Work Boot Safety Symbols and Ratings: Your Free Guide to What These Shapes and Colors Mean for Your Feet
Work boots come with many different safety features, so it’s good to know the symbols used to identify particular features.
Sometimes these symbols are sewn directly onto the boot, while at other times, they are on the box or webpage related to a pair.
Today I’m going to cover all the symbols out there, and what they mean so you’ll be able to quickly determine if a boot meets your needs or not.
Contents
The Most Important Thing About Symbols on Safety Boots
While the symbols are intended to be universal, they do change slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer.
The changes are not usually big, maybe using a square instead of a rectangle, or vice versa.
The biggest thing to look for is the color combination, as that’s usually the same.
Sometimes you’ll have to look at the packaging, on or inside the tongue, on the heel, or even on the box.
It might look absurd for boots that are chock full of safety features if manufacturers tried to put every last symbol on the boot directly.
The end result would be like a NASCAR car with advertisements all over it.
Including these safety footwear symbols is incredibly important to ensure you know which level of foot protection you have.
What Does the Green Triangle Mean on My Boots?
The green triangle indicates that the boot is manufactured with a class 1 safety toe cap and puncture-resistant soles.
Class 1 safety toes can withstand 125 joules (92 pounds) of impact.
This symbol should be sought by anyone working in the heavy industry or construction fields.
What Does the Yellow Triangle Mean on Safety Shoe?
The yellow triangle indicates that the boot is manufactured with a class 2 safety toe cap and puncture-resistant soles.
Class 2 safety toes can withstand 90 joules (66 pounds) of impact.
This symbol should be sought by anyone working in light industries.
What Does the Orange Ohm Symbol on White Background Mean on My Boots?
The white rectangle with the orange Ohm symbol indicates boots have outsoles designed to deal with electrical contact and will prevent shock to the person wearing them.
These are ideal for anyone that frequently comes into contact with live electrical currents.
What Does the Red Rectangle With C Mean on My Safety Boot?
The red rectangle with a white C indicates boots with outsoles that are conductive to electrical currents.
These are a step down from the Ohm symbol above and are intended for workers who may contact electrical currents in their work but don’t work directly with electricity.
What Does the Yellow Rectangle With SD Mean on My Boots?
The yellow rectangle with SD indicates boots that have static-dissipative outsoles.
This means that the outsoles will discharge any static or electrical charge built up in the person wearing them.
These are ideal for workers dealing with jobs that have combustible chemicals present.
Keep in mind, these symbols vary between manufacturers, so I included two examples above of how they might look different.
They mean the same thing, though.
A variation on the yellow rectangles above is a yellow rectangle with SD+ (Ⓡ / CSA).
This indicates that the boots also come with grade 2 toe caps in addition to the static dissipative properties.
What Does the White Rectangle With a Tree Mean on My Boots?
The white rectangle with a tree symbol indicates boots resistant to chainsaws and other cutting machinery.
This safety feature is most often found in logger boots by those working in the lumber industry, but that doesn’t mean they’re not also useful for contractors as well.
With that said, this doesn’t mean you can safely take an axe to your boot to test the manufacturer’s claims.
Doing this will likely result in broken bones or worse.
What Does a Blue Rectangle With a White R Mean on My Boots?
The blue rectangle indicates boots made with a class 1 protective toe cap.
Class 1 safety toes can withstand 125 joules (92 pounds) of impact.
This symbol should be sought by anyone working in the heavy industry or construction fields.
Keep in mind, unlike the green triangle, these boots do not come with puncture-resistant soles.
What Does a Gray Rectangle With a Black R Mean on My Boots?
The gray rectangle indicates boots made with a class 2 protective toe cap.
Class 2 safety toes can withstand 90 joules (66 pounds) of impact.
This symbol should be sought by anyone working in light industries.
Keep in mind, unlike the yellow triangle, these boots do not come with puncture-resistant soles.
What Does a Black Rectangle With a White M Mean on My Boots?
The black rectangle with an M on it indicates boots manufactured with metatarsal protection.
Often referred to as metatarsal boots, this protective feature can be described as an extension of the toe cap further up the top of your foot.
What Does a White Square With a Picture of a Boot With MT Mean on My Boots?
The white square with a boot symbol, hammer symbol, and MT indicates boots that are manufactured with a metallic toe.
This doesn’t specify if it’s a steel toe cap or an alloy toe cap.
If this is important to you, then investigate further on the packaging or web page.
For those that want to see a comparison between steel and alloy toe caps, we have an article on that topic.
What Does a White Square With a Picture of a Boot With CT Mean on My Boots?
The white square with a boot symbol, hammer symbol, and CT indicates boots that are manufactured with a composite toe cap.
This doesn’t specify if it’s a TPU toe cap, carbon fiber, or modern materials like kevlar.
If this matters to you, check the packaging or web page.
If you’re interested in comparing composite and non-composite toe caps, we have an article on that topic.
What Does a White Square With a Picture of a Boot With SP Mean on My Boots?
The white square with a boot symbol, spike symbols underneath the boot, and SP indicates boots that are manufactured with a steel plate that provides puncture resistance.
These are perfect for workers who risk puncturing their foot but don’t work in extreme climates.
While it won’t be noticeable as you’re suiting up in the morning to head out to work, steel’s tendency to conduct temperatures will be noticeable soon enough.
I should add, it doesn’t matter if it’s hot or cold; steel will reflect that temperature.
What Does a White Square With a Picture of a Boot With CP Mean on My Boots?
The white square with a boot symbol, hammer symbol, and CP indicates boots that are manufactured with a composite plate that provides puncture resistance.
These are great for extreme climates, either hot or cold, where stepping on a piercing object is a concern.
It’s an added benefit for anyone that is required to go through a metal detector for their job, that the composite material used won’t set off the detector.
What about Safety Footwear Standards?
This article talks about work boot ratings.
If you’re interested in reading more about safety footwear standards and specifications then we have an article that covers ASTM F2413, EN ISO and more.
This is a good place to start.
Ultimately, the point of safety standards is to ensure that you stay safe from potential hazards and avoid any kind of foot injury whilst on the job.
My Symbolic Conclusion
Not really, I’m just doing a terrible job at making a pun.
What isn’t a joke, is that knowing what all these symbols mean can be the difference between a quick or extremely slow shopping experience.
Most of the symbols are well designed enough that a quick read through and you’ll know everything you need to get the proper pair of boots.
I know we sound like a broken record when we say this, but please always consult your personal protective equipment manual, your boss or your HR department if you need to know more about which toe protection you need.
