Insoles (often referred to as footbeds, inserts, or inner soles) are the part of the shoe or boot that is located directly underneath the foot and are designed to provide cushioning and support for your feet. Manufacturers of boots and shoes almost always include a insole in the construction of their footwear and they are generally removable. Unfortunately, they are also often very cheap, basic and thin.
To get the most out of your boots, you may want or need the extra support and comfort of insoles that are designed to accommodate your specific foot needs. Therefore, you need to find the best insoles for work boots that will help you to get through the day comfortably.
To help you better understand which inserts are available, we have researched the top best work boot insoles on the market today so that you can pick from the best options.
Top 10 Best Work Boot Insoles in the UK for 2021
We are including the top best work boot insoles that will help to make your feet comfortable and help reduce pain and other painful maladies.
1. Keen Utility K-20 Cushion Insole
The Keen Utility K-20 Cushion Insole is a simple and affordable insole that provides extra comfort to aching feet. This is not an insole meant to support arches, though it has been said to provide adequate support to the sides of the feet.
Made from highly durable and soft synthetic materials, these insoles are designed to stand up to the harshest conditions. They are also quite thick, making them great for heavy people or for those who need more shock absorption.
If you need to be on your feet quickly or have to run or jump for your job, these insoles will provide a cloud-like landing. The Keen Utility insoles were designed for use with Keen work boots, but they can be used with any high-performance footwear. The only issue some have had is with the thickness. If your boots are already tight with the insoles currently in your boots, these insoles may render them a little more tighter.
2. Dr. Scholl’s WORK Massaging Gel Advanced Insoles
Dr. Scholl’s WORK Massaging Gel Advanced Insoles are budget friendly and some of the best insoles for work boots for those who work on hard surfaces and experience discomfort and fatigue in their feet and legs.
They are built with “Massaging Gel Advanced Technology” and extra cushioning to provide all-day shock absorption, comfort and energy rebound. More specifically, there is “Responsive Wave Cushioning” in the ball of the foot and multi-layered waves in the heel and arch. In fact, in a recent clinical study (*Bayer Study 20311, 2018), participants moved over 10% more with these insoles.
Dr. Scholl’s WORK Massaging Gel Advanced Insoles provide firm columns which provide contoured and side support to help reinforce arches. In addition, they have cooling vents to keep feet cool and dry.
These insoles are designed for men from shoe sizes 8-14 and are easy to fit and glue down into your work boots. However, some women find these insoles to be better than Dr. Scholl insoles intended for women. According to them, these women prefer to purchase these insoles and trim them down to fit their own work boots. Therefore, for both men and women, these are some of the best insoles for work boots for comfort and shock absorption.
3. Pro11 Gel Metatarsal Pads
Editor’s Verdict: The Pro11 Gel Metatarsal Pads are a comfortable and discreet gel pad that fits underneath your metatarsal, providing pain relief, support and a reduction in impact. This can quickly lead to far more comfortable metatarsals over extended shifts, with lower fatigue too. The pads are also quite small, so should fit in your work boots without discomfort.
4. ALINE Insole Red
If you spend a lot of time on your feet and want some of the best support you can find, then check out the Active insoles from ALINE.
To place your body in the correct alignment at the correct times during any activity, their patented ALINE Suspension Technology combines:
- Over 100 dynamic, flexible ribs
- Biomechanically correct support
- 3 distinctly engineered suspension zones
- An ultra-supportive heel cup
- A shock-absorbing gel pad
- Advanced polymer construction
This all adds up to a suspension system that protects your whole lower body and improves your balance, alignment, and performance.
More than 100 X-Games medals, 13 Professional Golf Tournaments, and 12 Olympic medals have been won by athletes with ALINE in their shoes, but they can help the rest of us with major foot-related problems including: shin splints, heel spurs (Exostosis), achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, back pain, and metatarsalgia (ball-of-the-foot pain).
While these insoles are on the high end, they provide superior support so that you can give your best every day. Compare the cost over time to the benefits of reduced foot, leg, and back pain and you’ll realize that these are an investment in your best self.
5. Superfeet Green Insoles
Excruciating foot pain from Plantar Fasciitis can make it difficult to walk and requires gentle support of the tendons lying under your foot. Because of the care involved with this condition, we believe these insoles may help best because they have a soft, supportive and stable footbed construction.
6. Zederna Cedar Wood Shoe Insoles
It functions just like the charcoal one. It will soak the sweat, kill the odor, stop bacteria from forming and causing you foot disease. Because it gets made from wood, your reservation towards buying this product is unjustified; as these insoles are very thin and very flexible, they perfectly accompany insulated work boots.
7. Superfeet Carbon Orthotic Insole
Superfeet has taken the idea of an insole and completely changed the game. Using a combination of powerful carbon fiber and premium, lightweight foam, they have produced one of the most efficient and comfortable insoles available anywhere. The result is incredibly thin compared to other insoles, but it provides the same or better support and relief from foot and leg pain.
8. Powerstep Pinnacle
If you’re looking for a pair of insoles that are able to increase the health of your feet and your posture when you’re wearing your work boots on a daily basis, then these are perfect. This is because they actually have maximum cushioning and they are also made from an EVA foam base, which makes them mold to your feet.
Not only this, but they also have arch support which is able to increase your stability while you’re wearing your work boots. If you do tend to suffer from pain when you’re wearing boots, then these are actually able to relieve you from this too.
We liked these insoles because they provide you with comfort and help your foot health when you’re wearing your work boots.
9. Timberland PRO men’s anti-fatigue technology replacement insole
Timberland has become a well-established name in shoes and related accessories industry. As a bootmaker and Timberland PRO men’s anti fatigue technology replacement insoleinsoles maker, it has achieved high standards with industry-defining safety standards and best in class use of material for the overall experience. These Timberland PRO men insoles are a high-quality insole that you can use in any kind of work boots. It is highly recommended to consider this viable option.
These imported insoles are made with synthetic soles which keep them sturdy and provides life-long high performance associated with timberland products. These insoles are made with thoughtful precision and the use of technology. Featuring inverted cone foam which is designed to absorb impacts and return that energy with every step to your feet. This geometrical technology reduces fatigue and gives you all-day support and comfort.
The fit of these insoles is just great. The integration of technology like anti-fatigue helped you perform better keeping your feet stress free for hours. The contoured design is made to provide maximum comfort and support to pressure points like the ball of the foot or heel. Regarding performance and customer satisfaction, these timberland insoles compete right with the best products in the market.
Even after prolonged use, it can take the wear and tear well. And, generally, these kinds of insoles last long. The material used is premium and does a neat job in shock absorption, pain reduction. It can be easily replaced in your work boots and trimmed for exact fit. Also, synthetically made makes it easy to clean and maintain. It works with efficiency even in the most challenging and rough of the work environment. So, irrespective of your profession, if it involves hardcore physical exertion or less of it in more walking around or desk job, timberland insoles are for all.
10. Sof Sole Insoles ATHLETE Performance
These are a full-length gel shoe insole that is made of 100% Implus® foam. It features a neutral arch design that is catered to most foot types. However, if you find the insole to be too long, you are able to trim the forefoot area to fit properly inside of your work boots. The same is not true for the sides of the heel, as it is deliberately designed to function the way it comes out of the box and trimming it could alter the placement of the heel cup.
The gel pads are strategically placed in the heel and forefoot to provide cushioning, along with Hydrologix moisture management to keep your feet cool and dry even when sweating. These insoles are made with athletes in mind, as a result, there is increased energy return. The aim to increase performance and comfort is at the very foundation of its design. But, don’t underestimate these insoles of not being capable of adjusting to work boots.
The Sof Sole ATHLETE insoles overlap quite well with tough jobs that require endurance and performance above all else. The insoles are, similar to our last pair, relatively inexpensive alternatives and a jack of all trades but bolster greater durability.
The drawback of the Sof Sole ATHLETE Performance Insoles is the fact that they don’t list the thickness, as this model has high volume. If you have a pair of work boots that would work better with low volume, this specific model by Sof Sole may not be the best pick, and another one in their extensive catalog may be better.
How to Choose the Best Work Boot Insoles for You
Here at FootActive, we have worked with qualified podiatrists to design the best insoles for work boots to make your workdays as comfortable as possible. Workmate Orthotic work boot insoles are designed by podiatrists to combat common conditions that can arise from spending all day on your feet in unsupportive footwear.
Using expert knowledge of the foot’s biomechanics and the causes and solutions to work-related foot problems from Heel Pain to Achilles Tendonitis, we have included features to improve stability, support, comfort and hygiene when using our work boot insoles.
The stabilising heel cup hugs the rear of your foot, cushioning it, preventing slipping around within the shoe and reducing pressure on the area.
Medium arch support is ideal for most people, reducing strain and pain in these tendons and ligaments as well as further up the legs and back.
Extra shock absorbing cushions at the heel and ball of the foot prevent impact related pain and injury such as stress fractures.
On top of these great features, our work boot insoles feature moisture-wicking anti-odour materials and are made from premium, long-lasting and robust materials so they’ll last for years to come.
Summary
Since the topic for this article was the best work boot insoles, I am naming the Timberland PRO Series the clear winner of the roundup. All around these insoles provide on every level you’d want in foot orthotics, even using their own special technology in the materials.
Starting from the top, the Timberland PRO Series insoles provide a great amount of shock absorption using their special anti-fatigue technology along the entire footbed bottom that is also used within floor mats of facilities with concrete floors. Since most work environments have some form of concrete or hard flooring, these inserts will perform better than all other insoles listed because the entire footbed is covered with shock absorbers.
These insoles also have a little bit to offer for everyone in terms of cushioning, adjustable arch support to accommodate most foot types, a cradled footbed for extra posture and foot stability, and a maintenance-minded design that controls moisture or odor. By accommodating and giving added stability, your overall posture, leg, and foot health will be much better off over time.
Each insole that was reviewed was aimed to provide a little bit of functionality for any foot type. Whether you are looking for the best insoles for work boots or the best insoles for standing all day on concrete, we hope that you may find value in this review to better help you decide which insole to choose. If the insole fits and feels good, then wear it.