At first glance, safety boot ratings might resemble a meaningless stream of letters and numbers, chosen at random by the shoe manufacturers to make their products look more important.
But safety footwear standards are not to be taken lightly. Your employers are legally required to ensure that the shoes you wear offer adequate protection for the job at hand. Safety ratings are designed to effectively communicate the sort of protection the shoes offer -whether it’s heat resistant, penetration resistant, electrical resistant, or otherwise.
Safety boot standards should be the most important factor to consider when choosing your safety footwear.Future Tech Limited, a Chinese leader of innovative safety footwear explain the meanings behind the most common ratings:
SAFETY RATING CE EN345 or ISO 20345

SB – Basic safety protection. 200 joule toe cap.
SBP – Basic safety protection. 200 joule toe cap. Penetration resistant midsole.
S1 – 200 joule toe cap. Closed seat region. Anti-static Energy absorption.
S1P – 200 joule toe cap. Closed seat region. Anti-static. Energy absorption. Penetration resistant midsole.
S2 – 200 joule toe cap. Closed seat region. Anti-static. Energy absorption. Water absorption.
S3 – 200 joule toe cap. Closed seat region. Antistatic. Energy absorption. Penetration resistant midsole. Water absorption and penetration resistant. Cleated outsole.
S4 – 200 joule toe cap. All rubber or all polymeric anti-static footwear. Energy absorption.
S5 – 200 joule toe cap. All rubber or all polymeric anti-static footwear. Energy absorption. Penetration resistant midsole. Cleated outsole.
HRO – Heat Resistant Outsole 300ºC.

 

SLIP RESISTANCE
SRA – Tested on ceramic tile wetted with dilute soap solution.
SRB – Tested on smooth steel with glycerol.
SRC – Tested on both the above conditions.
For example, for almost all onsite work, toe protection is a given. This is why the basic rating – SB – indicates that the shoe offers toe protection. 
So, make sure you browse an extensive range of safety wear to properly equip yourself with the best footwear to get the job done.