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Men's S1 or S1P safety shoes

Updated: 21 October 2026

You are choosing between S1 or S1P safety shoes because the floor might hide a nail, a screw, or a sharp offcut, and the two codes look almost the same on a chart. They share the toe cap. Only the S1P family adds a penetration-resistant insert. If your risk assessment does not need that insert, plain S1 can be the class. If a nail is possible, the mark needs P, PL, or PS. The eight amazon.co.uk listings in the [main comparison](/hub/occupational-safety/men-s-s1-safety-shoes) print neither code, and two of them only mention puncture or Kevlar inside review text. This page is that one decision. The fuller class chapter is on the [men's S1 safety shoes buying guide](/hub/occupational-safety/men-s-s1-safety-shoes/sub/men-s-s1-safety-shoes-buying-guide). A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Peter F. checked the listings and public UK guidance. We did not lab-test the shoes.

You are choosing between S1 or S1P safety shoes because the floor might hide a nail, a screw, or a sharp offcut, and the two codes look almost the same on a chart. They share the toe cap.

Our top picks

Unbranded Unbranded steel-toe trainer

Best overall

Unbranded Unbranded steel-toe trainer
8.4/10about £25.49
View offer
LUPWEE LUPWEE UK-6799

Best value

LUPWEE LUPWEE UK-6799
7.5/10about £30.99
View offer
AFJYG AFJYG swivel-buckle trainer

Alternative

AFJYG AFJYG swivel-buckle trainer
5.5/10about £39.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What both codes share
  2. 2.The midsole letters
  3. 3.When plain S1 fails the job
  4. 4.Review text is not the code

What both codes share

Both codes sit on BS EN ISO 20345:2022+A1:2024. The toe cap is tested to at least 200 J of impact and 15 kN of compression. A steel-toe word in a title is not this bundle. The safety-class field is empty on all eight listings. SUADEX's title says steel, and one review says the cap is plastic. Choosing S1P because a yard is wet answers the nail and leaves the upper where it was. The LARNMERN title at £38.61 says waterproof and prints no class, so it is neither side of this versus.

The midsole letters

The 2022 charts split the old single puncture mark. Howsafe's table leaves plain S1 without a perforation tick. S1P ticks a metal midsole. S1PL and S1PS tick non-metal. Safety-shoes.co.uk and Sievi describe the nail as 4.5 mm for metal P, 4.5 mm for non-metal PL, and 3.0 mm for non-metal PS. Guides cite 1,100 N for that penetration test. Treat 1,100 N as the guide's claim under EN ISO 20345, not as a result we measured on any shoe in this set. If the stamp stops at S1, there is no midsole mark to rely on. Shoes removed from this comparison had stated the midsole in the listing: a Blackrock marked S1-P, an Amblers marked S1P, an S3S trainer, and a City Knights SS501CM with a composite midsole.
Unbranded Unbranded steel-toe trainer

Testsieger

Unbranded Unbranded steel-toe trainer
8.4/10about £25.49
View offer

When plain S1 fails the job

HSE's construction FAQ says sites need toecap and midsole protection. Plain S1 fails the midsole part. Pallet debris in a warehouse is the same gap. If the floor is dry, clean, and the assessment has already said there is no penetration risk, plain S1 is the class the charts describe, and the walking side of that job is on the S1 safety shoes for warehouse work page. If a nail is possible, buy the P, PL, or PS mark, and leave this eight. An employer can specify S1P on a dry floor because the assessment found a staple or a screw the eye misses. Price here, £25.49 to £39.99, is the price of an uncoded trainer.

Review text is not the code

COOU at £32.99 and AFJYG at £39.99 mention puncture-proof, a puncture-resistant midsole, or Kevlar inside reviews. Those phrases are not a product-details field, and the class field is empty. One AFJYG review says there is no certification. Calling either shoe S1P would invent a code the page does not print. A Kevlar word in a review is not PL or PS. If you already own one of these pairs, the check is the stamp in the shoe, not the sentence a buyer pasted under the stars.

Common questions

What does the P add to S1?
P adds a penetration-resistant insert. The toe cap stays the same test, at least 200 J and 15 kN, and the closed heel, antistatic behaviour, and heel energy absorption stay with the S1 bundle. On 2022 charts, P is the metal insert tested with a 4.5 mm nail. Guides cite 1,100 N for the penetration test. That figure is the guide's claim under the standard, not a lab result from the eight listings here.
Is S1 enough on a building site?
HSE's construction FAQ says sites need a toecap and midsole protection. Plain S1 has the toecap side of that sentence and misses the midsole. A building site, or any floor where nails and screws are possible, needs P, PL, or PS. The eight kept listings print none of those letters. A steel-toe title does not fill the gap.
What are S1PL and S1PS?
They are the non-metal midsole marks on the 2022 charts. PL is described as the 4.5 mm non-metal nail test, and PS as the 3.0 mm non-metal nail test. S1P remains the metal insert at 4.5 mm. Howsafe's table ticks those rows separately and leaves plain S1 without a perforation tick. You match the letter your assessment names, rather than treating every midsole word as the same insert.
Does a Kevlar line in a review count as S1P?
No. On COOU and AFJYG, puncture-proof, puncture-resistant, and Kevlar appear in review text. They are not a details field, and the safety class in the file is empty. One AFJYG review says there is no certification. A review sentence is not P, PL, or PS on the tongue. Listings that did print a midsole code were removed from this comparison.
Can an employer specify S1P even on a dry floor?
Yes. The assessment can find a penetration risk on a floor that looks dry, such as staples, screws, or pallet debris. The PPE at Work Regulations require suitable PPE for the risk that was assessed. Your wish for a lighter trainer does not replace that code. If the induction says S1P, plain S1 fails it, and an uncoded amazon.co.uk title fails it as well.

Related pages

How to check men's S1 safety shoes

Best men's S1 safety shoes

Men's S1 safety shoes

Men's S1 safety shoes buying guide, check the class

Men's S1 safety shoes for warehouse work, dry floors

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 20 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures captured with these eight listings. The price band is this set, not a market average.

  1. HSE: construction PPE FAQ (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. PPE at Work Regulations 1992 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. HSE: using the right type of PPE (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. HSE: slip-resistant footwear (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. HSE: PPE supply (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK: product marking, UKCA and CE (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. BSI: BS EN ISO 20345:2022+A1:2024 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. HAIX UK: safety footwear classes (retrieved 20 October 2026)