Electrical Boots

Frequently Asked Questions

What does an EH rating actually protect against?

An EH-rated sole and heel are built to resist the flow of electricity through the boot to ground, and under ASTM F2413 they are tested to withstand 18,000 volts at 60 Hz for one minute with no current flow or leakage above 1.0 milliampere. What that buys you in practice is protection against incidental contact with an energized circuit. It is a secondary defense, not a primary one, and it is not a substitute for de-energizing, lockout, or insulating gloves.

Can a boot be both EH and static dissipative?

No, and this is the single most important thing to get right. EH and SD do opposite jobs: an EH sole resists current flowing to ground, while an SD sole is built to bleed static charge to ground in a controlled way. They are mutually exclusive under ASTM F2413, so a boot carries one or the other and never both. If you see both claimed on one product anywhere, it is an error. Our ESD shoes and boots collection covers the static-dissipative side.

Does a steel toe cancel out an EH rating?

No. The EH rating describes the sole and heel, and the toe cap sits inside insulating material with no conduction path to the ground in normal use. Steel, alloy, composite, and carbon toes all appear on EH-rated boots. That said, if your work involves overhead energized contact rather than underfoot, a non-metallic toe is worth considering on general principle.

How long does an EH rating last?

The rating degrades with wear, and there is no expiry date printed on the boot. Wet soles, worn tread, embedded metal fragments, punctures, and contamination all compromise it, and a sole worn down past its tread is not performing to the tested standard regardless of what the label says. Inspect the outsoles regularly and replace them once the tread is gone rather than waiting for the uppers to fail.

Does water affect EH protection?

Yes, significantly. EH footwear is tested dry, and wet conditions reduce the protection substantially because water provides a conduction path the test never accounted for. If you work around energized equipment in wet conditions, the EH rating should not be the thing you are relying on. Waterproof construction keeps the inside of the boot dry but does nothing about a wet outsole.

Do I need EH boots as an electrician?

Most electrical work specifies them, and many employers require them outright. EH footwear is standard PPE for electricians, HVAC and refrigeration techs, linemen, telecom workers, and plant maintenance crews. Whether it is mandatory comes down to your employer's hazard assessment rather than a blanket rule, so check your site's PPE policy. Our lineman boots range covers the pole-climbing builds specifically.

How do I know if a boot is EH rated?

Look for the EH code on the ASTM label stitched inside the boot, usually on the tongue. The label lists the standard, the year of the revision it was tested to, and then the codes for what it was tested for, such as I/75 and C/75 for impact and compression, then EH. Marketing copy is not the same as the label, so if the rating matters for compliance, check the boot itself when it arrives.

Are EH boots waterproof or insulated?

Many are, and the ratings are independent of each other. EH is a property of the sole and heel, waterproofing is a membrane, and insulation is a lining, so a boot can carry all three. Waterproof and insulation status are stated in every product title. See our full waterproof work boots and 400G insulated ranges.

Are EH rated boots more expensive?

Not meaningfully. EH is a widely available rating across almost every brand and price band, and it adds little to manufacturing cost because it comes from the outsole compound and construction rather than from an added component. You are not paying a premium for it the way you would for a metatarsal guard or a puncture plate.

What is the difference between EH boots and dielectric boots?

EH-rated footwear under ASTM F2413 is secondary protection against incidental contact. Dielectric overboots, tested under a different standard, are primary insulating equipment worn over your regular boots for live-line work at specific voltage classes. They serve completely different purposes, and an EH work boot is not a substitute for dielectric equipment where your procedures call for it.

Electrical Boots

Frequently Asked Questions

Recently viewed

Our Top Brands