What is the difference between a Half shank and full shank boot?

Answer 1

A full shank boot has a metal, plastic, fiber, Kevlar or some other plate or rod which runs almost the entire length of the sole and just above it inside the shoe. A full shank boot normally means that a steel or fiber plate, which looks a lot like a thin foam insert that would go inside the boot, is fitted above the sole to give the boot stiffness, protect from objects (like nails!) that might penetrate from below, prevent bending of the soole when using tools like a shovel, and may allow the wearer to stand on pointed or narrow objects for longer periods of time than with other boots.

A half shank boot is, well, a boot with half of a full shank. This usually means the heel and the arch of the foot are protected by a shank.

A quarter shank boot can mean that only the heel or the ball of the foot are protected by a shank, but usually means the arch of the foot (where an object is likely to do the most damage and where shovels, etc. wear the most) is protected.

Shanks can be full side-to-side plates (this is what you would expect), narrow plates just in the center of the foot or even stiffening rods that are not flat.

Some boot descriptions sound like there is a shank but instead there are carbon or other stiffening fibers mixed into the materials of the sole. The boot is stiffer but without the weight or protection of a shank.

Be careful when buying good boots with shanks. The clerk will know nothing, and the materials in the shoe box rarely help. Some fairly expensive "full shank" boots in the store may not give you what you want.

I recently went to four different working gear stores, after hours of study online, looking for good full shank work boots. Every store just knew the boots shown to me had what I wanted. It turns out none of them did. I have a pair now, and am very happy/ Caveat emptor!