The Importance of choosing the Right Socks
Something as simple as the piece of fabric which covers the foot prior to sliding it into a shoe or boot, can make the world of difference during your day – not only from a comfort standpoint but also with regards to hygiene. The human body has a normal temperature of 37’ degrees centigrade. The temperature inside one’s standard shoe or boot is higher, and you can only imagine what happens when a steel toe cap safety shoe or boot is worn in and around an industrial or agricultural environment. NOW, picture all of that in the heart of summer! The first image that should be conjuring up in your head is sweat. Exactly.
Now, getting back to the hosiery. Different fabrics have different properties. Some are designed to be strong and lightweight, otherwise are thicker for padded comfort. Different fabrics are used for different applications, and sometimes it just comes down to what is the cheapest, so we save on price.
Which Material Is Best For A Sock?
The most comfortable compound will always be cotton. And whilst bamboo socks are making inroads, they are currently prohibitively expensive and lack in demand. Then we have polyesters, rayons and nylons. All suitable in their own right. Often best when blended.
The same applies in the industrial footwear sector, where often in error – buyers are quick to purchase 100% cotton socks. This is obviously a bold and noble gesture, but misguided. Admirable but mistaken. The feet, make no mistake can perspire up to a cup (that is 200ml) of sweat per day – and the liquid needs to go somewhere.
And whilst safety boot linings are designed to be breathable, assistance is first obtained from the sock.
So, a 100% cotton sock would do a wonderful job in absorbing the sweat away from the feet but they become water-logged and hold all the liquid in the fibres. You’ve most certainly had the feeling of taking off an exceptionally wet and damp sock at the end of the work day. It literally makes a squish sound when it hits the floor.
And on the other side of the spectrum, a 100% polyester sock does absolutely nothing to absorb sweat and you are left simply with a wet foot and a smelly sock.
And then there is that horrible foot fungus which when exposed to this unpleasant environment (very suitable for the fungus; being dark, humid and moist), rapidly spreads to athlete’s foot. Which can worsen further still, without being addressed and no treatment.
The Best Industrial Sock For Safety Footwear?
This leaves us with the perfect industrial sock construction which is a polycotton blend, with an antibacterial agent and an antistatic thread. (Yes, if you want fully antistatic compliant footwear, the socks need to be antistatic too!) The best blends are always around 72% – 76% cotton heavy with a polyester compliment of around 22% – 26%.
Our superiorly engineered ProFit Safety Footwear socks, manufactured on South African soil by our team of legendary mad scientists, are made up of a composition of 76% Cotton, 22% Polyamide and 2% Silver. They come in mens and ladies in OSFM (one size fits most). They are simply magnificent. Buy a few pairs and feel the magic!
Safety Socks Q&A
Which Material Is Best For A Sock? – The most comfortable compound will always be cotton. And whilst bamboo socks are making inroads, they are currently prohibitively expensive and lack in demand. Then we have polyesters, rayons and nylons. All suitable in their own right. Often best when blended.
The same applies in the industrial footwear sector, where often in error – buyers are quick to purchase 100% cotton socks. This is obviously a bold and noble gesture, but misguided. Admirable but mistaken. The feet, make no mistake can perspire up to a cup (that is 200ml) of sweat per day – and the liquid needs to go somewhere. And whilst safety boot linings are designed to be breathable, assistance is first obtained from the sock.
Hydrophilic material vs Hydrophobic material – So, a 100% cotton sock would do a wonderful job in absorbing the sweat away from the feet but they become water-logged and hold all the liquid in the fibres. You’ve most certainly had the feeling of taking off an exceptionally wet and damp sock at the end of the work day. It literally makes a squish sound when it hits the floor.
And on the other side of the spectrum, a 100% polyester sock does absolutely nothing to absorb sweat and you are left simply with a wet foot and a smelly sock.
And then there is that horrible foot fungus which when exposed to this unpleasant environment (very suitable for the fungus; being dark, humid and moist), rapidly spreads to athlete’s foot. Which can worsen further still, without being addressed and no treatment.
The Best Industrial Sock For Safety Footwear? – This leaves us with the perfect industrial sock construction which is a polycotton blend, with an antibacterial agent and an antistatic thread. (Yes, if you want fully antistatic compliant footwear, the socks need to be antistatic too!) The best blends are always around 72% – 76% cotton heavy with a polyester compliment of around 22% – 26%.
Our superiorly engineered ProFit Safety Footwear socks, manufactured on South African soil by our team of legendary mad scientists, are made up of a composition of 76% Cotton, 22% Polyamide and 2% Silver. They come in men’s and ladies in OSFM (one size fits most). They are simply magnificent. Buy a few pairs and feel the magic!
Contact the team today to get advice on the perfect sock for your safety footwear – info@profitfootwear.co.za or give us a call on +27 11 892 8030
