China – National standard <Shanks for Footwear> was transformed from a mandatory standard to a voluntary standard

SAFEGUARDS | Softlines NO. 077/17

According to the No.7 Chinese national standard announcement in 2017, national standard <Shanks for footwear> was transformed from a mandatory standard to a voluntary standard on March 23, 2017. The standard code was transformed from GB 28011-2011 to GB/T 28011-2011.

 

 

GB 28011-2011<Shanks for footwear> (now GB/T 28011-2011) was applicable to steel shanks used for footwear and led to a significant failure rate in shank test items. The following chart summarises the leather shoes and leather sandals spot check released by Shanghai QTS from 2014 to 2016^[1] and highlights the high level of failed shank batches.

Chart 1 summary of leather shoes and leather sandals spot check released by Shanghai QTS from 2014 to 2016

One of the reasons why shanks have shown such a high failure rate in recent years is due to the standard for steel shanks in shoes requiring conformance to the requirements of marking, minimum length, stiffness, hardness and bending performance, all of which were mandatory. After the recent change from a mandatory to a voluntary standard, shanks only need to conform to the requirements in the claimed product standard and not to the additional requirement of GB/T 28011 unless the product specifically claims GB/T 28011.

There are 5 product standards and one mandatory standard with a requirement related to shanks. Based on the actual reference condition, there are two types of changes going from GB 28011 to GB/T 28011 which are summarised as:

Type 1: There are three product standards referring to parts of GB/T 28011. Since the update, it's sufficient for the shank component to conform only to the product standard and the detailed test items of the shank will be changed as per Table 1.

Table 1 Standards referred to parts of GB/T 28011

Type 2: There are three standards referring to the complete GB/T 28011. Since the update, the shank component should conform to all of the items in GB/T 28011-2011, which means there is no change to the test items.

Table 2 Standards referred to complete GB/T 28011

As the standard has been updated, shoe companies should update their quality control manuals accordingly in order to legally sell their products in the China market.

SGS Global Softlines has an extensive network of over 40 laboratories worldwide, with a strong team of committed professionals from multi-disciplinary backgrounds. Our internationally accredited state-of-the-art testing laboratories offer a comprehensive range of physical, chemical and functional testing services for components, materials and finished products. We help your company ensure quality, performance and compliance with international, industrial and regulatory standards worldwide. Discover more at www.sgs.com/softlines.

^[1]Data from:

http://www.shzj.gov.cn/art/2014/7/29/art_2360_1066961.html

http://www.shzj.gov.cn/art/2014/9/4/art_2360_1078187.html

http://www.shzj.gov.cn/art/2015/7/28/art_2360_1142647.html

http://www.shzj.gov.cn/art/2015/10/29/art_2360_1158450.html

http://www.shzj.gov.cn/art/2017/2/21/art_2360_1258130.html

http://www.shzj.gov.cn/art/2016/9/2/art_2360_1236756.html

For enquiries, please contact:

Louann Spirito
Director Technical Support, Softlines
t: +1 973 461 7919

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