Overview
ISO 20346:2021 - "Personal protective equipment - Protective footwear" - defines basic and optional requirements for general-purpose protective footwear used as personal protective equipment (PPE). The standard covers performance aspects for protection against mechanical risks, slip and thermal hazards, ergonomic behaviour, and requirements for footwear fitted with customized insocks or individually manufactured customized footwear. It excludes high-visibility properties and delegates special job-related risks (firefighters, electrical insulating footwear, chainsaw, chemicals, molten metal, motorcycle riders) to complementary standards.
Key topics and technical requirements
ISO 20346:2021 addresses design, materials and performance across the entire shoe system:
- Classification and designs - definitions and footwear classes for general-purpose protection.
- Whole-footwear requirements - constructional performance, toe protection (aligned with ISO 22568 parts), leak proofness, ergonomics and user assessment.
- Slip resistance - updated slip-resistance requirements and marking conventions (SR, Ø) for outsole grip on different surfaces; informative guidance on slip testing.
- Outsole performance - design, abrasion and tear strength, flexing resistance, resistance to hot contact, fuel oil resistance and ladder grip.
- Upper, lining, tongue, insole/insock - thickness, tear/tensile strength, water vapour permeability, abrasion, hydrolysis resistance and specific tests for insock abrasion and water behaviour.
- Additional (optional) features - perforation resistance (per ISO 22568 series), electrical properties (antistatic, partially conductive), metatarsal and ankle protection, cut resistance, scuff caps, energy absorption in the seat region, water resistance.
- Seam strength - requirements for hybrid constructions and bonds between layers.
- Marking and manufacturer’s instructions - labelling, usage guidance and information on obsolescence and electrical properties.
- Customized footwear - normative annex on adapting footwear to individual users and one-off manufacture.
Practical applications and users
ISO 20346:2021 is used by:
- Footwear manufacturers for design validation and compliance of safety shoes and boots.
- Testing laboratories to perform standardized performance and durability tests.
- Safety managers, procurement teams and specifiers to select PPE that meets workplace hazards (slip, mechanical impact, puncture).
- Regulatory and conformity assessors for product certification and market surveillance.
- Occupational health professionals advising on ergonomic and protective shoe selection.
Related standards
- ISO 22568 series (toe protection and perforation resistance)
- Job-specific standards for firefighters, electrical insulating footwear, chainsaw protection, chemical/molten metal splash protection, motorcycle protective footwear
Keywords: ISO 20346:2021, protective footwear, PPE, slip resistance, toe protection, perforation resistance, metatarsal protection, antistatic footwear, outsole abrasion, customized protective footwear.
