Composite Toe Boots Vs Steel Toe Boots

Composite Toe Boots VS Steel Toe Boots

Keeping yourself protected and safe in the workplace is imperative, knowing what kind of footwear to wear based on the job you’re doing is important too. Making sure that you’re investing in the right kind of work footwear means you’ll be able to keep focused on the job at hand and not worried about your feet. When it comes to purchasing new work boots, we recommend considering either Steel Toe or Composite Toe boots depending on what your work entails. But, what is the difference between them?

What are steel toe cap boots?

Whilst all work boots generally offer some kind of protection around the toe area, you’ll find that steel toe boots have a reinforced piece of metal sitting directly above the toe area to help protect your feet from hazards that might be at your feet. Our Convex Steel Toe Boot is designed to withstand a force of 200 joules (equivalent to the approximate weight of 20kg falling from a height of 1 meter). The added bonus of the Convex range is Water Resistance as well as Electrical Hazard Resistance. Where there is a risk that a person may encounter a live electrical circuit, Electrical Hazard Resistant footwear will provide the best possible protection and specifically designed to insulate the wearer from electrical shock hazard. This range of Steel Toe Boots is ideal for construction workers – a great all rounder.

What are composite toe boots?

Similar to steel toe caps, Composite Toe Boots come with a reinforced toe, except they have a toe reinforced with metal free materials like Carbon Fibre. More lightweight, they are ideal for electricians as a composite toe won’t conduct electricity. Composite toe caps feature the same impact resistance as Steel toe caps, at 200 Joules, although these boots tend to weigh in 50% lighter than steel, helping to decrease overall foot fatigue and making it ideal for anyone working long hours on their feet, or those who have a high step count. Additional features of a composite safety toe include a toe that is anti-corrosive, non-metallic, non-magnetic, and non-conductive. We love our Excavator Range of composite toe boots.

How to choose the right boots

Make sure you’re assessing the environment you’ll be working in, as well as working out what levels of protection you will need. Are you working somewhere with high levels of electricity, or somewhere with lots of heavy machinery? Ask around your colleagues to find out what kind of work boots they’re wearing too.  

We recommend exploring our range of work boots for men and work boots for women so you can make your best judgement.