What Materials Are Available For The Shoe Soles?

Nowadays, with the subdivision of shoe soles material, more and more attention is paid to the effect of sole function on the overall footwear. Here is an introduction to the classification of various shoe soles material.

TPR: Thermoplastic Elastomer, also known as Thermoplastic Rubber, is a combination of rubber and thermoplastic characteristics. TR soles or TPR soles show high elasticity of rubber at room temperature, and can be plasticized and molded at high temperature. Molecular material is also the third generation rubber after natural rubber and synthetic rubber, referred to as TPE or TPR. It has the characteristics of fast processing and forming, high labor productivity and easy recycling.

EVA: Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate), a light and elastic chemical compound. This material is currently mainly combined with rubber or alone to form shoe soles. Its processing technology includes primary foaming (usually used in the outer midsole) and secondary foaming molding bottom (now MD midsole). The EVA soles have the characteristics of light weight, flexibility and good seismic performance.

RB: Mainly refers to natural rubber, synthetic rubber, etc., which are the main raw materials for making shoe sole materials. It has the functions of wear resistance and non-slip.

PU: Polyurethane (Polyurethane) synthetic material, divided into polyester type and polyether type. PU soles, the durable material often used in the midsole of the shoe sole to cushion and prevent shock. It is also used as a sole sole, mainly foamed PU, which is widely used, and is characterized by lighter weight and wear resistance than rubber.

PVC: polyvinyl chloride (polyvinyl Chloride), the natural color is yellowish translucent, shiny. The material can be processed by injection molding (injection) technology for shoe soles, which can be divided into modified and non-modified. At present, the domestic market is mainly used in the production of low-end shoes.

Next, BEF shoe soles material manufacturer will show you three main structures of shoe soles.

First of all, the shoe outsoles.

The materials of the shoe outsoles are simply to use natural rubber or synthetic rubber.

1. Natural rubber: The advantage of natural rubber is that it is very soft, elastic and good, and can be suitable for various sports, but the disadvantage is also very obvious that it is very resistant to wear. Indoor sports shoes use natural rubber.

2. Artificial synthetic rubber is divided into wear-resistant rubber, environmentally friendly rubber, air rubber, viscous rubber, hard rubber, and carbon rubber.

(1) Wear-resistant rubber: The wear resistance and toughness of wear-resistant rubber are very good, so it is very durable. This kind of rubber material is generally used on the outsole of tennis shoes.

(2) Environmentally friendly rubber: Also known as recycled rubber, this kind of rubber outsole contains up to 10% recycled rubber, the main purpose is to protect the environment.

(3) Air rubber: The rubber contains air and has a certain shock absorption function, but it is not very wear-resistant and is not widely used.

(4) Adhesive rubber: Adhesive rubber is characterized by better flexibility and very non-slip. It is generally used on indoor sports shoes.

(5) Hard rubber: Hard rubber is the most comprehensive rubber in the outsole rubber material. It is tough, non-slip and very wear-resistant, and it has a wide range of uses. Multifunctional shoes and basketball shoes mostly use this kind of rubber to make outsoles.

(6) Carbon rubber: Carbon elements are added to ordinary rubber materials to make the rubber more tough and wear-resistant. Most running shoes use this kind of rubber, and there will be a BRS letter mark on the heel part of the running shoe sole. Indicates that the outsole uses carbonized rubber.

Besides, there is the other outsole type called Glue the outsole. This kind of outsole is not common. The raw material of this kind of bottom is industrial glue. It is stirred by a mixer and then canned into the mold for heating. Its characteristics are soft and very non-slip.

Secondly, the shoe midsoles.

1. Now the midsole of sneakers is the PHYLON midsole, and the EVA midsole is the most common. In fact, the two midsoles belong to the same attribute category (engineering plastics), but why are there different names? PHYLON originated in the United States, the earliest shoe midsoles are called PHYLON, and there is no EVA midsole and PHYLON. The division of soles. Later, with the continuous development of footwear products, starting from the research and development factories of some big brand footwear products in Taiwan and South Korea, the name of the midsole is more systematic, and there is what we are talking about now. EVA midsole. Now I will talk about the difference between EVA midsole and PHYLON midsole.

PHYLON midsoles are the most used in shoe midsoles. The biggest feature of PHYLON is its lightness, good elasticity, and good cushioning performance. PHYLON is called secondary foaming. The EVA midsole is also very light, but the cushioning performance and elasticity are far inferior to the PHYLON midsole, and the cost is much lower than that of the PHYLON. The EVA midsole is called a foaming. The reason why they have the same attributes but different names and different performances is that PHYLON is secondary foaming, while EVA is primary foaming.

(1) One-time foaming: The midsole of the shoe that is formed after injecting the material into the mold and heating at a high temperature is called the one-time foaming midsole, that is, the midsole of the EVA shoe.

(2) Secondary foaming: After the material is injected into the mold, the shoe midsole that is fired at high temperature twice is called the secondary foaming midsole, which is what we often call the PHYLON midsole. The hardness of PHYLON is also controlled by temperature. In the process of firing the PHYLON midsole, the higher the temperature, the greater the density and the harder the burned PHYLON. The lower the heat, the lighter and softer the PHYLON will naturally burn, so the evaluation of the quality of the shoe midsole cannot be measured by the weight or the degree of softness.

(3) Cloth-burning midsole: Cloth-burning midsole is also a PHYLON midsole, but a shoe-making technique used by designers in order to pursue the overall design feeling. The best example is the shoe midsole and shoe body. The use of the same fabric makes the overall combination of the shoe body and the sole, which is also a highlight of the craftsmanship of this shoe. The realization of this process is to wrap the formed PHYLON midsole with the selected fabric and burn it at high temperature in the mold to become the LB1 midsole with cloth texture as we have seen.

2. PU midsole: In addition to PHYLON midsole and EVA midsole, PU midsole is also very common. The biggest advantage of PU midsole is that it has better elasticity and toughness.

3. Bag midsole: Many sneakers now use a built-in midsole structure, also called bag midsole. Like the familiar T-MAC series, NIKE's style series belong to the bag midsole structure. The bag midsole is composed of two parts, the outsole and the upper, but the structure is still the outsole, midsole and shoes. It consists of three parts, but the midsole is wrapped inside the upper.

Thirdly, shoe insoles and integral soles

1. shoe insoles: Insole can also be counted as a form of bag midsole. Unlike the bag midsole, the insole structure is the sole wrapped in the outsole of the shoe. For example, FORCE1, even if it is an insole structure, Unlike the overall rubber outsole as seen from the outside, in fact, the inner side of the rubber outsole is covered with a shoe midsole. This midsole is also called an MD midsole, which is a kind of EVA foam.

2. Integral soles:

(1) The most common one-piece sole is the one-time foamed EVA sole. This kind of sole is cost-effective and has poor slip resistance. After the sole gets wet, it is like putting on roller skates. REEBOK's 3D sole is the best "spokesperson" for this EVA one-time foaming sole.

(3) PU soles: ADI and NIKE do not use this kind of soles a lot. PU soles are low-temperature molded soles. The PU bottom is characterized by lightness, but it is not suitable for water. After encountering water, a chemical reaction will occur, and it will corrode layer by layer.

(4) Pure rubber soles: Pure rubber soles are mostly used in outdoor hiking shoes, or work shoes, and electrical shoes. The entire sole is made of rubber, which has the advantage of being wear-resistant and non-slip, but the disadvantage is that it is too heavy. CAT work shoes generally use this sole, also called insulating sole.

GuangZhou BEF Shoes Material Co.,ltd is a professional rubber sole manufacturer and we provide OEM&ODM service. We are always trying to better understand the custom shoe sole of innovation, so we can help companies lead the industries. Welcome to visit!