Focus on CI/HI standards

The CI/HI standards help ensure protection against cold and heat for your shoes, it is an additional protection to the EN 20345 standard.

Table of Contents:

• The CI standard

• The HI standard

In the EN ISO 20345 standard, "CI" represents cold insulation resistance. This means that safety shoes compliant with the CI specification offer enhanced protection against cold, by minimizing the transmission of cold from the ground or cold environment to the feet. The CI marking informs the buyer that the interior temperature of the shoe will not drop by more than 10°C if it is subjected to -17°C for 30 minutes.

Here is the CI test process, which is performed on the entire shoe: 

- The shoe is filled with stainless steel balls.

- It is then placed in a cold box on a copper plate.

- The top of the shoe is closed with polymer foam.

- The environment is conditioned so that the temperature inside the shoe is 23°C

- Then the temperature of the cold box is set to -17°C for 30 minutes.

CI-certified shoes are useful for workers operating in cold environments such as certain construction trades and industrial trades, like the profession of landscaper for example.

In the EN ISO 20345 standard, "HI" designates heat resistance. Safety shoes compliant with the HI specification offer protection against high temperatures and minimize heat transmission from the ground or hot environment to the feet. The HI marking informs the buyer that the interior temperature of the shoe will not increase by more than 22°C if it is heated to 150°C for 30 minutes.

Here is the HI test process, which is performed on the entire shoe: 

- The shoe is filled with stainless steel balls.

- It is then placed in a container with a heating plate inside.

- The shoe is surrounded by 3 cm of sand distributed uniformly.

- The environment is conditioned so that the temperature inside the shoe is 23°C

- Finally, the plate is heated to 150°C for 30 minutes.

- After that, the temperature is measured again in the shoe and must not have increased by more than 22°C.

HI-certified shoes are useful for workers operating in hot environments such as certain construction and industrial trades, like public works or welders for example.

 
 
The specifications (CI and HI) are additional options that manufacturers can choose to include in their safety shoes, in addition to the basic requirements of the EN ISO 20345 standard. We can see that the tests to meet these standards remain very similar, but in reverse. This allows meeting specific needs such as cold or hot environments.