Shoe Outsole Summary

PART.01 Genuine Leather Soles
Genuine leather soles are naturally breathable, allowing the foot to breathe as well. They offer excellent breathability, prevent stuffiness, and automatically release absorbed sweat to keep feet dry. Genuine leather soles are primarily made of cowhide and are therefore more expensive. Their advantages include easy shaping, resistance to deformation, good fit, excellent elasticity, impact resistance, fatigue resistance, breathability, moisture absorption, and ease of processing, resulting in aesthetically pleasing shapes. While they are tough and puncture-resistant, they are susceptible to warping, deformation, and rotting when exposed to water or oil. Key Features:

1) Excellent thermal insulation, ensuring the foot maintains a comfortable temperature inside the shoe.

2) Lightweight, weighing between 0.95 and 1.05 grams per square centimeter, the same density as water. They are waterproof and release moisture when the shoe is no longer damp, ensuring comfort.

3) Their unique three-dimensional fiber structure allows the sole to withstand 180-degree bending without breaking. It quickly adapts to the shape of the foot, effectively supports impacts, and provides better foot protection than other materials of similar thickness.

PART.02 Rubber Sole (RB)
RB stands for rubber; it is thermoformed and comes in natural and recycled rubber. It is heavy and not oil-resistant. The molded sole must be roughened on the mating surface. It can shrink easily when heated and can cause color inconsistency.

Advantages: Excellent wear resistance, non-slip, elastic, and resistant to breakage. It has good softness, good ductility, stable shrinkage, good hardness, good bendability, and is waterproof.

Disadvantages: Heavy, prone to blooming (a quality issue), and corrosion resistance (an environmental issue). It is not strong and can be easily punctured. It has poor breathability and moisture absorption, is susceptible to oil soaking, and should not be worn in oily areas such as gas stations.

※ Foamed Rubber: It is lighter than a rubber sole and has a rubbery odor. When pressed, the surface rebounds more noticeably than regular soles, and has poor wear resistance.

High-Pressure Polyethylene Rubber Sole: A sole made primarily of high-pressure polyethylene and rubber, using a combination of rubber and plastic.

Raw Rubber Sole: Heavy, relatively expensive, not oil-resistant, not heat-resistant, and prone to discoloration.

PART.03 Polyurethane Sole (PU)
Polyurethane, short for polyurethane, is a polymer material made by foaming A/B/C polyesters. It comes in both oil-based and water-based forms. It is an emerging organic polymer material, known as the "fifth plastic," and is widely used in the manufacture of high-end leather shoes, athletic shoes, and travel shoes.

Advantages: Low density, soft texture, excellent elasticity, comfortable and lightweight; good oxidation resistance, excellent wear resistance, flex resistance, and high hardness; excellent shock absorption and anti-slip properties; good heat resistance; good chemical resistance; corrosion resistance, which is environmentally friendly, and wrinkle-resistant.

Disadvantages: High water absorption, prone to yellowing, prone to breakage, poor elongation, poor water resistance, prone to rotting, and poor breathability.

PART.04 EVA Sole
Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) is a polymer material commonly used in the midsoles of jogging, walking, casual, and training shoes. It is lightweight and easy to process, but not wear-resistant or oil-resistant.

Advantages: Lightweight, elastic, flexible, wrinkle-resistant, excellent colorability, and suitable for all climates.

Disadvantages: Highly absorbent, resistant to corrosion, environmentally unfriendly, and easily soiled.

PART.05 MD Sole
A general term for MODEL or PHYLON, which is a secondary high-pressure molded EVA product. MD soles always contain EVA and are also called PHYLON soles. For example, MD is EVA + RB, or EVA + RB + TPR. Some shoes have RB + PU.

Advantages: Lightweight, elastic, slender, and soft; easy to clean; excellent hardness, density, tensile strength, tear resistance, and elongation.

Disadvantages: Corrosion resistance, which is environmentally unfriendly; prone to wrinkling and shrinking at high temperatures; poor durability; shock absorption decreases over time; and poor breathability.

PART.06 TPR Sole
TPR is a broad term encompassing products such as TPV, SEBS, SBS, TPO, TPU, and EVA. TPR soles primarily refer to SBS-modified shoe materials (a type of TPR material application).

TPR shoe material is a new polymer shoe material made primarily from thermoplastic SBS. It possesses the properties of rubber and can be processed and recycled as a thermoplastic. It can be made into rubber products using standard plastic molding machines through injection molding, extrusion molding, and blow molding. TPR pellets are melted and then injection molded, and the molecules move radially during molding.

Advantages: Easy to shape, affordable; lightweight, comfortable, highly elastic, easy to stain, breathable, and strong, especially with excellent low-temperature resistance, a high coefficient of friction, and strong grip.

Disadvantages: Heavy material, poor abrasion resistance (not wear-resistant), poor flexibility, poor bendability (not fold-resistant), poor shock absorption, and poor breathability.

PART.07 Polyurethane Sole (PU)
Polyurethane, short for polyurethane, is a polymer material made by foaming A/B/C polyesters. It comes in both oil-based and water-based forms. It is an emerging organic polymer material, known as the "fifth plastic," and is commonly used in the manufacture of high-end leather shoes, sneakers, and travel shoes.

Advantages: Low density, soft texture, good elasticity, comfortable and lightweight; good oxidation resistance, excellent wear resistance, flex resistance, high hardness; excellent shock absorption and anti-slip properties; good heat resistance; good chemical resistance; environmentally friendly due to its corrosion resistance and wrinkle resistance.

Disadvantages: High water absorption, prone to yellowing, easy to break, poor elongation, poor water resistance, prone to rotting, and poor breathability.

PART.08 PVC Sole (Imitation Leather Sole)
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has a slightly yellowish, translucent, glossy natural color. Whitening may occur at flex points.

Advantages: Most are relatively inexpensive, oil-resistant, wear-resistant, and have good insulation properties.

Disadvantages: Poor anti-slip properties, poor texture, poor cold resistance, poor flex resistance, and poor breathability.