Frequently Asked Questions

Our standard boots use EU sizing as the standard. Visit our size guide to find your equivalent in AU, US, or UK. We recommend measuring your foot before ordering — instructions are at the bottom of the size guide. Custom boots are made to measure based on your unique proportions and sizing.

Standard sizing information:

• We use EU sizing, from size 35–45.
• Our tall boots (over 33 cm in shaft height) can be ordered in SlimFit, Regular, Wide, and Extra Wide sizes for both men and women to accommodate a variety of calf sizes.
• Our elastic gusset ankle boots are available in Regular and Wide for both men and women.
• Our footbeds are available in women's Standard and Wide widths (B and D), and men's Standard and Wide widths (D and E).

If you have feet of different sizes, or require special size accommodations relating to footbed size, calf or ankle width, reach out and we will do our best to assist.

We've made some helpful guides on how to measure your foot, ankle, and calf over at our size guide.

It's simple, but easier with a second person to give you a hand. Wrap a soft tape measure around the widest part of your calf, snug but not tight. Compare your measurement to our ankle and calf size chart — SlimFit, Regular, Wide, or Extra Wide — to find the right fit.

Every pair of Temper & Stone boots is made to order — nothing sits on a shelf waiting. That means a longer lead time than mass-produced footwear, but it's the trade-off for a boot built specifically for you, by hand, the right way.

Standard made-to-order boots: allow up to 8 weeks from the date your order is placed.

Fully custom bespoke boots: allow up to 12 weeks from the date you approve the final design.

Once your boots are finished and shipped, transit time depends on your destination and the courier, and can occasionally be affected by circumstances outside our control. We'll send tracking as soon as your boots leave us.

A handmade boot isn't built quickly because it isn't meant to be built quickly. The eight to twelve weeks we ask for represents real work happening across several stages, plus a small but steady queue of other orders ahead of yours.

Sourcing the right materials. Every pair starts with leather selection. We work with a small group of trusted tanneries, and the specific hide for your boots — the right weight, grain, and colour match — has to be located, ordered, and delivered before anything else can begin. For some leathers we keep a working stock; for others, particularly bespoke colours and finishes, we order in for your project specifically. This step alone can take one to two weeks.

Cutting, lasting, and stitching. Once materials are in hand, the work begins in earnest. Patterns are cut by hand. The upper is shaped over a last — the wooden or composite form that gives a boot its fit and silhouette — and stitched together. Goodyear welt construction means the welt itself is hand-stitched to the upper and insole before the sole is attached, a process that can't be rushed without compromising the integrity that makes these boots resoleable for decades.

Finishing. The final stage — burnishing, edge treatment, conditioning, polishing, quality checks — is where a good boot becomes a great one. We don't shortcut this part. Every pair is inspected before it leaves the workshop.

The waitlist. We're a small workshop and we make boots in steady, deliberate batches. There's almost always a queue of orders ahead of yours, and we work through them in the order they arrive. Most weeks we're booked out a few weeks in advance — not so far that you'll wait forever, but enough that we can't promise rush turnarounds.

Ordering for a special event? If you have a wedding, a milestone birthday, a trip, or any other event you want your boots for, order with plenty of room to spare. We recommend allowing the full 8 weeks for standard made-to-order, 12 weeks for bespoke, plus an extra 2–3 weeks of buffer for shipping and any unforeseen delays in materials or transit. If your event is in three months, the time to order is now — not in six weeks.

We only offer rush production in exceptional circumstances — additional fees may apply.

Custom Temper & Stone boots are built in stages, with you involved at every step. Here's the short version:

1. Initial deposit and consultation. A refundable deposit secures a consultation slot. We talk through what you're after — leathers, construction, embellishments, fit considerations, references, the works. If we can't bring your vision to life — whether it's a technical limitation, materials we can't source, or a request we won't take on — we'll tell you, and your deposit is fully refunded. An estimate of the total cost is provided during your consultation and depends on the materials, labour, and specifications you require.
2. Design. Once we've agreed your project is one we can build, we move into design. From this point your deposit is non-refundable — we're now working on artwork specifically for you. We provide artwork for your review and welcome reasonable revisions until you're happy with the final design.
3. Approval and second invoice. When you sign off on the final artwork, we issue the second invoice covering the balance of the build.
4. Commencement. Production begins once the second invoice is paid. From this point, allow up to 12 weeks for your boots.

One thing we won't do: copy another bootmaker's work. We're happy to take inspiration from a style, a silhouette, or a tradition — that's how craft moves forward. But we won't reproduce another maker's specific design. If you've seen a boot you love from another maker, tell us what drew you to it and we'll design something original that captures the same spirit.

A full walkthrough of the custom process, including pricing, timelines, leather and construction options, and examples of past projects, is on our Custom page.

Yes — and honestly, this is some of the most rewarding work we do.

Designing a pair of boots from scratch is exactly what our custom and bespoke service exists for. Bring us a sketch on the back of a napkin, a Pinterest board, a description of an idea you can't quite articulate, or a fully-formed vision — we'll work with you to bring it to life. Leathers, colours, stitching, hardware, embellishments, embossing, last shape, sole choice, heel — every element is on the table.

The process is collaborative. We'll provide artwork for your review, take you through what's technically possible (and what isn't), suggest refinements where they'll make the boot better, and welcome reasonable revisions until the design is right. You'll see and approve every detail before we cut a single piece of leather.

A note on copyright and intellectual property. Because we're putting our hands and our name to your design, we take due diligence seriously. Before we move into production on a custom design, we'll do our best to confirm that the artwork, motifs, logos, or distinctive elements you've asked for don't infringe on someone else's copyright, trademark, or registered designs. We're not here to be the copyright police, and we trust our customers to come to us in good faith. But we won't knowingly produce work that infringes on someone else's rights — for your protection as much as ours.

Don't sweat it. There will be no surprises at the door. For every order — Australian and international — the full landed cost is calculated and charged at checkout. What you see is what you pay.

Australian customers: GST is already included in the listed price.

International customers: any duties, taxes, or VAT that apply to your country are added at checkout based on your shipping address. We collect them upfront and pass them on to the relevant authorities, so your boots clear customs smoothly and arrive at your door with nothing left to settle.

A note on what duties actually are…

When goods cross an international border, the destination country can charge import duties, VAT, GST, or other taxes on the value of the shipment. These are set by your government — not by us — and the rate depends on what you're buying, where you're buying from, and the value of your order. They exist whether you buy from us or any other international retailer; the difference is just when you pay them. Some sellers leave the customer to pay these charges to the courier on delivery, often as a surprise. We've chosen to handle it for you upfront so there's no awkward bill at your door.

Because every pair is made specifically for you, our standard policy is no returns or exchanges for change of mind, fit preferences, or sizing decisions made at the time of order. Once a pair is in production, the leather is cut, stitched, and shaped for you — they can't go back on a shelf or be passed to another customer.

We'll always honour your rights under Australian Consumer Law and equivalent legislation in your country. If your boots arrive faulty, defective, or substantially different from what was ordered — meaning we got something wrong on our end — we'll make it right. Reach out to us at howdy@temperandstone.com with photos and your order number, and we'll work with you on a repair, remake, or refund as appropriate.

A few things worth knowing before you order:

• Take your time with sizing. Use our size guide, measure your foot properly, and reach out before ordering if you're unsure. A quick email to howdy@temperandstone.com beats an unwearable boot.
• Custom designs require your approval before production starts. You'll see and sign off on the final design before we cut leather. This is your moment to ask questions, change your mind, or refine the details.
• Goodyear-welt construction is repairable. If something goes wrong after years of wear — a worn sole, a loose stitch, a scuffed toe — get in touch. Many issues that would end the life of a cheaper boot can be fixed on a Temper & Stone pair.

This is one of those FAQ entries we genuinely wish we didn't need. Most of our customers will never have a reason to read this — but if you're curious about how we handle disputes, here's our position.

A chargeback is when a customer disputes a credit card charge with their bank instead of resolving an issue with the seller directly. Banks designed chargebacks to protect consumers from fraud — unauthorised charges, businesses that disappeared with the money, products that never arrived.

If you have a problem with your order, please talk to us first.

We are real people with a real address and a real email. The fastest way to resolve any issue — a delayed shipment, a quality concern, a sizing question, a misunderstanding about your order — is to email us at howdy@temperandstone.com. We respond quickly and we genuinely want every customer to be happy with their boots. We've never failed to resolve a legitimate concern when given the chance.

Every order we ship is tracked and traced end-to-end. From the moment your boots leave our workshop to the moment they're signed for at your door, we have a record of where they are. We keep these records, along with your order details, design approvals, communications, and proof of delivery, on file for every order — both for your protection and ours.

Filing a chargeback before contacting us is treated as an act of bad faith. It costs us money in fees regardless of the outcome, ties up the order in a 60–90 day dispute process, and bypasses every faster path we'd offer you directly. If a chargeback is filed for a reason that wasn't first raised with us — a sizing complaint on a finished order, change of mind, an "I didn't receive it" claim where tracking shows delivery — we will defend the dispute with our records and we reserve the right to decline future orders from the customer.

We're a small business and we take fraud seriously. Every unwarranted chargeback isn't a faceless cost on a corporate balance sheet — it's our time, our materials, and money out of a small operation that's reinvested into making better boots. We will actively defend disputes that aren't grounded in a real issue, and we keep records of customers who've filed chargebacks against us across orders and channels.

If your card is genuinely used without your authorisation, please contact your bank immediately and also let us know at howdy@temperandstone.com so we can flag the order on our end. Fraud against you is a different situation entirely — we'll work with you and your bank to resolve it as quickly as possible.