Legit Check Now
Brand · 3 guides

Nike: real vs fake

Every Nike checkpoint on this site states a measurement, an accept range and how we arrived at it. No comparison photos we didn't shoot, no certificates.

Real vs fake guides
Nike Tag Real vs Fake: Style Code, Dates and UPC Check Digit 15 measured checks How To Tell If Air Force 1 Are Fake: 10 Measured Checks 14 measured checks Fake Dunks: Style Codes, Eyelets, Tongue and Zoom Air 14 measured checks
Checkpoints covered
  • Style code 9 characters: 6 for the model, a hyphen, 3 for the colourway (e.g. CU1726-100)
  • Size row 4 size systems on a standard tag: US, UK, EUR and CM; newer Jordan tags add CN and BR
  • Factory code 2 to 3 characters in the top right corner (VT, XC, VF, BR, VW1 are documented examples)
  • Country line 95 % of Nike Brand footwear came from Vietnam (52%), Indonesia (27%) and China (16%) in fiscal 2026
  • Production dates 2 dates in MM/DD/YY format; documented pairs sit 10 to 15 weeks apart
  • UPC digits 12 digits in the UPC; Nike codes begin 88 or 19; older tags print two leading zeros for 14
  • UPC check digit 1 final digit computed from the other 11 by the GS1 modulo 10 rule
  • Box label match 3 fields that must agree between tag and box: style code, size row and UPC
  • Text weight 1 font weight across every line of the tag
  • QR code 1 QR code on tags printed from about 2019, replacing the barcode lines on many models
  • Release offset 2 to 4 months between the tag dates and the retail release of that colourway
  • Style code prefix CW2288 six character prefix on a men's Air Force 1 Low 07; the Mid runs CW2289, the High CW2290 or 315121, and the women's pair DD8959 or 315115
  • Retail price 115 US dollars Nike lists for a men's Air Force 1 Low 07; the Mid lists at 125, Big Kids at 100, Little Kids at 70 to 80 and Baby or Toddler at 55
  • Shoe weight 465 grams for one shoe in a men's US 9, about 16.4 ounces; the 07 LV8 build weighed 476
  • Heel stack height 31.7 millimetres of stack under the heel; the forefoot measures 17.2 for a drop of 14.5
  • Outsole rubber thickness 4.6 millimetres of outsole rubber under the forefoot; the 07 LV8 build measured 4.9
  • Insole thickness 5.0 millimetres of insole; the 07 LV8 build measured 5.4
  • Tongue padding thickness 8.0 millimetres of tongue padding at the thickest point, measured identically on the 07 and the 07 LV8
  • Toebox height 26.5 millimetres from the insole to the inside of the upper at the big toe; the 07 LV8 measured 26.7
  • Internal length 272 millimetres of internal length in a men's US 9, against the 27 centimetres Nike prints beside that size
  • Stock lace length 160 centimetres of flat lace, roughly 63 inches, on the longer of the two published figures; a second retailer gives 122 to 137
  • Style code prefix DD1391 six character prefix on a men's Dunk Low Retro; women's run DD1503, Grade School CW1590, Dunk High DD1399 and SB Dunk Low Pro BQ6817
  • Eyelet pairs 7 eyelet pairs per side on a Dunk Low
  • Stock lace length 140 centimetres of flat lace shipped with a Dunk Low, roughly 55 inches; a Dunk High takes 160
Legit Check Now