Footwear and Leather Testing

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.