How the Rating System Works
Safety footwear ratings come from EN ISO 20345 — adopted in Malaysia as MS ISO 20345, certified locally by SIRIM. The system has two layers. The class (SB, S1, S1P, S2, S3 and friends) is a bundle of core protections every shoe in that class must certify. Add-on codes (SR, FO, CI, HRO, ESD…) declare extras beyond the class. Read together they form the spec code printed on every product page in our catalogue — for example S3 SR SC CI FO.
One 2022-standard wrinkle worth knowing: the classes gained "S" variants (S1PS, S3S) for shoes using non-metallic penetration-resistant midsoles, and slip resistance markings changed from SRA/SRB/SRC to a single SR mark. Both generations of marking are still on shelves in Malaysia, so our tables show both.
The Classes, From Basic to Waterproof
Every class below includes a 200-joule toe cap. From S1 upward, shoes also have a closed, energy-absorbing heel, anti-static soles and a fuel/oil-resistant outsole.
- SB — toe cap only. The certified minimum.
- SBP — SB plus penetration-resistant midsole. The workhorse class on Malaysian sites.
- S1 — closed heel, anti-static, energy absorption. Dry indoor work.
- S1P / S1PS — S1 plus midsole (P = steel, PS = non-metallic). Factories and logistics.
- S2 — S1 plus water-resistant upper. Wet-area hygiene work like F&B.
- S3 / S3S — S1P plus water resistance and a cleated outsole. The outdoor standard.
- S5 — all-polymer/rubber waterproof boot with toe cap and midsole.
- S7L — 2022-standard leather-height waterproof boot class; in practice, certified safety wellingtons like Oscar's.
The Add-on Codes You'll Actually Meet
- SR (2022) / SRA, SRB, SRC (2011) — slip resistance. SR ≈ the old SRC.
- P / PL / PS — penetration midsole type: steel / large-nail non-metallic / small-nail non-metallic.
- FO — fuel- and oil-resistant outsole.
- CI / HI — cold / heat insulation of the sole.
- HRO — outsole resists 300 °C contact heat.
- WR / WPA — water-resistant shoe / water-penetration-resistant upper.
- ESD — separately certified electrostatic discharge spec, stricter than the built-in anti-static property.
- SC — scuff cap over the toe.
Reading a Real Spec Code
Take the Safety Jogger BestBoy 231, coded S3 SR SC CI FO: S3 class (toe cap, anti-static, energy heel, steel midsole, water-resistant upper, cleated sole), slip-rated to the 2022 standard, scuff cap, cold-insulated, fuel-resistant outsole. Every product page on Safeoly carries its code, and the comparison toolunderstands the class ladder — it knows S3 outranks S1P and SR matches the old SRC — so you don't have to memorise any of this.