EN ISO 20345:2022 is the current European standard for safety footwear and replaces the previous version from 2011. It sets out the basic safety requirements for footwear with a toe cap and introduces several important changes. The standard updates the test procedures and introduces new protection classes as well as more precise additional markings. These include, amongst other things, the new classification for puncture resistance (P, PL, PS), revised requirements for slip resistance, and new classes such as S6 and S7 for footwear with particularly high water resistance. Furthermore, the old WRU marking has been discontinued and replaced by modern water-resistance categories. The revision ensures that safety footwear is better adapted to today’s working conditions and provides clearer guidance on selection and use.
| What has changed? | |
|---|---|
| Slip resistance removed | SRA SRB SRC |
| Slip resistance becomes a basic requirement | Tile, washing-up liquid |
| Slip resistance as an additional requirement SR | Tile, glycerine |
| Puncture resistance (metallic inserts) remains S3 or P | |
| Non-metallic inserts become S3L or PL | thick nail 4.5 mm |
| S3S or PS | thin nail 3.0 mm |
| S6 = S2 | WR Water-resistant S2 |
| S7 = S3 | WR Water-resistant S3 |
| CATEGORY | REQUIREMENTS | ADDITIONAL |
|---|---|---|
| SB | Compliance with the basic requirements for safety footwear | no toe cap |
| S1 | as for SB | with 200 J toe cap + closed heel area, energy absorption in the heel area, antistatic |
| S1 Type P (metallic insert) | as for S1 | metallic insert with puncture resistance |
| S1 Type PL (non-metallic insert) | as per S1 | non-metallic insert with puncture resistance – tested with a 4.5 mm nail |
| S1 Type PS (non-metallic insert) | as S1 | non-metallic insert with puncture resistance – tested with a 3.0 mm nail |
| S2 | as S1 | water penetration and water absorption |
| S3 Type P (metallic insert) | as S2 | metallic insert with puncture resistance and profiled outsole |
| S3 Type PL (non-metallic insert) | as S2 | non-metallic insert with puncture resistance – tested with a 4.5 mm nail and a profiled outsole |
| S3 Type PS (non-metallic insert) | as S2 | non-metallic insert with puncture resistance – tested with a 3.0 mm nail and a profiled outsole |
| S6 | as S2 | Water resistance when assembled; type designation WR |
| S7 Type P (metallic insert) | as S3 | metallic insert with puncture resistance and a profiled outsole; water resistance when assembled; type designation WR |
| S7 Type PL (non-metallic insert) | as S3 | non-metallic insert with puncture resistance – tested with a 4.5 mm nail and a profiled outsole; waterproof when assembled; type designation WR |
| S7 Type PS (non-metallic insert) | as per S3 | non-metallic insert with puncture resistance – tested with a 3.0 mm nail and a profiled outsole; waterproof when assembled; type designation WR |