hen ESD flooring audits fail, it’s often for a simple reason: the footwear used during qualification testing isn’t the footwear worn on the production floor. ANSI/ESD STM 97.1 (system resistance) and STM 97.2 (body voltage) treat the operator, footwear, and floor as a single conductive system. Change any part of the chain and performance changes.

In electronics manufacturing, ESD footwear is an essential part of the flooring/footwear system. It forms the critical connection between the body and floor, safely discharging static to ground. Common options include toe straps, heel straps, sole straps, and ESD shoes.

ESD tile dissipates static through carbon granules or veins, which vary significantly in density – by as much as a factor of 10 between brands. Floors with sparse carbon paths require a larger conductive footprint, in which case ESD shoes may be necessary.

If a floor is qualified using ESD shoes then later used with heel straps, resistance can increase by a full order of magnitude—enough to fail an audit.

1. Document footwear: brand, model, size.
2. Test worst-case: 12% RH, minimal contact area.
3. Measure resistance and body voltage.
4. Build a test area before committing to a full installation.

Footwear isn’t a detail: it’s a variable. If a spec doesn’t list the footwear used in tests, request full 97-series test results and the exact test interface. Without full transparency, a compliant floor may deliver non‑compliant results. Always verify the system, not just the spec.