When buying safety footwear you surely look at the features, at the look and then at the size. Have you ever thought about the width of shoes? Do you need narrow, regular or wide safety shoes?
Every foot has its shape and any worker should wear the right safety shoes with the appropriate width.
In this article I will talk about wide safety shoes, and more in particular about the Mondopoint system for measuring the width of safety shoes.
There is no legislation on safety footwear to issue manufacturers how to manufacture wide safety shoes, but there is a standard: the Mondopoint system.
The Mondopoint system is better known for measuring the length of safety shoes, but there is also a table on the width of safety shoes corresponding to the length of the foot.
In this article I’ll explain to you something about wide safety shoes, because on the market there are a number of footwear solutions for this purpose. I bet you’ll be surprised by how easy it is to find the product for yourself!
Do you have narrow feet? Do you have wide feet? Do you feel that your safety shoes are not really fit for your foot? Are you developing blisters because the shoe is too narrow and it scratches your foot?
Well, you definitely need to choose your next pair of safety footwear looking at the width, now I’ll technically explain to you what exists on the market, which technical specifications you have to look for for the perfect wide safety shoes for your needs.
The problem arising from not choosing the safety footwear with the right width:
- if it’s too narrow you can develop blisters
- it’s too narrow it will be impossible to stay a full day with them
- if it’s too narrow you can have blood circulation problems
- if you are diabetic you can have serious circulation problems
- if it’s too wide you can twist your ankle
- if it’s too wide you are not safe
- if it’s too wide the inside materials will last less
You definitely need to check the width of your safety shoes.
Some (not many) manufacturers produce their safety footwear in up to 4 different widths per size. The majority of safety footwear manufacturers instead are declaring the width of each style of their collection. In both cases, if you are able to check by yourself the correct width of your foot, it will be easy for you to find the perfect wide safety shoes for your needs.
How to measure the width of your feet?
- By experience, if the previous shoe had a width that did not satisfy you, then you should take the next pair of a different width, bigger or smaller depending on your needs
- By measuring the width of your feet and then searching on the market the perfect wide safety shoes for your needs.
The widths are based on the measurement of the widest part of your feet, by calculating the circumference from the base joint of your big toe to that of your little toe.
In size 42 the length of your foot should be 270mm. The internal length of the shoe should be a bit longer in order to allocate the toe cap. The corresponding widths are:
- width 10 Mondopoint in size 42 a circumference of 248mm
- width 11 Mondopoint a circumference of 254mm
- width 12 Mondopoint a circumference of 260mm
- width 13 Mondopoint a circumference of 266mm
- width 14 Mondopoint a circumference of 272mm
So the difference between two consecutive widths is 6mm.
From one size to another the difference in width is 4,5mm, for example:
- a size 41 width 11 has a circumference of 249,5mm
- size 42 is 254mm
- size 43 is 258,5mm
Wide safety shoes selected by SafetyShoesToday:
Monodpoint 10:
Mondopoint 11:
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Mondopoint 12:
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
There is no marking on safety footwear to differentiate wide safety shoes from narrow safety shoes.
You have to refer to manufacturer’s declarations, often indicated in the product specifications on the website.
In Europe the biggest part of safety shoes have a Mondopoint width of 10 and 11, but you can find also Mondopoint 9 for narrow feet, and Mondopoint 12 for wide safety shoes. For extreme widths you can find also Mondopoint 13 and 14.
The safety footwear built in different widths has a different upper construction for each width, it is a huge investment for the manufacturer but a big service for the end user.
When you’ll have selected over the many wide safety shoes you will be protected and comfortable at work.
I guarantee that if you use the right wide safety shoes you’ll live a better working experience.
What do you think about wide safety shoes?
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