EN 12959:2000

Overview

EN 12959:2000 - Footwear - Test methods for shanks - Longitudinal stiffness - is a CEN European Standard that specifies a method for assessing the longitudinal stiffness of steel shanks used to reinforce the waist region of footwear. The standard applies mainly to shanks intended for women's shoes and to some men's and children's shoes. It provides a repeatable way to evaluate how resistant a shank is to bending along the shoe’s length, producing objective data for design, quality control and compliance.

Key topics and requirements

The standard focuses on practical measurement and reporting of longitudinal stiffness. Main technical topics typically covered include:

• Scope and applicability - types of shanks (steel) and shoe categories covered (women’s, some men’s and children’s shoes).
• Specimen preparation and conditioning - requirements for sampling, environmental conditioning and any necessary trimming or mounting of the shank before testing.
• Test setup - description of how the shank is supported and where loads or displacements are applied to measure longitudinal bending resistance.
• Measurement and calculation - how to measure deflection or force and convert those measurements into a quantified stiffness value.
• Reporting - required test data, test conditions and presentation of results so values are reproducible and comparable between laboratories.
• Quality and repeatability considerations - recommendations to ensure consistent results across batches and test labs.

(Note: EN 12959:2000 specifies the test method; specific numeric test parameters and pass/fail criteria are provided within the full standard document.)

Applications

EN 12959:2000 is used wherever objective evaluation of shank stiffness is required:

• Footwear manufacturers - for material selection, design validation and batch quality control.
• Component suppliers - to verify shank properties offered to footwear brands.
• Test laboratories and certification bodies - to provide standardized, reproducible test data for compliance and product comparison.
• Product development and R&D teams - to compare alternative shank designs or materials and optimize comfort, fit and support.
• Regulatory and procurement - for specifying minimum stiffness requirements in tenders or safety-related footwear specifications.

Related standards

EN 12959:2000 complements other footwear test standards that address flexibility, abrasion, slip resistance, dimensional sizing and durability. Manufacturers and labs commonly use a suite of CEN footwear test methods to document overall product performance and compliance.

Keywords: EN 12959:2000, footwear test methods, shanks, longitudinal stiffness, steel shanks, waist region reinforcement, CEN standard, footwear quality control, test laboratory.