Footwear Testing

QC Tailored for the Footwear Industry

Footwear is a highly diverse category, with thousands of models that use a wide range of materials, and require a number of different production processes. This makes footwear testing and quality assurance a highly demanding and specialized process.

QIMA's footwear expertise will help your brand ensure the quality and safety of every type of footwear, including fashion and formal shoes, athletic footwear, specialized and professional footwear, and children's shoes.

Footwear Testing Expertise

QIMA's footwear testing protocol includes the following physical and mechanical tests:

• Sole bonding, seat piece, and sockliner adhesion

• Heel and outsole flexibility

• Heel attachment strength (high heels)

• Pull tests for components and accessories

• Symmetry check

• Color shading

• Colorfastness check (Rub test)

• Odor test

• Fasteners fatigue and zip quality test

• Size fitting test

• Weight test

• Care labeling

• Barcode scanning test

• Mold contamination prevention

• Metal contamination prevention

• Adhesive check (logos, printings, markings fastness)

• Waterproof test

• Burn test (for 100% cotton garment)

Footwear Lab Testing Expertise

QIMA laboratory tests ensure that your footwear meets consumer safety standards and regulatory requirements of your destination market. QIMA's laboratories offer the following tests:

• Harmful substances

• Fiber identification

• Banned azo colorants

• Colorfastness check (CF to light, ozone, burnt gas fumes, phenolic yellowing perspiration, water, bleach)

• North America chemical testing

• Weather testing

• Corrosion

• Slip resistance

• Sole wearing resistance

• Sole abrasion testing

• Velcro testing

• CPSIA testing

• REACH testing

• Antibacterial and antimicrobial testing

• Formaldehyde testing

• Chromium (VI) testing

• Pentachlorophenol (PCP) testing

• Dimethylfumarate testing

• Shedding propensity

• Stitching reinforcement strength

• Shoe lace strength and durability

Certifications for the Footwear Industry

QIMA offers certification for a wide range of footwear, which allow you to demonstrate to your consumers that your products have super quality, and have been manufactured with adherence to good chemical management practices and sustainable sourcing principles:

• In-house / fit-for-use quality and test marks

Further Reading

Footwear Testing Process:

• Physical Testing

• Chemical Testing

• Walking the Extra Mile: Ensuring Safety and Performance through Lab Testing of Footwear

6 Common Quality Defects in Shoes