The ASTM F2412-11 and ASTM F2413-11 have just been released. They are the essential ASTM standards on foot protection and safety toe caps. The two documents replaced the ANSI Z41 standard back in 2005. The new editions are available from Document Center Inc. in both paper and electronic format.
ASTM F2412, titled “Standard Test Methods for Foot Protection,” covers test methods that measure the resistance of footwear to a variety of hazards that can potentially result in injury. Areas include:
Impact resistance for the toe area of footwear,
Compression resistance for the toe area of footwear,
Metatarsal protection that reduces the chance of injury to the metatarsal bones at the top of the foot,
Conductive properties which reduce hazards that may result from static electricity buildup, and reduce the possibility of ignition of explosives and volatile chemicals,
Electric Hazard by stepping on live wire,
Static dissipative (SD) properties to reduce hazards due to excessively low footwear electrical resistance that may exist where SD footwear is required, and
Puncture resistance footwear devices.
ASTM F2413, “Standard Specification for Performance Requirements for Protective (Safety) Toe Cap Footwear,” covers the minimum design, performance, testing, and classification requirements, and prescribes fit, function, and performance criteria for footwear designed to be worn to provide protection against a variety of workplace hazards that can potentially result in injury.
The specification is not intended to serve as a detailed manufacturing or purchasing specification, but can be referenced in purchase contracts to ensure that minimum performance requirements are met.
Footwear conforming to this specification shall meet the performance requirements for the following:
Impact resistance for the toe area of footwear,
Compression resistance for the toe area of footwear,
Metatarsal protection that reduces the chance of injury to the metatarsal bones at the top of the foot,
Conductive properties which reduce hazards that may result from static electricity buildup, and reduce the possibility of ignition of explosives and volatile chemicals,
Electric shock resistance,
Static dissipative (SD) properties to reduce hazards due to excessively low footwear resistance that may exist where SD footwear is required,
Puncture resistance of footwear bottoms,
Chain saw cut resistance, and
Dielectric insulation.
Document Center Inc. has been providing ASTM standards under licensed contract since the 1980’s. We have a complete collection of current standards and many of the obsolete revisions as well. Order through our website, www.document-center.com, or contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com). We would be pleased to work with you.
Is there a difference between the ASTM F2412 and the ASTM F2413.
Hi Steve:
And thanks for asking.
There is a difference between the two standards. It’s not so clear from the bibliographic material that you find on the Document Center website, so I’ll explain.
1. ASTM F2412 is the test method standard. It covers tests and test equipment to use for every part of a protective shoe (footwear). It is 17 pages in length, with lots of figures to show you exactly how to set up the tests, use wax inserts, etc.
2. The ASTM F2413 deals with the performance requirements for this type of footwear. Here you’ll learn exactly what is required of footwear labelled “impact resistant,” for example.
So as you can see, the ASTM F2413 provides you with the requirements and ASTM F2412 provides you with the tests to confirm the footwear meets the requirements.
Hope this helps!
Regards,
Claudia
I need to buy boots that meet both F2412-11 and F2413-11, but almost all of the boots that I come across only say F2413-11 and none of them mention F2412-11? Also, I am new to boots and don’t know anything.
Hi Andres:
Thanks so much for asking.
So here we have a set of two standards, both on safety books (foot protection). Like many of these types of document sets, there is only one requirements standard. The other is information on various test methods.
So only ASTM F2413 has actual performance requirements. The ASTM F2412 has the various test methods that are used in meeting those requirements. It’s rather like the ISO 9000 and ISO 9001. ISO 9001 has the actual requirements needed for registration. The ISO 9000 is a companion document that offers guidance in meeting the ISO 9001 criteria.
Your boots only reference the ASTM F2413 since that’s the only one of the two that has criteria for the manufacturer to actually meet.
I hope this answer is clear and is helpful to you!
Best regards,
Claudia
If a shoe is listed as being compliant with ASTM 2412 does that mean that the shoe is also compliant with ASTM 2413?
Thanks for asking, Bryan:
The two standards address different aspects of footwear safety. The ASTM F2412 is on the test methods to use to measure resistance to specific hazards. The ASTM F2413 provides a list of minimum resistance criteria a protective toe cap shoe needs to meet. So you need to design a shoe to meet the performance requirements of the F2413. Then you need to test the shoe using the tests of F2412 in order to confirm the shoe meets the performance requirements of the standard.
I hope this is helpful!
Regards,
Claudia
What significant change differences are there from ASTM F2413-05 and ASTM F2413-11?
Hi James,
And thank so much for asking. When working with ASTM standards, your best bet is to purchase the redline edition. You’ll get a copy of the new edition. Plus you’ll also get a copy of the old edition with all the changes clearly marked.
I checked out the redline edition for the F2413. There’s lots of changes and I’m not qualified to say which are most important…
Regards,
Claudia