Safety Trainer Size Chart

Safety trainers that don’t fit properly won’t be comfortable or offer the right protection against workplace hazards. Nick Grinnell gives his guide to making sure your safety trainers measure up…

We talk a lot about how important it is to choose safety footwear that suits the needs of particular job roles, whether someone is walking on hard surfaces all day, travelling around delivering parcels and packages, or standing still working on an assembly line or in returns.

But what happens next when you’ve chosen those ideal safety trainers? How do you know what size you should order? Should you go for a big size for more comfort?

Let’s find out…

Safety trainers: What size do I need?

If you’re on your feet all day, the last thing you need is uncomfortable footwear. Not only is it distracting to have ill-fitting shoes that slip or rub as you walk, it is potentially dangerous, with increased likelihood of having an accident or developing a musculoskeletal disorder as the result of poor posture or uneven gait.

Businesses buying safety trainers on behalf of their employees risk wasting money on footwear their teams won’t or can’t wear.

To avoid this, encourage your employees to start afresh when it comes to determining what size safety trainers they need, treating their work shoe size separately to the size they wear in everyday shoes and trainers.

Bear in mind that safety footwear should allow space for the feet to expand as the day goes on, so you don’t want it to be tight at the outset.

Also, remember that safety trainers from different manufacturers will have different features that affect the sizing. If you are unsure in any way, a good safety trainer supplier will be able to advise you on the best option for individual requirements.

Do safety trainers come in half sizes?

As a general rule, safety trainers are not available in half sizes. If you are consistently finding that one size is too big, and the next one down too small, ask your safety trainer supplier for a midsole insert that will help to solve the problem.

Safety trainers: Finding the correct size

The first step to finding the correct size safety trainers is to measure your feet. This should be done towards the end of a working day, to allow for the feet to have expanded during the day’s work. You’ll need to take a measurement of the length and width of each foot, using the method below.

To correctly measure your feet for safety trainers:

• Measure the length of each foot: Wearing socks, stand on a piece of paper and draw around both your feet. Make sure you use a sharp pencil with the lead placed vertically to ensure an accurate outline. On your outline of the longest foot, measure the exact distance in millimetres from the heel to the tip of the longest toe.
• Measure the width of the foot (ball circumference): Use a measuring tape to measure the circumference of the widest part of the foot between the ball and the base joint of the little toe.

Once you have these measurements, you can use a sizing guide to determine which size safety trainers to buy.

Safety trainers size chart

The table below gives the sizing information most European manufacturers of safety trainers use:

If you need further help, a good safety workwear supplier will always be on hand to answer any questions you have, and to advise on the best options for individual requirements.