About the Standard
Scope title: performance requirements for protective footwear
ASTM F2413 is a standard published by ASTM International (ASTM). It publishes material, product and test method standards; it is the body most often turned to in corrosion, mechanical and materials testing.
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Footwear and Leather Testing — What Does This Testing Field Cover?
The section below describes the field that code ASTM F2413 belongs to; it is not the text of the standard or the regime itself. The scope title of the code is given above, and technical requirements are shared at the quotation stage.
Footwear and leather testing assesses the physical durability and chemical safety of a product together. Footwear is a MULTI-COMPONENT product: the sole, upper, lining, insole, heel and bonding line are tested both individually and together. One component being good does not mean the product is good; failure usually appears where components join.
On the physical side, the most common field failure is SOLE-UPPER SEPARATION. Bond strength is therefore the most critical measurement in the field and is a direct indicator of the bonding process (surface preparation, adhesive selection, pressing conditions). Next come sole abrasion and flex resistance: a shoe is flexed hundreds of thousands of times over its life.
Slip resistance is the most important parameter for safety and its measurement depends on the surface: wet ceramic, oily steel and dry floor give different results. Slip resistance is therefore reported not as a single number but with the surface and the direction of slip stated.
A separate body of work applies to protective footwear, and this is the most commercially critical distinction. Toe protection (impact and compression), penetration resistance, antistatic behaviour, heat and cold insulation, electrical insulation and fuel resistance are assessed under personal protective equipment requirements. CE is mandatory for these products and the category must be chosen correctly; an ordinary footwear test report does not satisfy that file.
On the chemical side, CHROMIUM (VI) has a special place in leather. The chromium (III) used in tanning can oxidise into chromium (VI) during storage and ageing; that is, a leather that was compliant at production may exceed the limit months later. The time of measurement and the history of the sample therefore affect the result, and measurement after ageing may be required.
Other chemical items are aromatic amines from azo dyes, pentachlorophenol, short-chain chlorinated paraffins, dimethyl fumarate and phthalates. These items come from REACH restrictions and brand restricted substance lists.
There is NO CE marking on consumer footwear; the obligation runs through material composition labelling, compliance with chemical restrictions and general product safety. Labelling has a rule of its own: the type of material used for the upper, the lining and insole and the outer sole is shown by pictograms.
Comfort and functional claims (waterproofness, moisture management, breathability) are supported by separate tests, and these claims require evidence if used in marketing copy.
Method groups in this field
Bonding and strength
Sole-upper bond strength, seam strength, heel attachment strength, strap and buckle strength.
Abrasion and flexing
Sole abrasion, flex resistance (dry and at low temperature), insole abrasion.
Slip resistance
Forward and backward slip measurements on wet ceramic, oily steel and dry floor.
Protective properties
Toe impact and compression resistance, penetration resistance, antistatic behaviour, heat and cold insulation, fuel and chemical resistance.
Leather chemistry
Chromium (VI), azo dye amines, pentachlorophenol, short-chain chlorinated paraffins, pH and fat content.
Comfort and function
Waterproofness, water vapour permeability, moisture management, colour fastness and the effect of perspiration.
Commonly confused in this field
- Footwear claiming a protective function falls under PPE legislation and requires CE; a consumer footwear test report does not satisfy that file.
- A chromium (VI) result depends on the age of the sample and its storage conditions; leather compliant at production may exceed the limit later.
- Slip resistance is not a single number; it cannot be interpreted without stating the surface and the direction.
- A result obtained for one component does not cover the whole product; the joints are tested separately.
- Labelling rules run on material pictograms; an incorrect pictogram causes problems in customs and market surveillance.
- A waterproofness claim is not verifiable unless the test used and the number of flex cycles after which it was measured are stated.
Which decisions these results support
- Compliance with the brand restricted substance list
- The PPE category and CE file for protective footwear
- Supplier and lot-based acceptance control
- Root cause analysis of field complaints (bond opening, sole separation)
- Substantiation of functional claims
Structure of the Code
- Published by
- ASTM
- Serial number
- F2413
- Part
- without partition
Codes in the library without release year is kept. The current version changes over time; If the year is specified in your specification, that version is taken as basis, if not specified, the most current version is applied.
Scope
Related Tests and Services
A separate test page based on this code has not yet been released. The code falls within the scope of the following test families.
Technical Requirements
Standard texts are copyright of the relevant organization; test condition, sample and acceptance criteria cannot be fitted here.
Technical requirements specific to your product, once we clarify the scope At offer stage shared in writing.
Related Standards
Frequently Asked Questions
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