When it comes to work boots, the first question many people have is whether or not the boot has a safety toe. It’s an essential feature and one required by many industries such as manufacturing facilities, warehouses and distribution centers. Let’s take a look at the different safety toe materials and the benefits of each.

Steel Toes have been the standard for protective footwear since worker safety became a priority just after World War II. Steel continues to be the most popular protective toe material due to lower cost and overall industry acceptance.

As manufacturers looked for ways to make work shoes lighter weight they began testing both alloy and aluminum protective toes. Both alloy and aluminum protective toes meet all of the same standards as traditional steel toes but at about half the weight.

Composite Toes were the first non-metallic protective toes manufactured and used in safety footwear, since that time there have been many advancements in composite materials and as a result many new footwear styles are using newer and stronger carbon composite protective toes. Original composite toes were bulky as the protective toe was thicker in order to meet the standards required for safety toe footwear, but with the creation of the newer carbon composite toes that is no longer the case, by incorporating materials such as Kevlar® and Carbon Fiber, manufacturers are able to meet the required standards without the added material. There are a couple other benefits of non-metallic protective toes as compared to metallic toes. Since they do not contain any metal they are a popular choice for those who have to pass through metal detectors and they also transfer heat and cold at a lesser rate than metallic toes, making them a better option for those working in high heat or extreme cold environments.

Many reference the weight differences between the different toe materials, in reality the differences are minimal, a few ounces not pounds, so the primary reason one boot is lighter than the next is type of construction, the midsole and outsole materials, not the toe type.

Any protective toe that experiences an extreme impact or weight should be replaced regardless of the material it’s made of, as the integrity of the toe may have been compromised.

Lastly, all of the protective toe types listed here have to meet the exact same standard for impact and compression in accordance with ASTM F2413-18 no matter the material it’s made of.

Super Shoes has a large selection of safety toe boots available in different sizes and colors. Whether you are looking for steel toe boots, alloy/aluminum boots, or composite/carbon composite boots we have a pair for you to get the job done the right, and safe, way.