Composite Toe vs Steel Toe Work Boots

What’s the difference between composite toe and steel toe safety boots? Both are great at protecting your toes from getting crushed or pierced on the job. Specifically, safety toe boots offer two forms of protection: impact resistance and compression resistance.

Both these toe boots have materials wrapped around your toes at the front of your boots, and both offer unique benefits that should be weighed when you’re making a decision.

Composite Toe

Comp toe work boots are quickly replacing steel toe boots as the industry norm. It is made of non-metal materials like Kevlar, carbon fibre, plastic or fiberglass. Some jobs might require you to pass through a metal detector; this makes composite toe boots ideal.

Since these boots do not contain metal, they are more comfortable when working outdoors. This is especially true when working outside in extreme conditions. Metal conducts heat, meaning your feet will get colder in cold climates, and hotter in hot climates. So, it is preferable to have comp boots for outdoor work.

Composite boots are also much lighter, this means you’ll use less energy when walking and the boots will actually feel more comfortable if you are wearing them for a long period of time.

Steel Toe

This boot is a classic for qa reason, for years, steel safety toes have been the old tried and true method for protecting the feet of countless workers on the job. And although comp boots are lighter, steel toe boots offer more flat protection.

That’s right, as far as straight impact and protection goes, steel toes can handle much more. That being said, unless you are working in a very hazardous environment, you’re not likely to be in a situation where your toe boot is at risk of shattering.

However, there is a myth that, if met with a heavy enough object, steel toe boots can chop off your toes! Luckily this is false.

Always be careful on the job and be aware. Composite and steel toe bots do a great job of protecting your feet, but it is best to avoid situations that can result in injury in the first place.

Which safety toe do you think is best for your line of work? Browse through L&A Safety’s wide range of work boot options and pick which one is best for you.