88% Failed: Is Your Safety Shoe Actually Tested?
Safety footwear cannot legally be self-declared in the UK. It is Category II PPE, which means an independent body must issue a type-examination certificate before a CE or UKCA mark goes anywhere near the box. Untested footwear still reaches buyers anyway, industry testing has found the overwhelming majority of products from unregistered suppliers failing on performance, paperwork, or both. Quick Answer Self-certification is not allowed for safety shoes. Only Category I PPE (minimal risk) can be self-declared. Safety footwear is Category II. A notified or approved body must issue an EU/UK type-examination certificate before the product can be marked and sold. The CE mark on its own is not proof. It can be printed by anyone. The paperwork behind it is what counts. Ask for the Declaration of Conformity. A legitimate supplier can produce it. That single request filters out most of the risk. Employers carry the legal duty to ensure the PPE they provide is genuinely certified, not just that it's being worn. In This Guide What "self-declared" really means. Can safety shoes be self-certified?. What real certification involves. Why the CE mark proves nothing. How widespread is the problem?. The risk to workers and employers. How to check before you buy. Where Xnexz stands. Quick FAQ. What Does "Self-Declared" Actually Mean? A self-declared product is one where the manufacturer alone decides it meets the standard, with no independent body checking. For some low-risk products that's perfectly legal. For safety footwear it isn't, and a shoe sold that way has never been verified by anyone but the person selling it. PPE is split into three risk categories under the regulations. Category I covers minimal risks, gardening gloves, sunglasses, where the wearer can spot a problem themselves in good time. Manufacturers can self-declare those, compile a technical file, and mark them without involving anyone else. Category III covers risks that are fatal or irreversible, such as respiratory or fall-arrest equipment. Category II sits between the two: risks of serious injury that a wearer cannot reliably judge for themselves. Safety footwear lives here, and that placement is the entire point, you cannot look at a toe cap and tell whether it will survive a 200-joule impact. Can Safety Shoes Legally Be Self-Certified in the UK? No. Because safety footwear is Category II PPE, an independent notified body (for CE) or approved body (for UKCA) must carry out an EU or UK type-examination before the product can carry a conformity mark. Self-certification is not an available route. The framework comes from Regulation (EU) 2016/425, which continues to apply in Great Britain alongside the Personal Protective Equipment (Enforcement) Regulations 2018. Manufacturers, importers, distributors and online sellers all carry duties under it, the obligation doesn't stop at the factory gate. So when a listing describes footwear as "self-certified" or "manufacturer certified," that isn't a lesser-but-acceptable grade of compliance. For this product category it means the legally required step was skipped. Our overview of the UK PPE at Work Regulations covers where those duties fall for employers and workers. What Does Genuine Certification Actually Involve? A real certificate means samples were physically tested in an accredited laboratory against EN ISO 20345, an independent body reviewed the technical file and issued a type-examination certificate, and only then did the manufacturer draw up a Declaration of Conformity and apply the mark. The sequence matters, because each step is a place where a dishonest supplier can cut corners: Laboratory testing. Physical samples are tested against the standard, toe cap impact and compression, midsole puncture resistance, slip resistance, antistatic properties and more, depending on the claimed rating. Type-examination (Module B). An independent notified or approved body reviews the technical construction file, checks the test evidence, and confirms the design meets the requirements. It issues a certificate with a number. Production control (Module C). The manufacturer must keep internal controls so that what leaves the line matches the sample that passed. Certification covers a design, not a promise about every future pair. Declaration of Conformity. The manufacturer formally declares compliance, in writing, and must be able to supply it along with user instructions and technical documentation. Only after all of that can the CE or UKCA mark legitimately be applied. If you want the technical side of what's being tested, our guide to EN ISO 20345 explained breaks down what each rating actually requires. Why Doesn't the CE Mark Prove a Shoe Was Tested? Because the CE mark is applied by the manufacturer, not issued by a regulator. It's two letters printed on a label. Anyone willing to break the law can print them, and for Category II footwear there isn't even a notified body number alongside to check. This is the detail that catches out careful buyers. On Category III PPE, the four-digit number of the body monitoring production appears next to the CE mark, giving you something concrete to verify. On Category II footwear, that number is not required beside the mark, so a lone CE symbol on a boot tells you nothing about who, if anyone, examined it. The verifiable trail sits elsewhere: the notified or approved body's name, address and number must appear in the user information supplied with the footwear, and the Declaration of Conformity must be available on request. That paperwork, not the printed symbol, is the evidence. The single most useful question you can ask a supplier: "Can you send me the Declaration of Conformity and the type-examination certificate for this model?" A legitimate seller answers within a day. An untested product cannot produce them at all. How Widespread Is Untested Safety Footwear? More common than most buyers assume, particularly on online marketplaces. British Safety Industry Federation testing has repeatedly found the large majority of PPE from unregistered sources failing on performance claims, documentation, or both. In one BSIF testing programme covering footwear examined between December 2021 and December 2022, only five of 42 products from suppliers outside its Registered Safety Supplier Scheme were found fully compliant. Across its wider PPE testing, the federation has reported roughly the inverse pass rates between registered and unregistered sources, around nine in ten passing from registered suppliers, and a similar proportion failing from unregistered ones. 88% of tested products from unregistered suppliers showed failures against performance claims and/or documentation (BSIF) 5 of 42 footwear products from unregistered suppliers found fully compliant in one BSIF testing period ~9 in 10 PPE items from BSIF-registered suppliers passed compliance testing More recent BSIF testing has continued to find unsafe PPE circulating on online marketplaces, including footwear bought online that lacked basic mandatory protective components. This is not a historical problem that regulation has since tidied up. Case in point · A UK recall In 2025, the Office for Product Safety and Standards recalled safety shoes sold through a major social commerce platform. The listing advertised the footwear as anti-smash and anti-puncture, using exactly the language a worker would search for. OPSS found no evidence the product had undergone conformity assessment as PPE, and it carried neither CE nor UKCA marking. The regulator judged it to present a serious risk of injuries and found it failed to meet the requirements of the PPE regulations. The listing was removed after enforcement action, but industry commentators noted that similar footwear remained available on other marketplaces. Removal of one listing does not clear the shelf. What's the Real Risk to Workers and Employers? For workers, the risk is protection that simply isn't there when it's needed. For employers, it's a legal exposure, the duty is to provide PPE that is genuinely certified, and a supplier's unverified word is not a defence. The risk to the wearer A toe cap that may not withstand a real impact A midsole that may not stop a nail Slip resistance below the mandatory minimum Materials that degrade far sooner than expected False confidence, the worst outcome of all The risk to the employer Breach of the duty to provide suitable, certified PPE Enforcement action under the PPE regulations Duties now extend to some non-employed workers Insurance and liability complications after an incident Difficulty evidencing compliance in an investigation There's a particular gap worth flagging: workers who are given a budget to buy their own safety footwear. They're often the least equipped to assess certification paperwork, and the most likely to buy from whichever marketplace listing looks like good value. If your organisation does this, the sourcing guidance matters as much as the budget. How Do You Check Your Safety Shoes Were Really Tested? Ask for the documentation, check the markings on the shoe itself, and buy from suppliers who can be held accountable. Three straightforward habits filter out most untested footwear. Check What good looks like Warning sign Documentation Declaration of Conformity supplied on request Vague replies, delays, or "it's CE, that's enough" User information Notified/approved body name, address and number included No booklet, or a generic photocopied insert Shoe markings Full rating (e.g. S1P), standard, size, date of manufacture Only a CE logo and a size Claim language Specific ratings tied to the standard "Anti-smash", "anti-puncture" with no rating cited Seller Named UK business, traceable, answers technical questions Anonymous marketplace seller, no contact route One more habit worth building: check that the rating on the paperwork matches the rating your workplace actually requires. A genuine certificate for the wrong class is still the wrong shoe. Our UK safety shoes buying checklist runs through that step by step. Where Does Xnexz Stand on This? Xnexz PulseX and StrideX are EN ISO 20345 S1P certified, and we think any brand making that claim should be willing to evidence it on request rather than expecting you to take it on trust. We're a new UK brand. We don't have decades of reputation to lean on, which is precisely why we'd rather point you at paperwork than adjectives. If you want to see the certification documentation for either model before you buy, or you're a safety officer who needs it for a PPE file, ask us and we'll send it. We'd also rather you applied the checks in this article to us as rigorously as to anyone else. If a supplier, including this one, can't produce documentation for a protective claim, that tells you something worth knowing. And if S1P isn't what your site requires, no amount of certification on our part makes our footwear the right choice, your employer's risk assessment decides that, not us. Self-Declared vs Tested Safety Shoes: Quick FAQ Is a CE mark enough to prove safety shoes are certified? No. The manufacturer applies the mark themselves, and for Category II footwear no notified body number sits beside it. The Declaration of Conformity and type-examination certificate are the real evidence. What is a Declaration of Conformity? A formal written statement from the manufacturer declaring the product meets the applicable requirements, referencing the standards and the certificate behind it. Suppliers of Category II footwear must be able to provide it. Are cheap safety shoes automatically untested? No, price and compliance are separate issues, and there are legitimately certified budget options. The pattern in testing data relates to unaccountable sourcing, particularly anonymous marketplace listings, rather than low price by itself. What should I do if I think my work shoes aren't certified? Raise it with your employer or safety representative and ask to see the documentation. If footwear was supplied as PPE, the organisation providing it should be able to evidence its certification. Does UKCA or CE marking apply in Great Britain? Both markings are encountered in the GB market, and requirements have shifted over recent years. Check the current position with your supplier or the relevant guidance, as arrangements have been subject to change. The Honest Verdict The gap between self-declared and independently tested safety footwear isn't a technicality, it's the difference between protection that has been proven and protection that has only been claimed. The reassuring part is how simple the defence is. You don't need to understand impact testing to stay safe here; you need to ask one question about documentation and decline to buy when it goes unanswered. Suppliers who have done the work can answer it easily. Those who haven't, can't, and that silence is the most useful information you'll get. Ask Us for the Paperwork If your workplace accepts S1P footwear and you're considering Xnexz, request our certification documentation before you buy, we'd rather you checked. And if you do wear a pair on a real shift, tell us honestly how the fit, comfort and quality hold up, and what we should improve. Explore Xnexz PulseX
88% Failed: Is Your Safety Shoe Actually Tested?
Safety footwear cannot legally be self-declared in the UK. It is Category II PPE, which means an independent body must issue a type-examination certificate before a CE or UKCA mark goes anywhere near the box. Untested footwear still reaches buyers anyway, industry testing has found the overwhelming majority of products from unregistered suppliers failing on performance, paperwork, or both. Quick Answer Self-certification is not allowed for safety shoes. Only Category I PPE (minimal risk) can be self-declared. Safety footwear is Category II. A notified or approved body must issue an EU/UK type-examination certificate before the product can be marked and sold. The CE mark on its own is not proof. It can be printed by anyone. The paperwork behind it is what counts. Ask for the Declaration of Conformity. A legitimate supplier can produce it. That single request filters out most of the risk. Employers carry the legal duty to ensure the PPE they provide is genuinely certified, not just that it's being worn. In This Guide What "self-declared" really means. Can safety shoes be self-certified?. What real certification involves. Why the CE mark proves nothing. How widespread is the problem?. The risk to workers and employers. How to check before you buy. Where Xnexz stands. Quick FAQ. What Does "Self-Declared" Actually Mean? A self-declared product is one where the manufacturer alone decides it meets the standard, with no independent body checking. For some low-risk products that's perfectly legal. For safety footwear it isn't, and a shoe sold that way has never been verified by anyone but the person selling it. PPE is split into three risk categories under the regulations. Category I covers minimal risks, gardening gloves, sunglasses, where the wearer can spot a problem themselves in good time. Manufacturers can self-declare those, compile a technical file, and mark them without involving anyone else. Category III covers risks that are fatal or irreversible, such as respiratory or fall-arrest equipment. Category II sits between the two: risks of serious injury that a wearer cannot reliably judge for themselves. Safety footwear lives here, and that placement is the entire point, you cannot look at a toe cap and tell whether it will survive a 200-joule impact. Can Safety Shoes Legally Be Self-Certified in the UK? No. Because safety footwear is Category II PPE, an independent notified body (for CE) or approved body (for UKCA) must carry out an EU or UK type-examination before the product can carry a conformity mark. Self-certification is not an available route. The framework comes from Regulation (EU) 2016/425, which continues to apply in Great Britain alongside the Personal Protective Equipment (Enforcement) Regulations 2018. Manufacturers, importers, distributors and online sellers all carry duties under it, the obligation doesn't stop at the factory gate. So when a listing describes footwear as "self-certified" or "manufacturer certified," that isn't a lesser-but-acceptable grade of compliance. For this product category it means the legally required step was skipped. Our overview of the UK PPE at Work Regulations covers where those duties fall for employers and workers. What Does Genuine Certification Actually Involve? A real certificate means samples were physically tested in an accredited laboratory against EN ISO 20345, an independent body reviewed the technical file and issued a type-examination certificate, and only then did the manufacturer draw up a Declaration of Conformity and apply the mark. The sequence matters, because each step is a place where a dishonest supplier can cut corners: Laboratory testing. Physical samples are tested against the standard, toe cap impact and compression, midsole puncture resistance, slip resistance, antistatic properties and more, depending on the claimed rating. Type-examination (Module B). An independent notified or approved body reviews the technical construction file, checks the test evidence, and confirms the design meets the requirements. It issues a certificate with a number. Production control (Module C). The manufacturer must keep internal controls so that what leaves the line matches the sample that passed. Certification covers a design, not a promise about every future pair. Declaration of Conformity. The manufacturer formally declares compliance, in writing, and must be able to supply it along with user instructions and technical documentation. Only after all of that can the CE or UKCA mark legitimately be applied. If you want the technical side of what's being tested, our guide to EN ISO 20345 explained breaks down what each rating actually requires. Why Doesn't the CE Mark Prove a Shoe Was Tested? Because the CE mark is applied by the manufacturer, not issued by a regulator. It's two letters printed on a label. Anyone willing to break the law can print them, and for Category II footwear there isn't even a notified body number alongside to check. This is the detail that catches out careful buyers. On Category III PPE, the four-digit number of the body monitoring production appears next to the CE mark, giving you something concrete to verify. On Category II footwear, that number is not required beside the mark, so a lone CE symbol on a boot tells you nothing about who, if anyone, examined it. The verifiable trail sits elsewhere: the notified or approved body's name, address and number must appear in the user information supplied with the footwear, and the Declaration of Conformity must be available on request. That paperwork, not the printed symbol, is the evidence. The single most useful question you can ask a supplier: "Can you send me the Declaration of Conformity and the type-examination certificate for this model?" A legitimate seller answers within a day. An untested product cannot produce them at all. How Widespread Is Untested Safety Footwear? More common than most buyers assume, particularly on online marketplaces. British Safety Industry Federation testing has repeatedly found the large majority of PPE from unregistered sources failing on performance claims, documentation, or both. In one BSIF testing programme covering footwear examined between December 2021 and December 2022, only five of 42 products from suppliers outside its Registered Safety Supplier Scheme were found fully compliant. Across its wider PPE testing, the federation has reported roughly the inverse pass rates between registered and unregistered sources, around nine in ten passing from registered suppliers, and a similar proportion failing from unregistered ones. 88% of tested products from unregistered suppliers showed failures against performance claims and/or documentation (BSIF) 5 of 42 footwear products from unregistered suppliers found fully compliant in one BSIF testing period ~9 in 10 PPE items from BSIF-registered suppliers passed compliance testing More recent BSIF testing has continued to find unsafe PPE circulating on online marketplaces, including footwear bought online that lacked basic mandatory protective components. This is not a historical problem that regulation has since tidied up. Case in point · A UK recall In 2025, the Office for Product Safety and Standards recalled safety shoes sold through a major social commerce platform. The listing advertised the footwear as anti-smash and anti-puncture, using exactly the language a worker would search for. OPSS found no evidence the product had undergone conformity assessment as PPE, and it carried neither CE nor UKCA marking. The regulator judged it to present a serious risk of injuries and found it failed to meet the requirements of the PPE regulations. The listing was removed after enforcement action, but industry commentators noted that similar footwear remained available on other marketplaces. Removal of one listing does not clear the shelf. What's the Real Risk to Workers and Employers? For workers, the risk is protection that simply isn't there when it's needed. For employers, it's a legal exposure, the duty is to provide PPE that is genuinely certified, and a supplier's unverified word is not a defence. The risk to the wearer A toe cap that may not withstand a real impact A midsole that may not stop a nail Slip resistance below the mandatory minimum Materials that degrade far sooner than expected False confidence, the worst outcome of all The risk to the employer Breach of the duty to provide suitable, certified PPE Enforcement action under the PPE regulations Duties now extend to some non-employed workers Insurance and liability complications after an incident Difficulty evidencing compliance in an investigation There's a particular gap worth flagging: workers who are given a budget to buy their own safety footwear. They're often the least equipped to assess certification paperwork, and the most likely to buy from whichever marketplace listing looks like good value. If your organisation does this, the sourcing guidance matters as much as the budget. How Do You Check Your Safety Shoes Were Really Tested? Ask for the documentation, check the markings on the shoe itself, and buy from suppliers who can be held accountable. Three straightforward habits filter out most untested footwear. Check What good looks like Warning sign Documentation Declaration of Conformity supplied on request Vague replies, delays, or "it's CE, that's enough" User information Notified/approved body name, address and number included No booklet, or a generic photocopied insert Shoe markings Full rating (e.g. S1P), standard, size, date of manufacture Only a CE logo and a size Claim language Specific ratings tied to the standard "Anti-smash", "anti-puncture" with no rating cited Seller Named UK business, traceable, answers technical questions Anonymous marketplace seller, no contact route One more habit worth building: check that the rating on the paperwork matches the rating your workplace actually requires. A genuine certificate for the wrong class is still the wrong shoe. Our UK safety shoes buying checklist runs through that step by step. Where Does Xnexz Stand on This? Xnexz PulseX and StrideX are EN ISO 20345 S1P certified, and we think any brand making that claim should be willing to evidence it on request rather than expecting you to take it on trust. We're a new UK brand. We don't have decades of reputation to lean on, which is precisely why we'd rather point you at paperwork than adjectives. If you want to see the certification documentation for either model before you buy, or you're a safety officer who needs it for a PPE file, ask us and we'll send it. We'd also rather you applied the checks in this article to us as rigorously as to anyone else. If a supplier, including this one, can't produce documentation for a protective claim, that tells you something worth knowing. And if S1P isn't what your site requires, no amount of certification on our part makes our footwear the right choice, your employer's risk assessment decides that, not us. Self-Declared vs Tested Safety Shoes: Quick FAQ Is a CE mark enough to prove safety shoes are certified? No. The manufacturer applies the mark themselves, and for Category II footwear no notified body number sits beside it. The Declaration of Conformity and type-examination certificate are the real evidence. What is a Declaration of Conformity? A formal written statement from the manufacturer declaring the product meets the applicable requirements, referencing the standards and the certificate behind it. Suppliers of Category II footwear must be able to provide it. Are cheap safety shoes automatically untested? No, price and compliance are separate issues, and there are legitimately certified budget options. The pattern in testing data relates to unaccountable sourcing, particularly anonymous marketplace listings, rather than low price by itself. What should I do if I think my work shoes aren't certified? Raise it with your employer or safety representative and ask to see the documentation. If footwear was supplied as PPE, the organisation providing it should be able to evidence its certification. Does UKCA or CE marking apply in Great Britain? Both markings are encountered in the GB market, and requirements have shifted over recent years. Check the current position with your supplier or the relevant guidance, as arrangements have been subject to change. The Honest Verdict The gap between self-declared and independently tested safety footwear isn't a technicality, it's the difference between protection that has been proven and protection that has only been claimed. The reassuring part is how simple the defence is. You don't need to understand impact testing to stay safe here; you need to ask one question about documentation and decline to buy when it goes unanswered. Suppliers who have done the work can answer it easily. Those who haven't, can't, and that silence is the most useful information you'll get. Ask Us for the Paperwork If your workplace accepts S1P footwear and you're considering Xnexz, request our certification documentation before you buy, we'd rather you checked. And if you do wear a pair on a real shift, tell us honestly how the fit, comfort and quality hold up, and what we should improve. Explore Xnexz PulseX
S6 vs S7 Safety Boots: The New Waterproof Rules Explained
S6 and S7 are new safety footwear classes introduced by EN ISO 20345:2022, and both mean one thing: the whole shoe is waterproof, not just the upper. S6 is the waterproof version of S2. S7 is the waterproof version of S3, with a puncture-resistant midsole and cleated outsole. This guide explains what changed, what the WR and WPA markings really mean, who genuinely needs this level of protection, and who is paying for water resistance they will never use. Quick Answer S6 = S2 + WR - a waterproof shoe without a puncture-resistant midsole. S7 = S3 + WR - waterproof, plus puncture resistance and a cleated outsole. WR tests the whole shoe. WPA tests the upper only. They are not the same thing, and the difference matters. The water test got stricter. Under the 2022 standard, no water penetration may be detected at all. Most indoor workers don't need S6 or S7 - they're built for wet, outdoor and washdown environments. In This Guide What S6 and S7 actually mean. Why the ratings were introduced. WR vs WPA: the key difference. S6 vs S7 compared. How the water test changed. Do you actually need S6 or S7?. When you'll see them in shops. Where Xnexz fits (honestly). Quick FAQ. What Do S6 and S7 Mean on Safety Footwear? S6 and S7 are waterproof safety footwear classes added in EN ISO 20345:2022. S6 takes everything in an S2 shoe and adds whole-shoe waterproofing (WR). S7 does the same for S3, so it is waterproof and has a puncture-resistant midsole and a cleated outsole. Before 2022, a waterproof safety boot had no class of its own. Manufacturers wrote it as "S3 WR" - the base class, plus a separate water-resistance marking bolted on the end. That worked, but it was easy to miss on a label and easy to confuse with the water-resistance marking that only covered the upper material. The 2022 revision gave whole-shoe waterproofing its own place on the ladder. If you already know how S2 compares with S1P, S6 and S7 make immediate sense: the same protection, plus a boot built to keep water out as a sealed unit. There are also two S7 sub-variants, S7L and S7S, which describe how the puncture resistance was tested, L with a 4.5 mm test nail, S with a finer 3.0 mm nail. For the whole ladder in one place, our guide to safety shoe ratings from SB to S7 lays out every class side by side. Why Were S6 and S7 Introduced? They were introduced to end a long-running confusion: the old marking for a water-resistant upper was easy to mistake for a fully waterproof shoe. S6 and S7 make true whole-shoe waterproofing visible at a glance. Under the 2011 standard, the marking WRU stood for "water repellent upper." It told you the leather or fabric on top had been treated to resist water. It said nothing about the seams, the tongue, the lining, or where the upper meets the sole, which is exactly where water tends to get in first. Plenty of buyers read WRU as "waterproof," bought accordingly, and ended up with wet socks by mid-morning. The 2022 revision addressed this in two ways: it renamed the upper-only test to WPA, and it promoted genuine whole-shoe waterproofing into named classes of its own. The intent was to make the label harder to misread. What's the Difference Between WR and WPA? WPA covers the upper material only and allows some water penetration and absorption. WR covers the entire shoe as a sealed unit and allows none. S6 and S7 footwear carries WR. This is the single most useful thing to take away from the 2022 update, because the two markings sit next to each other on labels and look similarly reassuring. Marking What it covers What it allows Best read as WPA The upper material and its seams Some water penetration and absorption Handles splashes and damp; not for standing water WR The whole shoe as a complete unit No water penetration detected in the test Built for genuinely wet conditions WPA replaced WRU, and it is still a useful marking, it usually means a more breathable shoe than a fully sealed one, which matters if you work indoors and your feet get hot. It simply isn't the same promise as WR. A shoe marked WPA is designed to cope with a spill or a damp floor, not a morning spent in puddles. S6 vs S7: Which One Do You Need? Choose S6 if you need waterproofing but have no sharp-object risk underfoot. Choose S7 if you need waterproofing plus protection from nails and debris, and grip on uneven or outdoor ground. The gap between them is the same gap that has always separated S2 from S3: puncture resistance and outsole design. Feature S6 S7 Based on S2 S3 200J toe cap Yes Yes Antistatic & heel energy absorption Yes Yes Whole-shoe waterproof (WR) Yes Yes Puncture-resistant midsole No Yes Cleated (lugged) outsole No Yes Typical use Wet indoor work, food processing, washdown areas Outdoor sites, groundworks, wet ground with debris In practice, S7 is the class most outdoor site workers will be pointed toward, because it is simply the waterproof version of the rating their site already specifies. If your risk assessment currently calls for S3 safety shoes, S7 is the same protection with proper waterproofing added. How Did the Water Test Itself Change? The test method stayed broadly the same, but the pass mark got tougher. The older standard allowed a small measured area of water penetration and still counted it as a pass. The 2022 standard requires that no water penetration is detected. ~3 cm² of water penetration was still a pass under the older standard Zero water penetration permitted for a WR pass under EN ISO 20345:2022 80 min minimum duration commonly cited for the whole-shoe WR test This is why a boot marked WR today is making a stronger claim than one marked WR a few years ago. The test itself is a walking simulation in a water trough, so it reflects flexing and movement rather than a shoe sitting still. It's a meaningfully harder bar to clear. Worth remembering, though: certification describes a shoe when it is new and correctly fitted. Waterproof membranes and seams wear with use, and a scuffed or split boot will not perform the way the lab sample did. No rating removes the need to check the condition of your footwear. Do You Actually Need S6 or S7 Footwear? Only if you regularly work in genuinely wet conditions. Waterproof membranes reduce breathability, so buying S6 or S7 for dry indoor work usually means hotter, sweatier feet for protection you never use. S6 or S7 is likely worth it Outdoor site work in British weather Groundworks, landscaping, utilities Food processing and washdown areas Agriculture, waste and recycling Anywhere standing water is routine You probably don't need it Warehouse and distribution floors Retail stockrooms Indoor fit-out and decorating Light maintenance and facilities work Hospitality, where spills are occasional The deciding factor isn't the weather forecast, it's your employer. Your workplace PPE policy and risk assessment set the required rating. If your site specifies S7, no amount of comfort reasoning makes an S1P trainer acceptable. Check the requirement first, then choose within it. When Will You See S6 and S7 on UK Shelves? You already can, and the numbers will grow steadily. New certifications have had to use the 2022 standard since late 2024, but footwear certified under the older 2011 standard stays valid until its certificate expires, so both labelling systems will sit side by side for a few more years. That overlap is the practical headache for buyers right now. On the same shelf you may find one boot marked "S3 WR" under the older standard and another marked "S7" under the new one, describing broadly the same thing. Neither is out of date or non-compliant, but if you're replacing one pair from a matched set, check which standard each was certified to rather than assuming the markings map perfectly. Where Does Xnexz Fit Into This? Honestly: we don't make S6 or S7 footwear. Xnexz PulseX and StrideX are EN ISO 20345 S1P certified, which means they are not waterproof and are not intended for wet outdoor work. We'd rather say that plainly than stretch a description to sound like more than it is. S1P covers a 200J toe cap, a puncture-resistant midsole, antistatic properties and heel energy absorption. It does not include whole-shoe waterproofing, and a breathable mesh upper is designed to let air move, the opposite of a sealed waterproof construction. So if your work involves standing water, wet ground, washdown areas or full days outdoors in the rain, Xnexz is the wrong choice, and we'd point you toward a brand with a proper S6 or S7 range. Established names like Caterpillar, Timberland PRO, uvex and Cofra offer waterproof options with track records we don't have yet as a new UK brand. What Xnexz is built for is the other side of that line: dry, controlled indoor settings where S1P is accepted, warehouses, depots, stockrooms, indoor fit-out, light maintenance and delivery work. If that describes your shift and you want a lighter, more trainer-like feel, that's where we're trying to do something worth your attention. S6 and S7 Safety Footwear: Quick FAQ Is S7 just S3 with a waterproof label? Essentially, yes. S7 carries the same requirements as S3, toe cap, antistatic build, heel energy absorption, puncture-resistant midsole and cleated outsole, with whole-shoe waterproofing (WR) added and recognised as its own class. Does WPA mean my boots are waterproof? No. WPA applies to the upper material and permits some water penetration and absorption. It's suited to splashes and damp conditions, not standing water. Look for WR, S6 or S7 if you need genuine waterproofing. Are my existing S3 WR boots still valid? Yes. Footwear certified to the earlier standard remains compliant until its certificate expires, so there's no need to replace a serviceable pair simply because the marking system has changed. What do S7L and S7S mean? They indicate how puncture resistance was tested. S7L uses a 4.5 mm test nail with a non-metallic insert, and S7S uses a finer 3.0 mm nail. The finer nail is the more demanding test for small, sharp hazards. Does Xnexz sell S6 or S7 safety shoes? No. Our current PulseX and StrideX models are S1P certified and are not waterproof. For wet or outdoor work that requires S6 or S7, choose a brand that makes footwear certified to that class. The Honest Verdict S6 and S7 are a genuine improvement to safety footwear labelling. They take whole-shoe waterproofing out of the small print and give it a clear place on the rating ladder, and the stricter WR test means the claim carries more weight than it used to. The practical advice is unchanged though: match the rating to the actual hazard. If your feet get properly wet at work, S6 or S7 is worth the money and the reduced breathability. If they don't, you'll likely be more comfortable in footwear designed to let air through, and your employer's PPE requirement decides either way. Working Indoors, Where S1P Is Accepted? If your workplace accepts S1P footwear and wet conditions aren't part of your day, we'd like you to try Xnexz PulseX or StrideX on a real shift. Tell us honestly how the fit, comfort and style feel, and what we should improve next. Explore Xnexz PulseX
S6 vs S7 Safety Boots: The New Waterproof Rules Explained
S6 and S7 are new safety footwear classes introduced by EN ISO 20345:2022, and both mean one thing: the whole shoe is waterproof, not just the upper. S6 is the waterproof version of S2. S7 is the waterproof version of S3, with a puncture-resistant midsole and cleated outsole. This guide explains what changed, what the WR and WPA markings really mean, who genuinely needs this level of protection, and who is paying for water resistance they will never use. Quick Answer S6 = S2 + WR - a waterproof shoe without a puncture-resistant midsole. S7 = S3 + WR - waterproof, plus puncture resistance and a cleated outsole. WR tests the whole shoe. WPA tests the upper only. They are not the same thing, and the difference matters. The water test got stricter. Under the 2022 standard, no water penetration may be detected at all. Most indoor workers don't need S6 or S7 - they're built for wet, outdoor and washdown environments. In This Guide What S6 and S7 actually mean. Why the ratings were introduced. WR vs WPA: the key difference. S6 vs S7 compared. How the water test changed. Do you actually need S6 or S7?. When you'll see them in shops. Where Xnexz fits (honestly). Quick FAQ. What Do S6 and S7 Mean on Safety Footwear? S6 and S7 are waterproof safety footwear classes added in EN ISO 20345:2022. S6 takes everything in an S2 shoe and adds whole-shoe waterproofing (WR). S7 does the same for S3, so it is waterproof and has a puncture-resistant midsole and a cleated outsole. Before 2022, a waterproof safety boot had no class of its own. Manufacturers wrote it as "S3 WR" - the base class, plus a separate water-resistance marking bolted on the end. That worked, but it was easy to miss on a label and easy to confuse with the water-resistance marking that only covered the upper material. The 2022 revision gave whole-shoe waterproofing its own place on the ladder. If you already know how S2 compares with S1P, S6 and S7 make immediate sense: the same protection, plus a boot built to keep water out as a sealed unit. There are also two S7 sub-variants, S7L and S7S, which describe how the puncture resistance was tested, L with a 4.5 mm test nail, S with a finer 3.0 mm nail. For the whole ladder in one place, our guide to safety shoe ratings from SB to S7 lays out every class side by side. Why Were S6 and S7 Introduced? They were introduced to end a long-running confusion: the old marking for a water-resistant upper was easy to mistake for a fully waterproof shoe. S6 and S7 make true whole-shoe waterproofing visible at a glance. Under the 2011 standard, the marking WRU stood for "water repellent upper." It told you the leather or fabric on top had been treated to resist water. It said nothing about the seams, the tongue, the lining, or where the upper meets the sole, which is exactly where water tends to get in first. Plenty of buyers read WRU as "waterproof," bought accordingly, and ended up with wet socks by mid-morning. The 2022 revision addressed this in two ways: it renamed the upper-only test to WPA, and it promoted genuine whole-shoe waterproofing into named classes of its own. The intent was to make the label harder to misread. What's the Difference Between WR and WPA? WPA covers the upper material only and allows some water penetration and absorption. WR covers the entire shoe as a sealed unit and allows none. S6 and S7 footwear carries WR. This is the single most useful thing to take away from the 2022 update, because the two markings sit next to each other on labels and look similarly reassuring. Marking What it covers What it allows Best read as WPA The upper material and its seams Some water penetration and absorption Handles splashes and damp; not for standing water WR The whole shoe as a complete unit No water penetration detected in the test Built for genuinely wet conditions WPA replaced WRU, and it is still a useful marking, it usually means a more breathable shoe than a fully sealed one, which matters if you work indoors and your feet get hot. It simply isn't the same promise as WR. A shoe marked WPA is designed to cope with a spill or a damp floor, not a morning spent in puddles. S6 vs S7: Which One Do You Need? Choose S6 if you need waterproofing but have no sharp-object risk underfoot. Choose S7 if you need waterproofing plus protection from nails and debris, and grip on uneven or outdoor ground. The gap between them is the same gap that has always separated S2 from S3: puncture resistance and outsole design. Feature S6 S7 Based on S2 S3 200J toe cap Yes Yes Antistatic & heel energy absorption Yes Yes Whole-shoe waterproof (WR) Yes Yes Puncture-resistant midsole No Yes Cleated (lugged) outsole No Yes Typical use Wet indoor work, food processing, washdown areas Outdoor sites, groundworks, wet ground with debris In practice, S7 is the class most outdoor site workers will be pointed toward, because it is simply the waterproof version of the rating their site already specifies. If your risk assessment currently calls for S3 safety shoes, S7 is the same protection with proper waterproofing added. How Did the Water Test Itself Change? The test method stayed broadly the same, but the pass mark got tougher. The older standard allowed a small measured area of water penetration and still counted it as a pass. The 2022 standard requires that no water penetration is detected. ~3 cm² of water penetration was still a pass under the older standard Zero water penetration permitted for a WR pass under EN ISO 20345:2022 80 min minimum duration commonly cited for the whole-shoe WR test This is why a boot marked WR today is making a stronger claim than one marked WR a few years ago. The test itself is a walking simulation in a water trough, so it reflects flexing and movement rather than a shoe sitting still. It's a meaningfully harder bar to clear. Worth remembering, though: certification describes a shoe when it is new and correctly fitted. Waterproof membranes and seams wear with use, and a scuffed or split boot will not perform the way the lab sample did. No rating removes the need to check the condition of your footwear. Do You Actually Need S6 or S7 Footwear? Only if you regularly work in genuinely wet conditions. Waterproof membranes reduce breathability, so buying S6 or S7 for dry indoor work usually means hotter, sweatier feet for protection you never use. S6 or S7 is likely worth it Outdoor site work in British weather Groundworks, landscaping, utilities Food processing and washdown areas Agriculture, waste and recycling Anywhere standing water is routine You probably don't need it Warehouse and distribution floors Retail stockrooms Indoor fit-out and decorating Light maintenance and facilities work Hospitality, where spills are occasional The deciding factor isn't the weather forecast, it's your employer. Your workplace PPE policy and risk assessment set the required rating. If your site specifies S7, no amount of comfort reasoning makes an S1P trainer acceptable. Check the requirement first, then choose within it. When Will You See S6 and S7 on UK Shelves? You already can, and the numbers will grow steadily. New certifications have had to use the 2022 standard since late 2024, but footwear certified under the older 2011 standard stays valid until its certificate expires, so both labelling systems will sit side by side for a few more years. That overlap is the practical headache for buyers right now. On the same shelf you may find one boot marked "S3 WR" under the older standard and another marked "S7" under the new one, describing broadly the same thing. Neither is out of date or non-compliant, but if you're replacing one pair from a matched set, check which standard each was certified to rather than assuming the markings map perfectly. Where Does Xnexz Fit Into This? Honestly: we don't make S6 or S7 footwear. Xnexz PulseX and StrideX are EN ISO 20345 S1P certified, which means they are not waterproof and are not intended for wet outdoor work. We'd rather say that plainly than stretch a description to sound like more than it is. S1P covers a 200J toe cap, a puncture-resistant midsole, antistatic properties and heel energy absorption. It does not include whole-shoe waterproofing, and a breathable mesh upper is designed to let air move, the opposite of a sealed waterproof construction. So if your work involves standing water, wet ground, washdown areas or full days outdoors in the rain, Xnexz is the wrong choice, and we'd point you toward a brand with a proper S6 or S7 range. Established names like Caterpillar, Timberland PRO, uvex and Cofra offer waterproof options with track records we don't have yet as a new UK brand. What Xnexz is built for is the other side of that line: dry, controlled indoor settings where S1P is accepted, warehouses, depots, stockrooms, indoor fit-out, light maintenance and delivery work. If that describes your shift and you want a lighter, more trainer-like feel, that's where we're trying to do something worth your attention. S6 and S7 Safety Footwear: Quick FAQ Is S7 just S3 with a waterproof label? Essentially, yes. S7 carries the same requirements as S3, toe cap, antistatic build, heel energy absorption, puncture-resistant midsole and cleated outsole, with whole-shoe waterproofing (WR) added and recognised as its own class. Does WPA mean my boots are waterproof? No. WPA applies to the upper material and permits some water penetration and absorption. It's suited to splashes and damp conditions, not standing water. Look for WR, S6 or S7 if you need genuine waterproofing. Are my existing S3 WR boots still valid? Yes. Footwear certified to the earlier standard remains compliant until its certificate expires, so there's no need to replace a serviceable pair simply because the marking system has changed. What do S7L and S7S mean? They indicate how puncture resistance was tested. S7L uses a 4.5 mm test nail with a non-metallic insert, and S7S uses a finer 3.0 mm nail. The finer nail is the more demanding test for small, sharp hazards. Does Xnexz sell S6 or S7 safety shoes? No. Our current PulseX and StrideX models are S1P certified and are not waterproof. For wet or outdoor work that requires S6 or S7, choose a brand that makes footwear certified to that class. The Honest Verdict S6 and S7 are a genuine improvement to safety footwear labelling. They take whole-shoe waterproofing out of the small print and give it a clear place on the rating ladder, and the stricter WR test means the claim carries more weight than it used to. The practical advice is unchanged though: match the rating to the actual hazard. If your feet get properly wet at work, S6 or S7 is worth the money and the reduced breathability. If they don't, you'll likely be more comfortable in footwear designed to let air through, and your employer's PPE requirement decides either way. Working Indoors, Where S1P Is Accepted? If your workplace accepts S1P footwear and wet conditions aren't part of your day, we'd like you to try Xnexz PulseX or StrideX on a real shift. Tell us honestly how the fit, comfort and style feel, and what we should improve next. Explore Xnexz PulseX
What Does LG Mean on Safety Boots? Ladder Grip Explained
LG stands for Ladder Grip. It's an optional additional marking introduced in the 2022 revision of EN ISO 20345, and it certifies that a shoe's outsole has been tested for its ability to hold onto a ladder rung. To be upfront: XNEXZ footwear does not carry the LG marking. Our shoes weren't tested for it, so if regular ladder work is part of your job, you should be looking at footwear we don't make. Details on why are further down. Slip resistance and ladder grip are not the same test, and passing one tells you nothing about the other. A shoe can be excellent on a wet floor and untested on a rung. What the LG Marking Actually Certifies Almost every safety footwear code describes something happening to your foot: an impact on the toe, a nail from below, water from above. LG is different. It describes how the shoe behaves on a narrow horizontal bar. The test focuses on the part of the sole that actually rests on a rung when you climb: the region between the heel and the forepart, underneath the arch. On most shoes this is the section that curves upward and away from the ground, so it never touches a floor at all. It's dead space in every other test, and it's the entire subject of this one. For a shoe to pass, that arch region needs a transverse profile, meaning grooves or bars running across the sole rather than along it, of sufficient depth to seat against a rung and resist sliding. The standard sets a minimum profile height of 1.5mm in that area as the basis for the test. The sole region tested by the LG ladder grip marking A side view of a shoe sole resting on a ladder rung. The contact region sits between the heel and forepart, beneath the arch, which is the area the LG test assesses. Other slip tests measure the heel and forefoot against a flat floor instead. ladder rung LG test region arch, between heel and forepart forepart heel tested by SR tested by SR tested by LG only Slip resistance testing loads the heel and forefoot against a flat floor. The arch region in the middle is only assessed by the LG test. Where the Test Came From LG isn't a newly invented test. It was already part of the standard for firefighters' footwear, where ladder work is a core part of the job and the consequences of a slip are severe. What the 2022 revision did was lift that requirement out of the firefighting specification and make it available as a standalone optional test for all safety footwear. The reasoning is straightforward: firefighters aren't the only people who spend their working lives on rungs. Electricians, telecoms engineers, roofers, scaffolders, HVAC installers, warehouse operatives on stock ladders and maintenance teams all climb regularly, and until 2022 none of them had a certification that spoke to it. Why Slip Resistance Doesn't Cover This This is the part most buyers get wrong, and it's worth being precise about. Slip resistance testing measures a shoe against a flat surface. It loads the heel at the angle of a heel strike, and it loads the forefoot flat, then measures the coefficient of friction. Under the 2022 revision, a baseline version of that test became mandatory for all safety footwear, with an additional glycerol test marked SR. Our guide to non-slip safety shoes covers how those tests work. A ladder rung presents a completely different mechanical problem. The contact area is a narrow bar rather than a plane. The load sits under the arch rather than the heel or forefoot. And the failure mode isn't sliding forward across a floor, it's the foot rolling off the rung sideways or slipping off the front. Friction on a flat tile tells you very little about any of that. A sole compound can be superb on wet ceramic and still have a smooth, featureless arch that sits on a rung like a bar of soap. SR, slip resistance LG, ladder grip Surface tested against Flat ceramic tile Ladder rung Sole region loaded Heel and forefoot Arch, between heel and forepart Failure mode measured Sliding across a floor Slipping off or rolling from a rung Status in the standard Baseline test mandatory, SR is an additional test Optional additional test Relevant to Walking and standing Climbing Who Actually Needs LG Ladder grip matters in proportion to how much of your day happens off the ground. Some rough tiers: Look for LG as a priority. Scaffolders, roofers, telecoms and aerial engineers, window cleaners, tree surgeons, and anyone whose job is fundamentally about working at height. Strongly worth having. Electricians, HVAC and refrigeration engineers, plumbers, painters and decorators working from steps, signage installers, and building maintenance teams. These roles climb daily but not continuously. Useful but not essential. Warehouse operatives using picking ladders, retail stockroom staff, and facilities workers with occasional access ladders. Worth having if the option exists at the same price. Not a factor. Roles that are entirely ground-level: most warehouse picking, delivery driving, indoor fit-out on finished floors, workshop and production line work. If you're in the first tier, LG should be a filter you apply before anything else. If you're in the last, it's a feature you'd be paying for and never using. The Honest Limits of an LG Marking LG is a genuine improvement to the standard, and it's worth saying clearly what it doesn't do. It's a laboratory test, not a guarantee. Passing means the outsole met a defined performance threshold under controlled conditions on a specified rung. Real ladders vary in material, diameter, wear and contamination. Mud, ice, oil and paint on a rung will affect grip in ways no marking accounts for. It says nothing about the rest of your ladder safety. Footwear is the last line, not the first. Correct ladder angle, secure footing, three points of contact, load limits and inspection all matter more than sole geometry. Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, ladders should be used only where a risk assessment shows more suitable equipment isn't justified, and your employer's duty to plan and supervise that work sits well above any question of footwear. Our overview of the UK PPE at Work Regulations covers where footwear fits into that wider picture. Absence of LG doesn't mean a shoe grips badly on rungs. Because the test is optional, plenty of well-made boots with aggressive transverse tread patterns have never been submitted for it. Untested is not the same as failed. What you lose without the marking is verification, not necessarily performance. It doesn't override site rules. An LG-marked low-cut shoe still won't get you onto a site that requires S3 boots with ankle coverage. How Outsole Design Affects Ladder Grip Understanding what the test looks for helps you judge footwear that hasn't been tested. The feature that matters is a transverse profile in the arch: ridges or bars running across the sole, side to side, which can seat against a rung and stop the foot sliding forward off it. A sole with deep longitudinal grooves running heel to toe may look aggressive and do very little on a rung, because the grooves run parallel to the bar rather than across it. Material matters too, though less than geometry. Softer, higher-friction compounds deform slightly around a rung and grip better, while harder compounds hold their shape and rely more on the profile. This is part of the wider trade-off between outsole materials, which we cover in our comparison of PU and rubber outsoles. A quick sanity check you can do in a shop: turn the shoe over and look at the waist of the sole, the narrow part in the middle. If it's smooth, flat or hollowed out with no cross-pattern at all, it's not designed with rungs in mind, whatever the rest of the tread looks like. Two Worked Examples Scenario 1 Commercial electrician, second fix Twenty to thirty ladder or step ascents a day, running cable at ceiling level. Ground conditions are finished floors, so slip resistance is comfortably handled by any certified shoe. The repeated exposure is all vertical. LG should be a priority filter. This is exactly the profile the marking was extended beyond firefighting to serve. Scenario 2 Warehouse picker with occasional stock ladder use Fifteen thousand steps a day on flat sealed floor, with a handful of climbs up a three-step stock ladder to reach upper racking. Nice to have, not a deciding factor. Weight, cushioning and floor slip resistance will affect this worker far more across a shift than rung geometry. How to Check for LG Read the full marking on the tongue label or insole stamp. LG appears alongside other optional codes such as SR, FO, HRO and WPA, after the base rating. Check the standard version. LG only exists under EN ISO 20345:2022 and later. Footwear certified to the 2011 version cannot carry it, because the test wasn't available for general safety footwear then. Ask the retailer or manufacturer for the certificate if the marking is unclear. The EU type examination certificate lists every tested property explicitly, and a reputable seller will provide it. Don't infer it from marketing language. Phrases like "ladder-friendly sole" or "climbing grip" carry no certification weight. Only the LG marking on the certificate means the test was passed. Check it against your employer's requirement. If your risk assessment specifies LG, footwear without it doesn't meet the requirement however good the tread looks. Where XNEXZ Stands, Honestly PulseX and StrideX are certified S1PL FO SR under EN ISO 20345:2022+A1:2024. That covers S1 base protection, a non-metallic puncture-resistant insert tested with the 4.5mm nail, a fuel-and-oil-resistant outsole, and the additional slip resistance test. LG is not on the certificate. The ladder grip test was not carried out, so we make no ladder grip claim of any kind. We designed for a different problem. Our shoes are built for people who spend long shifts walking on flat, sealed indoor floors, where weight and cushioning across ten thousand steps matter more than rung geometry. That's warehousing, delivery, facilities, workshops and indoor trade work. If ladders are a routine part of your day, buy footwear that carries LG on its certificate. If they aren't, and you want to know what our rating does cover, that's set out in our complete UK guide to S1P safety shoes. Suitable For / Choose Differently LG is worth prioritising if you are A scaffolder, roofer or steeplejack A telecoms, aerial or satellite engineer An electrician working at ceiling level daily An HVAC, refrigeration or plumbing engineer A window cleaner or facade worker A signage or lighting installer In any role where climbing is a core daily task LG is unlikely to matter if you are A warehouse picker on ground-level racking A delivery driver or depot worker An indoor fit-out or finishing trade on flat floors A production line or workshop operative Retail stockroom staff with rare ladder use Security or facilities staff on ground level The Honest Verdict LG fills a real gap. Before 2022, a worker who spent half their day on rungs had no certification that measured the thing most likely to hurt them, and slip resistance testing was routinely mistaken for covering it. It doesn't. If you climb regularly, treat LG as a filter rather than a bonus feature, and don't accept marketing language in its place. If you don't climb, it's a code you can safely ignore, and there are other properties on the label that will affect your working day far more. Not Working at Height? We'd Like Your Feedback If your work is ground-level, warehouse, delivery, facilities or indoor trade, and your employer accepts S1P footwear, try PulseX or StrideX and tell us honestly how they hold up over a full shift. If ladders are part of your daily routine, buy LG-marked footwear from a brand that has done that test. We haven't. View PulseX View StrideX Frequently Asked Questions What does LG mean on safety shoes? LG stands for Ladder Grip. It's an optional marking under EN ISO 20345:2022 confirming the outsole passed a test for gripping ladder rungs, focused on the arch area between the heel and forepart. Is LG the same as slip resistance? No. Slip resistance tests the heel and forefoot against a flat floor. LG tests the arch region against a narrow rung. They measure different sole areas against different surfaces, and passing one says nothing about the other. Is the LG test mandatory? No, it's an optional additional test. Manufacturers choose whether to submit footwear for it, which is why many well-made boots have no LG marking despite having suitable tread. Where did the ladder grip test come from? It was already part of the standard for firefighters' footwear. The 2022 revision made it available as a standalone optional test for all safety footwear, since firefighters are not the only workers who climb regularly. Can older safety boots have an LG marking? No. LG only exists under EN ISO 20345:2022 and later. Footwear certified to the 2011 version cannot carry it, because the test wasn't available for general safety footwear at that time. Does LG mean my footwear is safe on any ladder? No. It means the outsole passed a controlled laboratory test on a specified rung. Real rungs vary in material, wear and contamination, and mud, ice or oil will affect grip regardless of the marking. Safe ladder use depends far more on setup, angle and three points of contact than on footwear. Do XNEXZ shoes have the LG marking? No. PulseX and StrideX are certified S1PL FO SR, and the ladder grip test was not carried out. If ladder work is routine for you, look for footwear that carries LG on its certificate.
What Does LG Mean on Safety Boots? Ladder Grip Explained
LG stands for Ladder Grip. It's an optional additional marking introduced in the 2022 revision of EN ISO 20345, and it certifies that a shoe's outsole has been tested for its ability to hold onto a ladder rung. To be upfront: XNEXZ footwear does not carry the LG marking. Our shoes weren't tested for it, so if regular ladder work is part of your job, you should be looking at footwear we don't make. Details on why are further down. Slip resistance and ladder grip are not the same test, and passing one tells you nothing about the other. A shoe can be excellent on a wet floor and untested on a rung. What the LG Marking Actually Certifies Almost every safety footwear code describes something happening to your foot: an impact on the toe, a nail from below, water from above. LG is different. It describes how the shoe behaves on a narrow horizontal bar. The test focuses on the part of the sole that actually rests on a rung when you climb: the region between the heel and the forepart, underneath the arch. On most shoes this is the section that curves upward and away from the ground, so it never touches a floor at all. It's dead space in every other test, and it's the entire subject of this one. For a shoe to pass, that arch region needs a transverse profile, meaning grooves or bars running across the sole rather than along it, of sufficient depth to seat against a rung and resist sliding. The standard sets a minimum profile height of 1.5mm in that area as the basis for the test. The sole region tested by the LG ladder grip marking A side view of a shoe sole resting on a ladder rung. The contact region sits between the heel and forepart, beneath the arch, which is the area the LG test assesses. Other slip tests measure the heel and forefoot against a flat floor instead. ladder rung LG test region arch, between heel and forepart forepart heel tested by SR tested by SR tested by LG only Slip resistance testing loads the heel and forefoot against a flat floor. The arch region in the middle is only assessed by the LG test. Where the Test Came From LG isn't a newly invented test. It was already part of the standard for firefighters' footwear, where ladder work is a core part of the job and the consequences of a slip are severe. What the 2022 revision did was lift that requirement out of the firefighting specification and make it available as a standalone optional test for all safety footwear. The reasoning is straightforward: firefighters aren't the only people who spend their working lives on rungs. Electricians, telecoms engineers, roofers, scaffolders, HVAC installers, warehouse operatives on stock ladders and maintenance teams all climb regularly, and until 2022 none of them had a certification that spoke to it. Why Slip Resistance Doesn't Cover This This is the part most buyers get wrong, and it's worth being precise about. Slip resistance testing measures a shoe against a flat surface. It loads the heel at the angle of a heel strike, and it loads the forefoot flat, then measures the coefficient of friction. Under the 2022 revision, a baseline version of that test became mandatory for all safety footwear, with an additional glycerol test marked SR. Our guide to non-slip safety shoes covers how those tests work. A ladder rung presents a completely different mechanical problem. The contact area is a narrow bar rather than a plane. The load sits under the arch rather than the heel or forefoot. And the failure mode isn't sliding forward across a floor, it's the foot rolling off the rung sideways or slipping off the front. Friction on a flat tile tells you very little about any of that. A sole compound can be superb on wet ceramic and still have a smooth, featureless arch that sits on a rung like a bar of soap. SR, slip resistance LG, ladder grip Surface tested against Flat ceramic tile Ladder rung Sole region loaded Heel and forefoot Arch, between heel and forepart Failure mode measured Sliding across a floor Slipping off or rolling from a rung Status in the standard Baseline test mandatory, SR is an additional test Optional additional test Relevant to Walking and standing Climbing Who Actually Needs LG Ladder grip matters in proportion to how much of your day happens off the ground. Some rough tiers: Look for LG as a priority. Scaffolders, roofers, telecoms and aerial engineers, window cleaners, tree surgeons, and anyone whose job is fundamentally about working at height. Strongly worth having. Electricians, HVAC and refrigeration engineers, plumbers, painters and decorators working from steps, signage installers, and building maintenance teams. These roles climb daily but not continuously. Useful but not essential. Warehouse operatives using picking ladders, retail stockroom staff, and facilities workers with occasional access ladders. Worth having if the option exists at the same price. Not a factor. Roles that are entirely ground-level: most warehouse picking, delivery driving, indoor fit-out on finished floors, workshop and production line work. If you're in the first tier, LG should be a filter you apply before anything else. If you're in the last, it's a feature you'd be paying for and never using. The Honest Limits of an LG Marking LG is a genuine improvement to the standard, and it's worth saying clearly what it doesn't do. It's a laboratory test, not a guarantee. Passing means the outsole met a defined performance threshold under controlled conditions on a specified rung. Real ladders vary in material, diameter, wear and contamination. Mud, ice, oil and paint on a rung will affect grip in ways no marking accounts for. It says nothing about the rest of your ladder safety. Footwear is the last line, not the first. Correct ladder angle, secure footing, three points of contact, load limits and inspection all matter more than sole geometry. Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, ladders should be used only where a risk assessment shows more suitable equipment isn't justified, and your employer's duty to plan and supervise that work sits well above any question of footwear. Our overview of the UK PPE at Work Regulations covers where footwear fits into that wider picture. Absence of LG doesn't mean a shoe grips badly on rungs. Because the test is optional, plenty of well-made boots with aggressive transverse tread patterns have never been submitted for it. Untested is not the same as failed. What you lose without the marking is verification, not necessarily performance. It doesn't override site rules. An LG-marked low-cut shoe still won't get you onto a site that requires S3 boots with ankle coverage. How Outsole Design Affects Ladder Grip Understanding what the test looks for helps you judge footwear that hasn't been tested. The feature that matters is a transverse profile in the arch: ridges or bars running across the sole, side to side, which can seat against a rung and stop the foot sliding forward off it. A sole with deep longitudinal grooves running heel to toe may look aggressive and do very little on a rung, because the grooves run parallel to the bar rather than across it. Material matters too, though less than geometry. Softer, higher-friction compounds deform slightly around a rung and grip better, while harder compounds hold their shape and rely more on the profile. This is part of the wider trade-off between outsole materials, which we cover in our comparison of PU and rubber outsoles. A quick sanity check you can do in a shop: turn the shoe over and look at the waist of the sole, the narrow part in the middle. If it's smooth, flat or hollowed out with no cross-pattern at all, it's not designed with rungs in mind, whatever the rest of the tread looks like. Two Worked Examples Scenario 1 Commercial electrician, second fix Twenty to thirty ladder or step ascents a day, running cable at ceiling level. Ground conditions are finished floors, so slip resistance is comfortably handled by any certified shoe. The repeated exposure is all vertical. LG should be a priority filter. This is exactly the profile the marking was extended beyond firefighting to serve. Scenario 2 Warehouse picker with occasional stock ladder use Fifteen thousand steps a day on flat sealed floor, with a handful of climbs up a three-step stock ladder to reach upper racking. Nice to have, not a deciding factor. Weight, cushioning and floor slip resistance will affect this worker far more across a shift than rung geometry. How to Check for LG Read the full marking on the tongue label or insole stamp. LG appears alongside other optional codes such as SR, FO, HRO and WPA, after the base rating. Check the standard version. LG only exists under EN ISO 20345:2022 and later. Footwear certified to the 2011 version cannot carry it, because the test wasn't available for general safety footwear then. Ask the retailer or manufacturer for the certificate if the marking is unclear. The EU type examination certificate lists every tested property explicitly, and a reputable seller will provide it. Don't infer it from marketing language. Phrases like "ladder-friendly sole" or "climbing grip" carry no certification weight. Only the LG marking on the certificate means the test was passed. Check it against your employer's requirement. If your risk assessment specifies LG, footwear without it doesn't meet the requirement however good the tread looks. Where XNEXZ Stands, Honestly PulseX and StrideX are certified S1PL FO SR under EN ISO 20345:2022+A1:2024. That covers S1 base protection, a non-metallic puncture-resistant insert tested with the 4.5mm nail, a fuel-and-oil-resistant outsole, and the additional slip resistance test. LG is not on the certificate. The ladder grip test was not carried out, so we make no ladder grip claim of any kind. We designed for a different problem. Our shoes are built for people who spend long shifts walking on flat, sealed indoor floors, where weight and cushioning across ten thousand steps matter more than rung geometry. That's warehousing, delivery, facilities, workshops and indoor trade work. If ladders are a routine part of your day, buy footwear that carries LG on its certificate. If they aren't, and you want to know what our rating does cover, that's set out in our complete UK guide to S1P safety shoes. Suitable For / Choose Differently LG is worth prioritising if you are A scaffolder, roofer or steeplejack A telecoms, aerial or satellite engineer An electrician working at ceiling level daily An HVAC, refrigeration or plumbing engineer A window cleaner or facade worker A signage or lighting installer In any role where climbing is a core daily task LG is unlikely to matter if you are A warehouse picker on ground-level racking A delivery driver or depot worker An indoor fit-out or finishing trade on flat floors A production line or workshop operative Retail stockroom staff with rare ladder use Security or facilities staff on ground level The Honest Verdict LG fills a real gap. Before 2022, a worker who spent half their day on rungs had no certification that measured the thing most likely to hurt them, and slip resistance testing was routinely mistaken for covering it. It doesn't. If you climb regularly, treat LG as a filter rather than a bonus feature, and don't accept marketing language in its place. If you don't climb, it's a code you can safely ignore, and there are other properties on the label that will affect your working day far more. Not Working at Height? We'd Like Your Feedback If your work is ground-level, warehouse, delivery, facilities or indoor trade, and your employer accepts S1P footwear, try PulseX or StrideX and tell us honestly how they hold up over a full shift. If ladders are part of your daily routine, buy LG-marked footwear from a brand that has done that test. We haven't. View PulseX View StrideX Frequently Asked Questions What does LG mean on safety shoes? LG stands for Ladder Grip. It's an optional marking under EN ISO 20345:2022 confirming the outsole passed a test for gripping ladder rungs, focused on the arch area between the heel and forepart. Is LG the same as slip resistance? No. Slip resistance tests the heel and forefoot against a flat floor. LG tests the arch region against a narrow rung. They measure different sole areas against different surfaces, and passing one says nothing about the other. Is the LG test mandatory? No, it's an optional additional test. Manufacturers choose whether to submit footwear for it, which is why many well-made boots have no LG marking despite having suitable tread. Where did the ladder grip test come from? It was already part of the standard for firefighters' footwear. The 2022 revision made it available as a standalone optional test for all safety footwear, since firefighters are not the only workers who climb regularly. Can older safety boots have an LG marking? No. LG only exists under EN ISO 20345:2022 and later. Footwear certified to the 2011 version cannot carry it, because the test wasn't available for general safety footwear at that time. Does LG mean my footwear is safe on any ladder? No. It means the outsole passed a controlled laboratory test on a specified rung. Real rungs vary in material, wear and contamination, and mud, ice or oil will affect grip regardless of the marking. Safe ladder use depends far more on setup, angle and three points of contact than on footwear. Do XNEXZ shoes have the LG marking? No. PulseX and StrideX are certified S1PL FO SR, and the ladder grip test was not carried out. If ladder work is routine for you, look for footwear that carries LG on its certificate.
