Ideally, there should be 1 to ½ inch of room in the toe of a work boot. If the toes sit flush against the end of the boot, they will keep bumping and hitting against it, which is not something you want when you’re going on with your work.
How Should Work Boots Fit: The Brief Answer
When it comes to “how should work boots fit,” a lot of people may not be fully aware of the answer. If someone decides to buy a pair of work boots with the idea that it should snugly fit the foot from all sides, they will regret it later on.
With work boots, you have to make sure that you are comfortable wearing them. If you buy a pair that’s too tight, you’ll end up hurting your feet. In this blog post, we are going to look at the way work boots should be worn on your feet and what things you should keep in mind when purchasing them.
Should Boots Be Tight or Loose?
This is the first thing that you need to know about how should work boots fit.
As a rule, your boots should be a little loose than your actual size. When wearing work boots in places like construction sites, factories, and warehouses, you may have to spend hours on end without taking them off.
During this time, if the boots are fitted tightly, your feet will come out puffy and sore. You may actually have a tough time putting them back inside.
On the other hand, if your boots are fitted loosely, your feet will have considerable breathing room. They will be able to shift and move inside the boot without getting squished and squeezed.
But then again, they should not be so loose that they start coming off while you’re walking or sitting down.
Fitting Boots: How Can You Tell?
Here are some things that can tell you whether your boot fits right or not:
- The boot should not press uncomfortably on any side of your foot.
- There should be at least 1 or ½ inches of space in front of your toes.
- Your feet should not move around in your boots, i.e., they should be secured firmly.
- Your heel should not pop out while walking or sitting. It should also not go up and down against the back of the boot.
Your heel may slip out a little when you start wearing a new pair of boots, i.e., when you’re ‘breaking them in’. But, this usually stops happening after some days.
Should You Go Down a Size in Work Boots?
No, absolutely not. It’s actually the opposite. You should make sure that your toes have ample space in front of them at all times. For this, you may have to go up a size rather than going down.
For example, if you usually wear 8.5 (US) sized shoes, you can go up to 9 when buying steel toe work boots. A person with a size 9 may go up to 9.5.
But this is not a fixed standard for everyone to apply. Different people can have different foot shapes and forms. Some people have wider feet than most. Any sort of irregularity in the shape of the feet also has to be considered when buying some work boots.
This is why it is advisable to always buy work boots from a physical shop and not from an online store. That way, you can easily try them out yourself and get the exact right fit.
Summing it Up
As we mentioned above, work boots should be a little loose rather than on the tighter side. However, at the same time, this does not mean that they should move and shift around when you wear them.
After tying the laces, the boots should remain fixed in place, albeit with the 1 or ½ inch of space in front.
If you are buying the boots in real-life (and not online), you should make sure that you wear socks when trying them. This is something some people can forget, and it can create problems afterward.
Socks add volume to your feet. Boots can fit differently depending on whether you are wearing socks or not.
