Buying guide
Wide fit safety boots, and how to tell if you need one
How do I know if I need a wide fit safety boot instead of a bigger size?
The short answer
If your boots feel tight across the ball of your foot but the length is right, you need a wider fitting, not a bigger size. Going up a size makes the boot longer rather than wider, so your foot slides forward, your heel lifts, and the widest part of your foot still sits in the wrong part of the boot. The signs to look for are pressure or blisters on the little toe or the side of the foot, numbness after a few hours, the upper bulging out over the sole, and having to slacken the laces off by mid morning. Measure both feet at the end of the day, in your work socks, standing up with your weight on them, then look for boots described as wide fitting. One more thing worth knowing: a steel toecap is thinner than a composite one, so a steel boot leaves more room inside the same size.
The signs you have a width problem, not a length problem
Length and width fail in different ways, and knowing which one you have saves you buying the wrong boot twice. These are width symptoms.
- Pressure or blisters on the little toe, or along the outside edge of the foot.
- The upper leather bulging out over the sole where your foot is pushing sideways against it.
- Numbness or pins and needles after a few hours, particularly across the ball of the foot.
- Having to loosen the laces during the day to get comfortable again.
- Bunions or hammertoes that catch and rub on the inside of the boot.
- A boot that feels fine sitting down and tight standing up. Your foot spreads under load, which is exactly when a narrow fit shows itself.
Length symptoms look different
If your toes hit the end when you walk downhill, if you are losing toenails, or if your heel slips when you climb a ladder, that is length, not width. You want around 10 to 15mm, roughly a thumb's width, between your longest toe and the end of the boot.
Why buying a bigger size does not fix it
This is the mistake almost everyone makes, and it creates three new problems while solving none of the original one. A larger size adds length first and width only marginally. Your foot slides forward into the extra space, so the widest part of your foot no longer sits at the widest part of the boot. Your heel lifts with every step, which is where blisters and, on a ladder, missed footing come from. And the boot flexes in the wrong place, because the point where the sole is designed to bend no longer lines up with the ball of your foot. A wider fitting in your actual size solves the width without any of that.
How to measure properly
- 1
Measure at the end of the day
Feet swell through a shift, by a surprising amount if you are on hard floors. Measuring first thing gives you a boot that fits for about two hours.
- 2
Wear the socks you actually work in
A thick work sock or a thermal one can take up most of a half size. Measuring in thin socks and buying for thick ones is the same error as measuring in the morning.
- 3
Stand up, weight evenly on both feet
A foot under load is longer and wider than a foot in the air. Trace around each foot on paper with the pen held upright.
- 4
Measure both feet, and buy for the bigger one
Most people have two different feet, and some differ by a full size. Fit the larger foot and adjust the other with lacing or an insole.
- 5
Measure the width at the widest point
That is across the ball of the foot, just behind the toes. Compare that against the brand's fitting information, and if it puts you at the top of the standard range, go wide.
Our size and fit guide has the length conversions and the brand-by-brand notes, so use the two together.
What wide fitting actually means on a safety boot
Be aware that safety footwear does not use the tidy F, G and H fittings you get from a traditional shoemaker. Most safety brands build on a standard last and then offer particular styles on a wider last, which they label as wide fitting rather than giving it a letter. That has two consequences. The first is that wide fitting is not a fixed measurement, so one brand's wide can be another brand's standard. The second is that you cannot assume a brand offers a wide version of every style, because usually only some of the range is built that way.
The toecap changes the room, too
A steel toecap is formed thinner than a composite one for the same protection, so a steel boot has more space inside the same nominal size. If you have wide or deep toes and you do not need a metal free boot, steel is worth trying before you write a whole brand off. There is more on this in our toecap guide.
Two things that buy you a little more room
- 1Window lacing. Skip the pair of eyelets that sit over the sore spot and lace straight across the gap instead of crossing over it. This takes the pressure off one specific point, which is ideal for a bunion or a high instep, and costs nothing to try.
- 2A thinner insole. The footbed that comes with the boot is often quite thick. A slimmer replacement lowers your foot in the boot and gives back a surprising amount of room across the top, though it does nothing for width across the ball.
Wide fitting styles available now
Styles the manufacturer builds on a wider last.
Boots · SJ-DAKAREWS3
Dakar Ew S3
Boots · SJ-DAKREWS3LE
Dakar Ew S3 Leather
Shoes · SJ-AAKS1PLOW
Aak S1P Low
Boots · FD04
Portwest Composite Nubuck Leather Mid Boot S3S HRO SR FO SC LG
Shoes · SJ-ECOLBIS1PT
Ecolobi S1P Low Tls
Boots · FD22
Portwest Composite Leather Shin Boot S3S HRO FO SC HI CI AN LG SR
Common questions
Should I buy a bigger size if my safety boots are too tight?
Not if the length is right. A bigger size adds length rather than width, so your foot slides forward, your heel lifts and the boot flexes in the wrong place, and the widest part of your foot still sits in the wrong part of the boot. If the tightness is across the ball of your foot, you need a wider fitting in your usual size.
How do I know if I have wide feet?
Trace both feet on paper at the end of the day, standing with your weight on them, and measure across the widest point just behind the toes. Compare that with the brand's fitting guidance. In practice the symptoms tell you first: pressure on the little toe, the upper bulging over the sole, numbness across the ball of the foot, and laces you have to slacken off by mid morning.
What width fitting are standard safety boots?
Most safety footwear is built on one standard last, and brands do not usually publish it as an F, G or H fitting the way dress shoes do. Styles built on a wider last are normally labelled wide fitting instead. Because it is not a fixed measurement, one brand's wide fitting can be close to another brand's standard, which is why it is worth checking the fitting notes on the individual product.
Do steel or composite toecaps give more room?
Steel. It can be formed thinner than composite for the same 200 joule rating, so a steel toecap takes up less space inside the boot. If you have wide or deep toes and do not need a metal free boot for detectors or cold, a steel cap is worth trying before you conclude a brand does not fit you.
Can I wear thinner socks to make tight boots fit?
It is a short-term patch rather than a fix, and it usually backfires. A thinner sock reduces cushioning and increases friction, so you tend to trade a pressure point for a blister. If the boot is genuinely too narrow, the answer is a wider fitting.
Keep reading
Still not sure which pair?
Answer five questions about your work and we will narrow the range down to the styles that suit it. Or call us and talk it through with someone who knows the catalogue.