Work socks: the detail that decides whether the shoe is comfortable

“New shoes give me blisters.” Before looking at the shoe, I look at the foot: six times out of ten there is a thin cotton sock, wet with sweat, rolled up under the heel. The sock is the only thing between your foot and a shoe with a toecap and a midsole plate, and anyone who stands for ten hours knows it.

Sweat is the real problem

A safety shoe, by the way it is built, makes you sweat. If the sock holds moisture, the foot stays wet, the skin softens and friction does the rest. Ordinary cotton absorbs well but dries slowly: in an office it is perfectly fine, on a building site in August much less so. Technical socks in synthetic or blended fibres carry moisture outwards and keep the foot drier.

Summer and winter are not the same sock

In summer you need a light, breathable sock, with more open zones on the instep. In winter you need insulation, but not too much: a sock that is too thick in a shoe of the right size makes it tight, compresses the foot and makes it cold sooner. Merino wool is a good choice for the cold: it keeps you warm even when slightly damp and smells less. In the collection you will find summer and winter socks, in cotton, technical fabrics and merino, and socks for intense cold.

What to look at when you try them on

• Reinforcement at heel and toe: they are the points where the sock wears through first and where the shoe rubs.
• Flat seams over the toes: a thick seam under the steel toecap, at the end of the day, you certainly feel.
• Height: with high shoes and boots you need a sock that clears the top edge, otherwise it rubs on the ankle.
• Size: a sock that is too big wrinkles, one that is too small slides down.

Socks for flame risk

People who work in flame-retardant clothing often forget their socks. An ordinary synthetic sock, in the event of flame or hot splashes, can melt onto the skin exactly where the trousers leave it exposed. For these jobs there are socks in flame-resistant fibres, such as those in Portwest's Modaflame line. If the rest of your clothing is multi-norm, the socks need to be considered together with it.

Washing and spares

Wash them inside out, without fabric softener, which reduces the ability of technical fibres to wick sweat away. And have enough to change them every day, better still halfway through the shift if you sweat a lot: it sounds like advice from your mum, but it solves more foot problems than anything else. And when the heel becomes thin and see-through, the sock should be thrown away: from there a blister is guaranteed.

What I need to know

Tell me what shoes or boots you wear, whether you work outdoors or indoors and in what season, whether there is flame risk, and the shoe sizes of the team. For a company order it is worth allowing for several pairs per person: I will work out the figures on that basis.

We stock these

A few items from the range we keep. If you cannot find the size or the model you need, just ask: what you see online is only part of what we can source for you.

Work socks Work Socks Breath Diadora Utility 703,176208Diadora Utility Work socks Technical Win. Socks Diadora Utility 703,159684Diadora Utility Work socks Tech Summer Socks Diadora Utility 703,160486Diadora Utility Work socks Merinos Win. Socks Diadora Utility 703,159685Diadora Utility Work socks Ghost Socks Diadora Utility 703,160484Diadora Utility Work socks Cotton Winter Socks Diadora Utility 703,159683Diadora Utility

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