When you have to choose your new pair of professional footwear you need to know what type of Safety footwear markings it should have. Many times you see a professional shoe that you like with a long series of markings and you don’t know what those markings mean.
The manufacturers of professional footwear are legally bound to show the markings of their products, because you must know what are the properties of the shoes that you’re wearing. Normally the markings are indicated on the box and on a label that is placed inside the footwear, usually in the tongue area, or somewhere on the inside lining.
- How many different markings related to professional shoes are there?
- What is the difference between the various markings?
All Safety footwear markings are indicated in the norms, especially in the 20345, 20346, 20347.
Markings on a professional footwear includes some important information like size, year and month or quarter of production, reference to the international standards followed (example UNI EN ISO 20345), safety category and additional markings.
In this article I’ll explain the markings related to safety categories (for a complete vision please also read the article on the markings related to the additional requirements and slip resistance). I bet you’ll be surprised by how easy it is to find the best product for yourself!
- Do you need safety footwear with water resistant upper, cleated outsole and puncture resistant plate?
- Do you need protective footwear with no water resistance of the upper, but, on the other hand, very breathable?
- Do you need occupational footwear with water resistant upper and puncture resistant plate?
- Do you need firefighter’s boots with insulating properties, for structural interventions?
There’s a huge variety of needs and you have to choose, let me show you technically what exists on the market, and what markings you have to look for to find the perfect protective footwear for your needs.
Usually the markings on professional footwear are displayed in the following order:
COMMERCIAL NAME + SAFETY CATEGORY + ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS + SLIP RESISTANCE
The order of these markings can also change, for example the slip resistance can be mentioned before the additional markings.
Below is a list of the most common markings for professional footwear related to the safety categories and their basic properties.
SAFETY FOOTWEAR MARKINGS: SAFETY CATEGORIES
- F1 = For intervention in open areas (rescue boots), for forest fires, with no chemical resistance, can be class I or II. Has to be WR. Cannot be design A. Has to be at least HI1. Toe cap protection and puncture resistant plate are optional, as well as CI property, Metatarsal protection M and ankle protection AN.
- F1A = F1 boots with antistatic properties
- F1I = F1 boots with isolating properties
- F1P = F1 boots with puncture resistant plate
- F1PA = F1 boots with antistatic properties and puncture resistant plate
- F1PI = F1 boots with isolating properties and puncture resistant plate
- F2 = For all the structural fire interventions where a toe cap and a puncture resistant plate are necessary, but chemical protection is not mandatory. Can be class I and II. Has to be WR. Cannot be design A and B. Has to be at least HI2. CI property is optional. Metatarsal protection M and ankle protection AN are optional.
Best “F2” picks by SafetyShoesToday
- F2A = F2 boots with antistatic properties
- F2I = F2 boots with isolating properties
- F2IS = F2 boots with high isolating properties
- F3 = For all the structural fire interventions where a toe cap, a puncture resistant plate and chemical protection are necessary. Can be only class II. Design A and B not admitted. Has to be at least HI2. CI property is optional. Metatarsal protection M and ankle protection AN are optional. Chemical resistance CH is mandatory.
- F3A = F3 boots with antistatic properties
- F3I = F3 boots with isolating properties
- F3IS = F3 boots with high isolating properties
- OB = Occupational shoes with basic requirements – shoes without toe cap protection. Identifies a basic shoe. This is a shoe that fulfills minimum requirements such as tear resistance, durability or water vapor permeability of uppers, linings or the assembled shoe.
- OBH = Hybrid occupational footwear is a class II footwear incorporating another material which extends the upper, the lower part in class II (rubbers and polymeric materials) whereas the upper part is made of leather or any material other than polymers.
- O1 = OB + closed heel area + Antistatic properties (A) + Heel energy absorption (E) + Resistance to fuel oil (FO)
Best “O1” picks by SafetyShoesToday
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
- O1P = O1 + Puncture resistant plate
- O2 = O1 + WRU (The water penetration, expressed as mass increase of the thin textile plate within 60 minutes, may not exceed the limit of 0.2 grams. The water absorption may not be higher than 30%)
Best “O2” picks by SafetyShoesToday
Amazon.co.uk
- O2P = O2 + Puncture resistant plate + flat outsole (no cleats)
- O3 = O2 + Puncture resistant plate + cleated outsole
- O4 = is a polymeric boot and fulfills the requirements specified for O1 shoes. In addition to this, it must hold water outside for at least 15 minutes and has to have a profiled outsole.
- O5 = O4 + Puncture resistant plate
- PB = Protective shoes with basic requirements – shoes with toe cap resistance up to 100J. Identifies a basic shoe. This is a shoe that fulfills minimum requirements such as tear resistance, durability or water vapor permeability for uppers, for linings or for the assembled shoe.
- P1 = PB + closed heel area + Antistatic properties (A) + Heel energy absorption (E) + Resistance to fuel oil (FO)
- P2 = P1 + WRU (The water penetration, expressed as mass increase of the thin textile plate within 60 minutes, may not exceed the limit of 0.2 grams. The water absorption may not be higher than 30%.)
- P3 = P2 + Puncture resistant plate + cleated outsole
- P4 = polymeric boots that fulfill the requirements specified for P1 shoes. In addition to this, they must hold water outside for at least 15 minutes and must have a profiled outsole.
- P5 = P4 + Puncture resistant plate
- SB = Safety shoe with basic requirements – shoes with toe cap resistance up to 200J. Identifies a basic shoe. This is a shoe that fulfills minimum requirements such as tear resistance, durability or water vapor permeability for uppers, for linings or for the assembled shoe.
- SBP = SB + Puncture resistant plate
- S1 = SB + closed heel area + Antistatic properties (A) + Heel energy absorption (E) + Resistance to fuel oil (FO)
Best “S1” picks by SafetyShoesToday
Amazon.co.uk
- S1P = S1 + Puncture resistant plate
Best “S1P” picks by SafetyShoesToday
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
- S2 = S1 + WRU (The water penetration, expressed as mass increase of the thin textile plate within 60 minutes, may not exceed the limit of 0.2 grams. The water absorption may not be higher than 30%.)
Best “S2” picks by SafetyShoesToday
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
- S2P = S2 + Puncture resistant plate + flat outsole (no cleated outsole)
- S3 = S2 + Puncture resistant plate + cleated outsole
Best “S3” picks by SafetyShoesToday
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
- S4 = it is a polymeric boot and fulfills the requirements specified for S1 shoes. In addition to this, it must hold water outside for at least 15 minutes and has to have a profiled outsole.
Best “S4” picks by SafetyShoesToday
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
- S5 = S4 + Puncture resistant plate + cleated outsole
Best “S5” picks by SafetyShoesToday
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
- SBH = Hybrid safety footwear is like class II footwear that incorporates another material which extends the upper: the lower part is class II (rubbers and polymeric materials) and the upper part is made of leather or any material other than polymers.
These are the solutions that I suggest to you when you’re looking at the markings in order to choose the best professional footwear for your needs.
Once you have selected the safety shoes with the right markings for you, you’ll be more protected and comfortable at work.
I guarantee that if you use the right professional footwear you’ll live a better working experience.
What do you think about the different markings?
Do you have points to add?
Please write your comments below!
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