Testing Footwear

Footwear testing

A myriad of strict regulations governs the import and sale of footwear in the world's developed nations to protect consumers, clothing brands and the environment. The European Union and most other countries with healthy consumer markets enforce similar trade laws and legislation concerning footwear testing methods and quality control.

Footwear manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers are responsible for ensuring their products meet the requirements of commerce departments and health authorities in the countries where they choose to sell them.

Whether the market for your footwear is in the EU, the United Arab Emirates, Asia, the United States, Australia, Japan, or other countries, you'll have to prove that testing has been carried out on your products to ensure they meet the legal requirements of your destination market. Failing to do that may result in your shipment being rejected, while you may face fines on top of the cost of your product recall.

Footwear Related Laws and Legislation

• Protection of intellectual property rights
• Consumer health, environmental protection (restrictions on chemicals in footwear)
• Product composition and labelling requirements
• Personal protective equipment (workwear)
• Product safety and quality

What Are Footwear Testing Methods?

Here are some of the testing methods used for testing footwear according to ISO standards, to ensure safety and quality requirements are met. They also pertain to personal protective equipment (PPE) used in the workplace.

1. Compression Resistance

A secondary test for the toe cap that determines the shoe's capacity to protect the toe area from heavy rolling objects (compression). The toe cap area is compressed between two plates at a predetermined rate of speed and force, then the clearance space remaining in the cap is measured.

2. Impact Resistance

This test determines the strength of the footwear's toe cap and its resistance to a weight being dropped on it. Testing is carried out in stages, and the clearance space remaining in the cap after the drop tests is measured. The following standards are part of the test:

• Atmospheric conditions
• Shape of the striker
• Amount of weight
• Distance weight is dropped
• Velocity of the drop

3. Metatarsal Protection

Up from the toe area on the top of the foot are the metatarsal bones. Protection of this area in safety shoes uses either internal or external metatarsal guards. Testing the footwear for metatarsal protection is done by fitting a wax form into the footwear, after which a weight is dropped onto the protected metatarsal area. The height of the wax form is then measured.

4. Puncture Resistance

This test determines the strength of steel or puncture-resistant material in the outsole of protective footwear, which is designed to prevent sharp objects, such as nails, glass or metal, injuring the foot. The test is carried out by forcing a sharp steel pin into the footwear, measuring the force and speed of the pin. The test includes testing the protective material for flexibility and corrosion resistance.

5. Electric Shock Resistance

This is for testing footwear specifically designed for protecting the wearer from electric shock. The testing is carried out by placing the footwear on a metal platform (electrode) and filling the shoe with small metal spheres, among which another electrode is placed. A high-voltage current is applied to the footwear for a certain period, and resistance or leakage is measured.

6. Static Dissipation

Footwear designed to reduce the risk of conducting a charge of static electricity from the body to the ground is tested with a static dissipation standard. The footwear is either worn by human subjects, or metal spheres are placed inside it, after which the shoe is put in contact with an electrode plate. Wet and dry conditions are tested with a specified voltage applied for a specific period of time.

7. Conductivity

This is for testing footwear that's designed to discharge static electricity from the wearer's body through shoes into grounded floors. This kind of footwear is used in workplaces where the risk of igniting volatile chemicals or explosives is dramatically reduced. The conductivity test is carried out by placing the footwear filled with small metal spheres on an electrode plate. A second electrode is placed among the spheres and a voltage is applied for a specific time to measure the electrical resistance.