Safety footwear sold in the U.S. is measured against ASTM F2413‑24, the safety-toe performance standard, and required on the job under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.136. A boot's tongue label tells you everything it's certified for — toe impact (I), compression (C), electrical hazard (EH), puncture resistance (PR), metatarsal protection (Mt), static dissipation (SD), and, as of the 2024 revision, slip resistance (SR/SRO). The older ANSI Z41 standard was retired by OSHA back in 2005 and is no longer part of the equation.
In This Guide
What Are Safety Footwear Regulations
There's an endless list of on-the-job hazards: powerful tools and machinery, work at great heights, chemicals that are harmful to inhale — and many of these hazards put your feet directly at risk of impacts, electrical shock, compression, or punctures. Safety footwear technology exists to mitigate those risks, and safety footwear regulations exist to define how much protection that footwear must provide, and which jobs require which features.
Confirming your boots meet the standard isn't hard. Manufacturers put footwear through rigorous, independent lab testing, and footwear that passes earns a safety label — usually stitched or printed inside the tongue, or listed on the product page if you're buying work boots online. Those labels are issued by the organizations responsible for testing footwear's protective capability.
ASTM International and OSHA: Who Makes the Rules
Two organizations matter here: ASTM International, which writes the technical safety standards, and OSHA, the federal agency that requires employers to follow them.
ASTM International
ASTM International (formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials) develops standards for products and materials across dozens of industries, including footwear. Its labels are what you see on the tongue of your boots, and its lab tests decide which boots earn them.
Two ASTM documents govern safety footwear:
- ASTM F2413 — defines the protection levels safety footwear must provide and the labeling system manufacturers use.
- ASTM F2412 — the companion test-method document that tells labs how to run those tests.
As of June 2024, the current edition is ASTM F2413‑24, which replaced ASTM F2413‑18.
OSHA
If you've worked on a job site, "OSHA" and "workplace safety" are practically synonymous. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is the federal agency that sets and enforces safe-working-conditions rules — including foot protection — but it doesn't write footwear science itself; it defers to bodies like ASTM International.
29 CFR 1910.136 requires protective footwear "when there is a danger of foot injuries due to falling or rolling objects, or objects piercing the sole, or when the use of protective footwear will protect the affected employee from an electrical hazard." Given how broad that language is, most jobsite roles will need some level of safety footwear.
Your employer (or a hired safety consultant, such as through a program like Corporate Safety Programs) is responsible for running a hazard assessment to determine exactly which features — impact, EH, puncture resistance, and so on — your specific role requires.
Compliance note: OSHA also finalized a rule amending 29 CFR 1926.95(c) (construction PPE), effective January 13, 2025, that explicitly requires employers to provide PPE — including safety footwear — that "properly fits" each worker. It aligns the construction standard with the fit language already used in general industry (1910.132) and shipyards (1915.152), and formalizes something OSHA had already been citing employers over: footwear that's the wrong fit doesn't meet the standard, even if it carries the right ASTM rating.
Safety Footwear Features & Labels
ASTM F2413 outlines regulations for eight categories of protection:
- Impact protection
- Metatarsal protection
- Compression protection
- Electrical hazard protection
- Static dissipation
- Puncture resistance
- Dielectric insulation
- Chainsaw protection
Plus, as of the 2024 revision, a ninth: slip resistance. Your employer's hazard assessment should tell you which of these your job requires.
Impact Protection (I)
What it means: the toe cap protects against a falling-object impact.
Under the current ASTM F2413‑24 standard, there's a single required performance level: I, meaning the toe cap withstands an impact equivalent to a 50‑pound weight dropped from 18 inches (about 75 foot‑pounds of force) without crushing below the required clearance. Older inventory or documentation may still show the legacy tiered labels below — they're not wrong, just outdated:
|
Label (legacy, pre‑2018 editions) |
Description |
|
ASTM F2413 I/75 |
Impact protection up to 75 foot-pounds (now simply "I") |
|
ASTM F2413 I/50 |
Impact protection up to 50 foot-pounds (discontinued) |
|
ASTM F2413 I/30 |
Impact protection up to 30 foot-pounds (discontinued) |
In plain terms: a foot-pound is the force an object exerts when dropped from a height of one foot. A toe cap rated for the current "I" requirement protects against a 75-pound object dropped from 1 foot (or a 150-pound object from 6 inches, and so on). Because this is now the only rating ASTM issues, "most protective available" is simply the current standard.
Metatarsal Protection (Mt)
What it means: a guard protects the metatarsal bones across the top of the foot, in addition to the toes.
Many safety boots include a met guard — a leather flap reinforced with metal or plastic that folds over the laces. As with impact protection, ASTM consolidated the metatarsal rating to a single required level under F2413‑18 and carried it forward into F2413‑24:
|
Label (legacy) |
Description |
|
ASTM F2413 Mt/75 |
Metatarsal protection up to 75 foot-pounds (now simply "Mt") |
|
ASTM F2413 Mt/50 |
Discontinued |
|
ASTM F2413 Mt/30 |
Discontinued |
Compression Protection (C)
What it means: the toe cap resists a heavy rolling or crushing object — not just a sudden impact.
A toe box or met guard alone can't protect against, say, a 1,000‑pound object slowly rolling onto a foot. Compression resistance covers that scenario. Like impact protection, this rating is now a single required level under current ASTM editions:
|
Label (legacy) |
Description |
|
ASTM F2413 C/75 |
Compression protection up to 2,500 lbs (now simply "C") |
|
ASTM F2413 C/50 |
Discontinued |
|
ASTM F2413 C/30 |
Discontinued |
In other words: if a 2,400-pound object rolled over a mechanic's foot, and the mechanic were wearing current-standard "C"-rated boots, their foot would be protected.
Electrical Hazard Protection (EH)
What it means: the outsole insulates against accidental contact with a live circuit.
|
Label |
Description |
|
ASTM F2413 EH |
Protects against open circuits up to 600 volts in dry conditions |
A typical wall outlet puts out 120 volts, so 600-volt protection covers most jobsite scenarios. EH protection is a secondary safeguard — OSHA still requires employers to control electrical hazards at the source first.
Shop Electrical Hazard-Safe Work Boots
Static Dissipation (SD)
What it means: the sole conducts built-up static electricity safely to a grounded floor, reducing spark risk around flammable vapors.
|
Label |
Description (1 megaohm = 1 million ohms) |
|
ASTM F2413 SD 100 |
Resistance range of 1–100 megaohms |
|
ASTM F2413 SD 35 |
Resistance range of 1–35 megaohms |
|
ASTM F2413 SD 10 |
Resistance range of 1–10 megaohms |
Unlike impact, compression, and metatarsal ratings, SD retains its tiered rating system. Check your specific product label for the exact tier your job requires.
Shop Static Dissipative Work Boots
Puncture Resistance (PR)
|
Label |
Description |
|
ASTM F2413 PR |
Sole shows no cracking after 1.5 million flexes and resists at least 270 lbf of puncture force |
A boot's rubber outsole alone stops most soft hazards, but sharp debris like scrap metal or exposed nails can go straight through it. PR-rated footwear adds a non-removable plate between the insole and outsole to stop that.
Shop Puncture-Resistant Work Boots
Slip Resistance (SR / SRO) — New in ASTM F2413‑24
What it means: the outsole has been tested for traction under standardized conditions.
This is the headline addition in the 2024 revision. Slip resistance is now formally part of the F2413 performance specification, tested against ASTM F3445‑21:
|
Label |
Description |
|
SR |
Slip-resistant on standard test surfaces |
|
SRO |
Slip-resistant on oily/wet surfaces |
Before F2413‑24, "slip resistant" was a marketing claim manufacturers could use without a standardized test behind it. If slip hazards (wet floors, oil, ice) are part of your job, look specifically for the SR or SRO code — not just the word "slip-resistant" in a product description.
Dielectric Insulation (DI)
Dielectrically insulated footwear — bulky, all-rubber overshoes — protects against much larger electrical hazards than EH footwear covers, like exposed power lines. It's uncommon and reserved for specialized utility and line work; most workers won't need it.
Chainsaw Protection (CS)
Chainsaw-resistant footwear protects against a rotating blade making contact with the foot. Like DI footwear, it's uncommon outside specific forestry and arborist roles.
2024–2025 Standard Updates You Need to Know
If you last read up on safety footwear rules more than a couple of years ago, here's what's changed:
- ASTM F2413‑24 replaced ASTM F2413‑18 (June 2024). It's the current edition referenced by OSHA. Boots and documentation still citing F2413‑18 aren't necessarily non-compliant — the core performance thresholds carried forward — but F2413‑24 is now the version to look for on new purchases.
- Slip resistance (SR/SRO) is now a formal, testable part of the standard, referencing ASTM F3445‑21, rather than an unverified marketing claim.
- Unisex sizing language (U) was formally added alongside the existing M/F gender designations on labels.
- Numeric tiers for impact, compression, and metatarsal protection were already consolidated into single top-tier ratings (I, C, Mt) starting with the F2413‑18 edition, and that hasn't changed in F2413‑24. If you see "I/75" or "C/50" on a label, that's a legacy edition, not a current one.
- OSHA's construction PPE fit rule (29 CFR 1926.95(c)) took effect January 13, 2025, explicitly requiring properly fitting PPE — including footwear — for construction workers, matching the standard already in place for general industry.
None of these changes lower the bar on protection; they mainly clarify labeling and close a gap on slip-resistance claims. But they do mean older buyer's guides describing three-tier impact/compression ratings as "current" are out of date.
Common Points of Confusion
ASTM International quite literally produces thousands of safety labels for thousands of hazards across dozens of needs, products and industries. Because of that, the labeling standards can become confusing and difficult to understand. We'd like to clear up some common points of confusion about safety footwear and their labels and standards.
ASTM vs. ANSI
Footwear safety labels weren't always exclusively ASTM's. For years, OSHA's regulations also cited the American National Standards Institute's ANSI Z41‑1999 standard alongside ASTM F2413. The two were functionally identical, so on March 1, 2005, OSHA dropped all references to ANSI Z41 and has cited only ASTM F2413 since.
You may still see manufacturers describe footwear as "ASTM F2413 (formerly ANSI Z41)" — that's just a legacy reference. From a buyer's perspective, the protection labels (I, C, SD, etc.) mean the same thing under either standard.
ASTM F2413 vs. ASTM F2412
- F2413 — the performance and labeling standard. This is the one that matters to you as a buyer.
- F2412 — the lab test-method standard, used by manufacturers and testing labs, not by end users.
If a product lists both "meets ASTM F2412 and ASTM F2413," you can disregard the F2412 reference; it's not something you need to evaluate footwear against yourself.
Do the Year Markers on the Label Matter?
Partially — more than the original version of this guide suggested. ASTM revises its standards roughly every five years (F2413‑05, ‑11, ‑17, ‑18, ‑24). Most revisions are editorial. But the 2018 and 2024 editions specifically changed how footwear is labeled — consolidating numeric tiers and adding SR/SRO — so it's worth knowing whether your footwear (or your company's procurement documentation) references a current edition.
Bottom Line: Know Your Label, Stay Protected
Though footwear safety standards can feel dense, the core ideas are straightforward once you know what to look for on the label. Understanding these regulations — and keeping up with revisions like F2413‑24 — helps you make sure you and your crew stay properly protected on the job.
FAQs on Safety Footwear
What is ASTM F2413‑24?
ASTM F2413‑24 is the current U.S. performance standard for protective (safety) toe footwear, published in June 2024. It defines minimum impact, compression, electrical hazard, puncture, metatarsal, and — new as of this edition — slip-resistance requirements, plus the labeling system manufacturers use on the tongue of the boot.
Does OSHA require ASTM F2413‑24 specifically?
OSHA's 29 CFR 1910.136 requires employers to provide safety footwear meeting the current consensus standard, which is ASTM F2413. OSHA doesn't typically amend its regulatory text every time ASTM issues a new edition, so footwear meeting F2413‑18 generally still satisfies the intent of the rule; F2413‑24 is simply the most current version manufacturers are certifying against going forward.
What does "I/75" mean if current labels just say "I"?
"I/75" is a legacy label from ASTM editions prior to 2018, indicating impact protection up to 75 foot-pounds. Since 2018, ASTM consolidated this into a single required level, so current labels just show "I" — it represents the same protection level, just simplified.
What's the difference between ASTM F2413 and ANSI Z41?
ANSI Z41‑1999 was the predecessor footwear safety standard. OSHA cited both ASTM F2413 and ANSI Z41 until March 1, 2005, when it dropped ANSI Z41 entirely in favor of ASTM F2413 alone. The protection labeling (impact, compression, etc.) was essentially identical between the two.
What does SR or SRO mean on a safety boot label?
SR means the outsole passed standardized slip-resistance testing (ASTM F3445‑21) on regular surfaces; SRO means it passed testing specifically on oily or wet surfaces. Both codes were formally added to the ASTM F2413 specification in the 2024 revision.
Does OSHA require safety footwear to fit properly?
Yes. Since January 13, 2025, OSHA's amended construction PPE standard (29 CFR 1926.95(c)) explicitly requires properly fitting PPE, including footwear — matching a requirement already in place for general industry. Footwear that meets ASTM's protection ratings but doesn't fit the worker doesn't satisfy the standard.