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CI: Insoles against the cold

Thermal and cold-insulated insoles

The thermal insulation provided by a safety shoe concerns different levels, including the insulation of the sole against the cold. It should therefore be noted that the CI marking for “Cold Insulation” or cold insulation is reserved only for soles with the ability to insulate the feet from the cold ground. Those whose work involves working in a low-temperature environment should therefore favor work shoes with this standard in order to ensure the comfort of the feet, but above all to avoid damage or lesions due to the cold.

The conditions for obtaining the CI standard: extreme cold insulation

Shoes with an insulating sole translate into technical know-how defined by a standard. The CI standard which is detailed in the ISO 20345 and ISO 20347 standards specifies the limits with which the sole can conduct the cold. In order to ensure that the sole meets the CI standard, a test is carried out.

The inside temperature of the safety shoes is thus measured at the sole. The shoe filled with steel balls is then placed in a cold environment at -17°C ± 2°C for 30 minutes. After this time, the decrease in the temperature of the surface of the insole is measured. For the sole to be considered as insulating against the cold, this drop in temperature must not exceed 10°C.

Thus, this standard gives a good indication of the ability of the sole to insulate against the cold, which is useful when the job requires walking on cold surfaces. However, it should not be confused with comfort insulation, which concerns the thermal comfort provided by the entire shoe.

What is comfort insulation?

As mentioned above, comfort insulation concerns the entire shoe or safety trainers. It is therefore all the elements that make up the work shoe and that have an impact on its thermal insulation capacity.

A shoe with a metal shell to protect the toes will, for example, tend to accumulate cold which will be returned to the toes. So, apart from the thermal insulation provided by the CI-certified sole, it is important to consider the composition of the shoe to get an accurate idea of ​​its ability to provide excellent thermal comfort. It is therefore useful to take an interest in the different insulating layers that the shoe has.