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What does S1P mean on the shoe

Updated: 21 October 2026

You have a trainer in the basket, or a pair already on the mat, and the title says S1P SRC while you are not sure the tongue says the same thing. What does S1P mean is a reading job, not a ranking. If you cannot see the year, the class, and the slip mark on the shoe, you do not yet know what you bought. The [main comparison](/hub/occupational-safety/men-s-s1p-safety-shoes) is where the ten listings sit. Whether you should buy at all is the [buying guide](/hub/occupational-safety/men-s-s1p-safety-shoes/sub/men-s-s1p-safety-shoes-buying-guide). A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Products Compared editorial team, updated 20 October 2026. We did not lab-test any shoe.

You have a trainer in the basket, or a pair already on the mat, and the title says S1P SRC while you are not sure the tongue says the same thing. What does S1P mean is a reading job, not a ranking.

Our top picks

Black Hammer Black Hammer 9952

Best overall

Black Hammer Black Hammer 9952
8.8/10about £43.95
View offer
Blackrock Blackrock Gibson

Best value

Blackrock Blackrock Gibson
8.5/10about £25.97
View offer
Black Hammer Black Hammer Vortex 7788

Alternative

Black Hammer Black Hammer Vortex 7788
7.8/10about £54.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The four things on the label
  2. 2.S1P in the 2011 wording and in the 2022 wording
  3. 3.When the title and the shoe disagree
  4. 4.What a correct stamp still does not cover

The four things on the label

Start on the tongue, the quarter, or the insole label, not on the amazon title. You want four tokens in one photo: the standard and its year, the class, the penetration letter if it is printed separately, and the slip mark. EN ISO 20345 is the standard those codes belong to. S1P alone, cropped off the year, is how a 2011 shoe and a 2022 shoe get mixed up. Notice 0142/26, dated 15 October 2026, lists EN ISO 20345:2022 and amendment A1:2024 as a designated standard for new supply in Great Britain. It does not make a 2011 mark on a shoe already in use illegal, and it is not a recall of 2011 stock. If the sheet says S1P and the swing tag only says steel toe, you do not have a match yet.

S1P in the 2011 wording and in the 2022 wording

In the 2011 wording, S1P is one bundle: a 200 joule toecap, a closed heel, antistatic properties, heel energy absorption, and metal penetration resistance. SRC beside it is the older slip mark. The 2022 wording splits that string. P is a metal insert, PL a non-metal insert at the larger nail, PS a non-metal insert at the smaller nail. Anbu's class page gives 4.5 mm for P and PL and 3.0 mm for PS. PS is not a higher score than P. A metal-free site rejects P. SR is not SRC with a letter missing. They belong to different editions. A stamp that reads S1 PS SR FO is base class, non-metal penetration, the later slip mark, and fuel-oil resistance. It is not a typo for S1P SRC. Water and cleats, which this stamp still does not include, are on S1P vs S3 safety shoes.
Black Hammer Black Hammer 9952

Testsieger

Black Hammer Black Hammer 9952
8.8/10about £43.95
View offer

When the title and the shoe disagree

The Black Hammer Vortex is the worked example. The amazon title prints S1P SRC. One review says the shoe was marked S1 PS SR FO. S1P SRC, in the 2011 shape, is a metal-penetration class with the older slip mark. S1 PS SR FO is a non-metal penetration class with the later slip mark and a separate fuel-oil mark. You do not average them, and you do not wear the shoe as the titled class while you decide. Photograph the title and the tongue together. Ask the seller which code the pair was certified to, and return it if the answer does not match the sheet. A review is enough to refuse a guess. It is not a new certificate. One COOU review says the tag model is missing from the leaflet, and one AFJYG review says there is no certification. Which listing is a candidate once the letters match is on best men's S1P safety shoes.

What a correct stamp still does not cover

A clean S1P or S1 PS stamp does not say the upper keeps water out, that the outsole is cleated, or that the shoe insulates you from electric shock. Antistatic reduces static build-up. It is not electrical insulation. A narrower point than the specified nail can still go through. A correct stamp is evidence of that test, not a promise about every sharp thing on a floor. HSE still says there is no such thing as non-slip footwear. If the sheet asks for S3 because the work is wet, the class is still wrong.

Common questions

What is the difference between S1P and S1?
S1, on the seller tables, is the base package: toecap, closed heel, antistatic behaviour, and heel energy absorption, without the penetration layer. S1P adds penetration resistance. In 2022-style marks the penetration letter may sit beside S1 as P, PL, or PS instead of inside the single token S1P. A steel toe with no penetration letter is not S1P.
What is P versus PS?
P, in the seller explanations used here, is a metal insert and a 4.5 mm nail. PS is a non-metal insert and a 3.0 mm nail. PL is the non-metal insert at 4.5 mm. The force quoted by ITS is about 1,100 newtons. PS is not a higher score than P. A metal-free site rejects P even if the rest of the line looks similar.
Is SRC the same as SR?
No. SRC is the older slip mark you see with 2011 S1P wording. SR is the slip mark in the later edition. Dropping the C does not keep the same claim. If the sheet says SRC and the shoe says SR, write both down and ask which edition the site actually requires.
Does a 2011 shoe become illegal because the designated list now names 2022?
No. Notice 0142/26 of 15 October 2026 names EN ISO 20345:2022 and A1:2024 for a presumption of conformity on new supply. It does not erase a 2011 mark on a shoe already in use. Do not treat a shop sentence that says all UK footwear must be 2022-coded as if it were HSE's rule.
What do I do if the title and the tongue disagree?
Photograph both and stop treating the shoe as the titled class. The Vortex case is a title that says S1P SRC and a review that reads S1 PS SR FO. Ask the seller, and return the pair if the stamp does not match the sheet. Do not average a metal-penetration code and a non-metal one.

Related pages

S1P safety trainers for warehouse work

Men's S1P safety shoes

Best men's S1P safety shoes, match the printed class

S1P safety shoes buying guide, class before the title

S1P vs S3 safety shoes: water, cleat, and dry floors

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures for this set. The price bands are this set, not a market average.

  1. HSE: PPE overview (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. HSE: PPE regulations 2022 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 9 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. HSE: L25, PPE at work (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. HSE: slip-resistant footwear procurement (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK: designated standards for PPE (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. ITS Hub: safety boot rating codes (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Safety Boots UK: Skechers Malad II (retrieved 19 October 2026)