Where there is molten metal, welding spatter and hot surfaces, an ordinary safety shoe is not enough. Safety footwear for foundry and welding is tested to its own standard, EN ISO 20349, which sets requirements for both the materials and how the footwear is built. Here we explain what the standard requires, what the markings mean and how to choose.
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EN ISO 20349 is the standard for safety footwear that protects against heat and molten metal. It has two parts: part 1 covers foundries and large amounts of molten metal, part 2 covers welding and related work with small metal splashes.
Footwear certified to EN ISO 20349 also gives all the protection that safety footwear to EN ISO 20345 must give, such as a toe cap and a slip-tested outsole. The standard adds the requirements for hot environments on top.
Which part you need depends on how much molten metal the footwear can be exposed to.
Part 2 is not a lighter version of part 1. They are tested against different risks. Footwear certified to part 2 is not tested against large amounts of molten metal, and a low shoe cannot be certified to either part.
The standard sets requirements for the design, not just the materials. Molten metal must not be able to get caught on the footwear or run into it.
Foundry footwear to part 1 has further requirements: the shaft must be adjustable to fit closely around the leg, metal fittings and rivets must be covered, and the footwear must come off in no more than five seconds while wearing welding gloves. If metal does get into the footwear, it must come off quickly.
The footwear is marked with the number and year of the standard, for example EN ISO 20349-2:2017, followed by the marking codes. These are the ones specific to hot environments.
The footwear must also carry the symbol for protection against heat and flame.
The SRC slip resistance marking was removed from EN ISO 20345 when the standard was updated in 2022. But EN ISO 20349 is still based on the 2011 edition, so the older codes apply here.
SRC, WRU and P on footwear certified to EN ISO 20349:2017 are therefore not a mistake. That is how the standard reads until it is revised. Read more about the 2022 changes in our Guide to safety footwear.
The footwear protects best when it works together with the rest of your protective equipment.
The standard states when footwear for hot environments no longer gives full protection. Replace it if you see:
The Oxelösund series is made for welding and hot work in heavy industry. The 550 high-leg boot and the 650 boot are certified to EN ISO 20349-2 for welding. The 701 and 710 are safety shoes to EN ISO 20345 with a heat-resistant and heat-insulating outsole, for hot work where the welding standard is not required.
Safety boot for welding and hot work.
High-leg safety boot for welding and hot work.
Read how Oxelösund is used in practice at Boliden Bergsöe and in the steel industry.
Not if there is a risk of welding spatter. An S3 shoe to EN ISO 20345 is not tested against molten metal. For welding there is EN ISO 20349-2, and the footwear is then marked WG.
That the outsole is heat-resistant. The outsole material must not collapse after one minute of contact at 300 °C. It says nothing about how hot it gets inside the footwear, which is what HI is about.
HRO means the outsole itself withstands the heat. HI means the outsole insulates, so that your foot does not get too hot when you stand on a hot surface.
No. Footwear to EN ISO 20349 is not electrically insulating and does not replace footwear to EN 50321-1.
So that molten metal and spatter do not run down into the shaft. The trouser leg sends the metal over the footwear instead of into it.
Read our Guide to safety footwear, see our safety shoes or contact us.
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