it would be best to reach out to New Balance directly.

The heel drop won’t affect how the New Balance 990v5 shoes fit, but it can affect how comfortable it is for you to use. To read more, visit my article that discusses the New Balance 990v5 heel drop and how it compares to other options.

Do New Balance 990v5 Shoes Fit Comfortable?

In my experience, the New Balance 990v5 shoes have a comfortable fit. They are part of New Balance’s Made in USA collection.

Out of the Made in USA collection, I actually think the 993 shoes are the most comfortable (you can read more about the New Balance 993 here). But these 990 shoes are very comfortable also.

It should also be noted that I think the shoes with the most cushioning under the foot are the New Balance FuelCell shoes – the FuelCell Propel and especially the FuelCell Rebel. Of course, those shoes are more modern-style running shoes, so they might not fit what you are looking for.

To read more in depth about comfort, visit my article Are the New Balance 990 Shoes Comfortable?

New Balance 990v5 Padding

The New Balance 990v5 shoes do have padding around the collar and tongue which helps create a comfortable, but dependable fit. Here is a look at my New Balance 990v5 shoes near the collar:

new-balance-990-women-padded-collar

Does the New Balance 990v5 Have a Removable Insole?

Yes, the New Balance 990v5 has a removeable insole in case you need to clean or swap your insole. Here is a look at the removable insole in my New Balance 990v5 shoes:

new-balance-990-insole

How Thick is the New Balance 990v5 Insole?

I measured my New Balance 990v5 insole to be slightly under a quarter-inch thick. This insole thickness is comparable to many other types of New Balance shoes.

new-balance-990-insole-measurement

990v5 Comparisons

To see how these shoes compare to other options that I tried, visit my articles linked below:

New Balance 990v5 Sizing Conclusion

In my experience, the New Balance 990v5 sizing fits true to size. When I compared the sizing of the 990v5 to the sizing of other popular athletic casual shoes, I found the sizing to be very similar.

The New Balance 990v5 shoes have a regular width that I would describe as not too narrow nor too wide. The 990v5 is available in wide sizes.

If you like the New Balance Made-in-USA collection, I thought both the 993 and the 992 fit a little bit bigger than this 990 shoe.

Paul Johnson

Paul is a lead content creator for Workwear Command. He has had several blue-collar jobs which have provided him a wide range of experience with tools and gear. He also has a business degree and has spent time in business casual office settings.

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