How Cold-Cemented Shoes Are Made: A Simple Guide

A lot of the sneakers, casual shoes and everyday leather shoes you see on the shelf are made with the cold-cement method. The name sounds technical, but the idea is simple: the upper (the top part of the shoe) and the sole are glued together, with no heat vulcanizing involved. Here is how it works in our factory.

The 4 main steps

Roughing up the surfaces. Glue doesn't stick well to a smooth surface. So the bottom edge of the upper is roughed up, and the sole is lightly sanded. This gives the glue something to grip.

Applying glue. Glue is sprayed on both the upper and the sole.

Drying. After spraying, both parts go through a drying line. The glue needs to dry to the right point before the parts are put together. If it's too wet or too dry, the bond won't be strong.

Bonding. A worker lines up the upper and the sole by hand and presses them together. That's the step that turns two separate parts into a finished shoe.

What kind of glue do we use?

There are three common types:

Neoprene (CR) glue. The traditional choice. It is solvent-based and has been used in shoemaking for a long time.

Polyurethane (PU) glue. More and more factories are switching to this one because it is friendlier to the environment. Water-based PU glue is now very common for sole bonding.

SBS glue. Another option, used for certain materials.

There is no single "best" glue. We choose based on what is being bonded: leather, fabric, rubber, EVA, TPU and so on. Each material needs a different glue to stay firmly attached.

Why this matters if you're developing a shoe

Cold-cement is flexible. It works with many sole types and upper materials, and it suits both small and large runs. If your project has a special requirement, such as a specific sole material, an eco-friendly glue (water-based) for a certain market, or a tougher bond for heavy use, tell us early. It's easy to plan the glue and process at the sample stage, and much harder to fix after production starts.

Have a style in mind? Send us your design or a reference photo and we'll tell you which construction and glue will work best.