steel toe safety
Steel toe safety
Steel toe waterproof work boots are roughly 50% of all waterproof safety shoes. Steel is easily the strongest, most versatile material, which can be molded into many toe-shapes and styles, but it tends to also be the heaviest of the components used to reinforce the toe.
The Aluminum safety toe is clearly lighter than the steel toe, but is not as strong as steel. It is more difficult to provide enough strength in certain shapes to meet safety-toe tests, so the styles are limited compared to steel toes.
The composite toe is the trendy safety toe material because it is lighter than steel, but it’s also considerably thicker than steel to compensate for its strength. The thickness required to provide strength for the composite safety toe renders a typically wider, more bulbous shape; which often limits the style choices. Hence the composite toe is most likely found in work, hiking, and some men’s athletic shoes and casual shoes, but the bulbous toe shape is not as attractive and useful in women’s styles.
The carbon fiber safety toe is a new, non-metallic fiber composite, providing a strong, synthetic material, so it does not require the thickness of the composite toe for durability, making it more useful in styles with lower profile toes. When looking for comfort, many may opt for the light weight of a carbon or composite toe safety toe over the heavier steel toe, but opting for the lighter weight safety toes also requires a willingness to forego the sophistication of the favored western styled toe or lower profile dress and causal styles that only steel provides. The new, carbon fiber toe, could become the new, preferred non-metallic toe in athletic shoes, hikers, work boots if it can be shaped into some of the lower profile, smaller toe shapes and pass the ASTM safety toe standards.
Steel toe waterproof work boots are roughly 50% of all waterproof safety shoes. Steel is easily the strongest, most versatile material, which can be molded into many toe-shapes and styles, but it tends to also be the heaviest of the components used to reinforce the toe.
The Aluminum safety toe is clearly lighter than the steel toe, but is not as strong as steel. It is more difficult to provide enough strength in certain shapes to meet safety-toe tests, so the styles are limited compared to steel toes.
The composite toe is the trendy safety toe material because it is lighter than steel, but it’s also considerably thicker than steel to compensate for its strength. The thickness required to provide strength for the composite safety toe renders a typically wider, more bulbous shape; which often limits the style choices. Hence the composite toe is most likely found in work, hiking, and some men’s athletic shoes and casual shoes, but the bulbous toe shape is not as attractive and useful in women’s styles.
The carbon fiber safety toe is a new, non-metallic fiber composite, providing a strong, synthetic material, so it does not require the thickness of the composite toe for durability, making it more useful in styles with lower profile toes. When looking for comfort, many may opt for the light weight of a carbon or composite toe safety toe over the heavier steel toe, but opting for the lighter weight safety toes also requires a willingness to forego the sophistication of the favored western styled toe or lower profile dress and causal styles that only steel provides. The new, carbon fiber toe, could become the new, preferred non-metallic toe in athletic shoes, hikers, work boots if it can be shaped into some of the lower profile, smaller toe shapes and pass the ASTM safety toe standards.
