American Society for Testing and Materials

(ASTM)

ASTM F2412-18 Test Methods and

ASTM F2413-18 Specifications

The ANSI Z41 standard was withdrawn in March of 2005 and replaced by ASTM standards.

ASTM F2412-05 and ASTM F2413-05 were published to provide test methods and performance standards respectively for ‘Personal Protective Footwear’ that will be sold in the United States. They were republished in 2011 and again in 2017 and 2018.

The most recent changes are summarized below.

1. Many editorial changes to clarify requirements, product grouping and need to requalify all product within one year of publication of new year date standard

2. Introduction of different levels of SD protection

3. Removal of ‘/75’ from I/75, C/75 and Mt/75 markings

4. Newly added requirements for 3rd Party lab report content

5. Newly added requirement for 3rd Party lab to issue Certificate of Conformity

All ASTM F 2413 certified footwear must provide impact and compression resistance as specified in sections 5.1 and 5.2 of the standard – I and C markings.

Additional protection may be provided within the footwear and the requirements for these are given in section 5.3 through 5.7 of the standard.

Sect 5.3 Metatarsal protection (Mt)

Sect 5.4 Conductive footwear (Cd)

Sect 5.5 Electrical shock resistant footwear (EH)

Sect 5.6 Static Dissipative footwear (SD)

Sect 5.7 Sole puncture resistance (PR)

PRODUCT CATEGORIES (GROUPING) & QUALIFICATION TESTING

The protective footwear is first placed into product categories (groups) where each member of the group has the same outsole/midsole (design, compound, & hardness), last, toe cap, met guard, method of construction, and the upper, lining, insole and cushion insert materials must be the same thickness +/- 12.5%.

The category can contain many patterns varying in upper design and new patterns can be added to a particular category at any time.

Qualification testing is required for all new categories, 3 pair of footwear (Men’s size 9 and

Women’s size 8) must be tested in an independent lab and achieve satisfactory results before they can be marked as complying with ASTM F2413. NOTE: 3 additional half pairs of the same size as above are needed for Metatarsal impact testing.

Re-qualification testing is necessary when any change is made to existing footwear that is likely to affect results from the ‘test area’ of the footwear. The test area is defined as being forward of a plane located 1 inch (25.4mm) behind the back edge of the protective toe cap.

Changes such as those shown below require re-qualification:

1) Changes in the protective toe cap, protective insole or met guard materials

2) Changes in the design or supplier of the protective toe cap, protective insole or met guard

3) Changes to the outsole compound including hardness change.

4) Changes in the method of construction

5) A change of factory manufacturing the footwear

6) Changes in thickness (greater than 25%) of materials used for the upper, lining, sole, or

insole portions of the footwear

7) Changes to the shape of the last

If the change does not apply to all the footwear in an existing category, then a new category is established for the modified designs. If the change does apply to all the footwear, then the entire product category is re-qualified.

REQUIREMENTS

Impact (5.1) and Compression Resistance (5.2) – Markings I and C respectively

There is one level of protection available for Impact (I) and Compression (C) resistance.

The toe cap must be an integral part of the footwear design; the standard does not cover the use of ‘after-market add-on’ protective toe devices.

The test clearances after test for impact and compression tests are:

Men’s – 0.500 inch (12.7mm)

Women’s – 0.468 inch (11.9mm)

Note: each protective toe cap shall bear the manufacturer’s name or trademark, or logo. Cap number or identification, and toe cap size and R (right) or L (left) shall be permanently stamped or marked in a conspicuous location.

Note: A test is specified for checking that the modeling clay is of the correct quality and not too hard or soft. This test must be carried out at least once every 6 months.

Metatarsal (5.3) – Marking Mt

Metatarsal protection is designed to prevent or reduce injuries when the toe and metatarsal areas of the foot are exposed to ‘drop’ hazards.

Footwear offering metatarsal protection must be designed and constructed with integral metatarsal guards. The standard does not cover the use of ‘after-market add-on’ guards.

The impact energy is the same as for toe impact

The test clearances after the metatarsal impact tests are;

Men’s – 1 inch (25.4mm)

Women’s – 0.937 inch (24mm)

Conductive Footwear (5.4) – Marking Cd

Conductive footwear is designed to discharge static electricity from the wearer’s body through their shoes to ground. The floor must be clean and provide a good ground connection for the static electricity to discharge quickly. Conductive footwear is designed and manufactured to, as far as possible; eliminate risk of static electricity sparks igniting volatile chemicals or explosives.

Note: Conductive footwear should not be worn by personnel working near open electrical

circuits.

All exposed external metal parts must be non-ferrous. No exposed toplift attaching nails are

permitted.

The electrical resistance of conductive protective footwear tested at 500V shall range between 0 and 500,000 ohms.

Electrical Shock Resistant Protection (5.5) – Marking EH

EH protective footwear is designed to reduce the hazards due to accidental contact with live

electrical circuits (600 Volts) and electrically energized conductors or parts.

The outer surface of the sole and heel shall not be penetrated by any electrically conductive

component.

Electric shock resistant footwear must be capable of withstanding the application of 18,000 volts at 60 Hz for 1 minute with no current flow or leakage in excess of 1.0 milli amperes under dry conditions.

Static Dissipating Footwear (5.6) – Marking SD 10, SD 35 and SD 100

SD protective footwear is designed to reduce the accumulation of excess static electricity by

conducting body charge to the ground while maintaining a sufficiently high level of resistance that protects the wearer from electrical hazards if they come into contact with live electrical circuits.

No exposed nails are permitted in SD footwear.

The footwear must be conditioned for a minimum of 24 hours at 21.1±1.1º C (70±2ºF) and 50 ±2% r.h. prior to testing and then worn by the test subject for 5 minutes before testing the resistance of the left foot, the right foot and the pair.

The 2005 and 2011 standards covered one SD rating only and this is now the SD 100 rating.

For SD 100 rated footwear, the electrical resistance at 50V tested through the wearer must be greater than 106 ohms (1 mega ohm) and not exceed 108 ohms (100 mega ohms).

For SD 35 rated footwear, the electrical resistance at 50V tested through the wearer must be greater than 106 ohms (1 mega ohm) and not exceed 35x106 ohms (35 mega ohms).

For SD 10 rated footwear, the electrical resistance at 50V tested through the wearer must be greater than 106 ohms (1 mega ohm) and not exceed 107 ohms (10 mega ohms).

Sole Puncture Resistant Footwear (5.7) – Marking PR

Puncture resistant footwear includes a sole puncture resistant device (usually below the insole) which reduces the possibility of puncture wounds to the bottom of the feet if the wearer steps on sharp objects that penetrate the soles of the footwear.

The protective device must cover the maximum possible area of the forefoot and heel as the

construction will allow. Additionally the plates must be stamped to identify the manufacture’s name (or trade name) and the month and year of manufacture.

Three pairs (random sizes) of puncture resistant devices should be tested as separate items and they should withstand a minimum nail penetration force of 270 pounds (1,200 Newtons). Additionally, metal plates should show no signs of corrosion after they are exposed to a 5.0 % salt solution for a minimum of 24 hours in accordance with ASTM B117 and they should show no signs of cracking after being subjected to 1.5 million flexes per CAN/CSA Z195.

When testing non-metal penetration resistant devices, the tip of the nail must not pass through and be visible on the foot side of the penetration resistant device when the full 1,200 N force is applied

LABELING & IDENTIFICATION (6.1)

At least one half pair shall be clearly and legibly labeled in letters and numbers not less than 0.125

inches (3.175mm) high. The identification shall be a stitched-in, stamped or otherwise durably

labelled. The identification should be enclosed in a rectangular border and placed on the inside or

outside surface of the tongue, gusset, shaft or quarter lining.

A specific 3 line format is specified for the label

Line One – ASTM F2413-18

Line Two – F (Female) or M (Male) and I (Impact protection) and C (Compression protection)

Line Three – used to reference additional protective properties provided and they should appear in the order that they appear in the standard and this handbook. Mt, Cd, EH, SD 100 (35 or 10), PR

Letters and numbers must be at least 3.175 mm tall.