volkl logo black
Voelkl Firefighting boots in action with 2 firemen of the Dresden fire department.
Encyclopedia

Small encyclopedia of the shoe industry

Companies in the footwear industry tend to use technical terms that are not always known by everyone immediately. We have taken us the time to collect and explain some of them in our small encyclopedia. If you think we have forgotten something or if you some words that you do not know the meaning of do not hesitate to contact us. We will try our best to improve our encyclopedia as soon as possibile.
Your VÖLKL staff
Mesh
Mesh is a double-face fabric, in which the two faces are kept on distance by distance-maintaining connecting threads. Thus, the material becomes three-dimensional.
Innersole
The innersole is the layer of the shoe bottom that points toward the foot. It connects the shaft to the sole and is therefore foundation of the shoe.
Cordura®
Cordura ® is a fabric in wich cut polyamide fibers are spun and woven again. This makes it more resistant to tearing than traditional nylon and is ideal for personal protection. Cordura ® is a registered trademark of Invista.
ESD
ESD (electrostatic discharge) is a part of antistatics. Thanks to the increased ability to discharge the ESD boot is particularly adapted to strongly explosive atmospheres and also protects electrostatically sensitive components of machines.
Lining
Lining is the textile or leather, that is in the interior of the shoe and has a direct contact with the skin.
Hydrophobization
is a special treatment of materials such as leather and textiles. Through the hydrophobization the materials become waterproof.
Lasts
A last is a wooden or plastic form which is based on a human foot. Last are used in the production of shoes and boots in to order to give the right fit to the shoe.
Membrane
A membrane is a material compound, which is installed as a separation layer in the inner of the shoe. Membranes ensure that water can not penetrate from the outside but allow at the same time that water vapor can pass through it to the outside.
Nappa Leather
Nappa leather is a very soft, chrome-tanned leather. For this reason, it is particularly suitable for the edge of paddings in boots and shoes.
not marking
The not-marking-feature of a sole describes the the fact that the sole does not make any marks on different undergrounds.
Nitrile rubber
Nitrile rubber is a synthetic rubber that is practical, which has a very small abrasion and which is petrol, oil and acid resistant.
Nomex®
Nomex ® fibers are special synthetic fibers made of polyamide, which are particularly heat-resistant. Therefore, they are used for the cloting in the firefighter industry. In the firefighter boots they are used for sewing threads and laces. Nomex ® is a registered trademark of DuPont.
PU
Abbreviation for polyurethane. Polyurethanes are plastics or resins that we can find in any part of our daily life:for example in artificial sponges. In the shoe production, polyurethanes are used for damping and isolation in soles.
Instep
The instep area refers to the the upper outer edge of the foot. Many of you will probably know this term from football.
Foot rolling
The foot rolling is the distance between the pointed toe and the and the ground. This distance determines the shape of the sole, which makes the rolling of the shoe during walking possible.
Backstitching
Backstitching is the process in which the single leather and fabric pieces are sewn together to form a shaft.
Pinching
Pinching is a process in the production of shoes and boots and refers to the moment in which the shaft is fixed to the last and fixed to the sole.
@ 2019 by VÖLKL GmbH & Co. KG | German Trade Register: HRA 42630 München | Ust-ID-Nr. DE 128 097 984 | About this website | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy