What is the service life of work shoes? Why do their soles usually fall apart after a while? Many of our users ask us this question, in this article we will look for various answers to these questions with you. First of all, we should know that different shoe materials have different lifetimes. A work shoe consists of a wide variety of materials, including materials such as polyurethane and miflon. These materials are subject to decay due to their nature after a point. What is the service life of work shoes? Why do their soles usually fall apart after a while? Many of our users ask us this question, in this article we will look for various answers to these questions with you. First of all, we should know that different shoe materials have different lifetimes. A work shoe consists of a wide variety of materials, including materials such as polyurethane and miflon. These materials are subject to decay due to their nature after a point. This decay is usually caused by the chemical components and moisture that the material comes into contact with. The lifespan of most of our work shoes is determined by the polyurethane used in the middle and lower soles. “The sole of my shoe is falling apart!” There are also complaints that the soles of the shoes fall apart immediately despite being used very little. The common answers of the users who make this comment are usually as follows; “I used the shoes for a short time, although I kept them in their own box for a long time, the soles fell apart. Users said they took the shoes out of the box in the condition shown in the photos or they fell apart immediately while wearing them.

Why do soles of shoes crumble?

In addition, you should know that the shoes you use pose a great risk to your safety from the moment the work shoes you use expire.

Why do soles of shoes crumble?

The reason why Polyurethane, which is frequently used in work shoes, is preferred is that it offers many features at the same time at an affordable price.

  • So light

  • Very flexible

  • Shock absorbing property

  • Abrasion resistant

  • Non-slip structure


The fact that all these features are sought and desired in work shoes is one of the main reasons why polyurethane material is preferred in work shoes. Considering the natural movements and working areas of the users, it is striking that the most suitable material is polyurethane. However, polyurethane has a disadvantage that it can offer all these features together, which seriously affects the service life, so the life of our shoes is not very long. In short, polyurethane experiences a natural aging process.

So what happens when the sole gets old?

Polyurethane consists of long polymer chains by its nature, these polymer chains, which are exposed to factors such as moisture and weather conditions over time, lose their effect and begin to separate, so our shoes lose their flexibility, strength and become brittle. When shoes get old enough, they gradually lose their protective properties and show signs of disintegration on the soles, in fact, this symptom is vital for users because it indicates that the shoe has lost its protective feature.

So why do shoes wear out more on the shelves?

We actually explained the reason for this in the previous paragraph. Shoes that are exposed to humidity and bad weather conditions in warehouses or areas wear out because they lose their polymer properties. In fact, other base materials are also subject to these aging processes. For example, plastic fibers in rubber gradually disperse out of the material. This also causes the soles to lose their flexibility and become hard and brittle. EVA (ethyl vinyl acetate) sole, which is frequently used in the sports shoes category, is not subject to this aging process, but EVA also has a disadvantage; As it is constantly exposed to routine movements such as walking and running, it shrinks over time and cannot return to its old, original pattern. This can be easily understood from the small wrinkles that EVA brings over time.


Our recommendations for your work shoes

Wearing of work shoes over time is a completely normal process that all work shoes and similar polyurethane products go through. If we want to take advantage of all these safety features of work shoes, we must be aware of the limited life of these shoes. We recommend that you renew your work shoes regularly. As Sabomar, you can learn all the information you are curious about for all the work shoe models we have within our body, from our expert staff or from the information brochures of our products. We wish you healthy and safe working hours.