Footwear
High-performance materials for sports, safety and casual footwear combining lightweight, durability and energy return.
BASF offers polyurethane (PU), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and expanded TPU (E-TPU) materials for footwear applications. These materials are used in midsoles, outsoles and insoles to enable lightweight design, durability, energy return and design flexibility across sports, safety and casual footwear.
| Material | Typical footwear use | Key benefits | Processing technologies |
| PU – Elastopan® | Insoles, Midsoles, Outsoles | Durable, lightweight, design freedom | Casting, direct injection, thermoforming |
| PU – Haptex® | Upper in synthetic leather | Design freedom and more sustainable alternative | Non-solvent PU technology |
| TPU – Elastollan® and Freeflex® | Technical components, soles, upper | Flexible, abrasion-resistant, automation-ready | Flexible, abrasion-resistant, automation-ready |
| E-TPU and TPU – Infinergy® | Midsoles | High energy return, resilience, comfort | Super critical fluid injection, autoclave, advanced bead foaming |
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Q: What materials does BASF offer for footwear?
BASF offers a broad portfolio of footwear materials, including polyurethane systems (PU), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and expanded thermoplastic polyurethane (E-TPU), helping manufacturers create comfortable, durable, and innovative footwear solutions.
Q: What are the benefits of BASF materials in footwear?
BASF materials combine comfort, durability, design flexibility, and performance to help footwear manufacturers meet the demands of athletes, workers, and everyday consumers.
Q: How do BASF materials improve comfort?
Depending on the application, BASF materials can provide cushioning, energy return, flexibility, shock absorption, and a comfortable fit throughout the lifetime of the shoe.
Q: Which footwear components can be made with BASF materials?
BASF materials are used in midsoles, outsoles, insoles, uppers, safety toe caps, heel counters, and other functional footwear components.
Q: Why do footwear brands choose BASF materials?
Footwear brands value BASF materials for their performance, processing versatility, design freedom, and ability to meet demanding requirements across sports, leisure, safety, and fashion footwear.
Q: What is Infinergy® used for?
Infinergy® is BASF's expanded thermoplastic polyurethane (E-TPU), widely used in footwear midsoles to provide cushioning, comfort, and high energy return.
Q: What is Elastollan® used for in footwear?
Elastollan® TPU is used in outsoles, safety shoes, uppers, and technical footwear components where durability, flexibility, abrasion resistance, and design versatility are required.
Q: What is Elastopan® used for in footwear?
Elastopan® polyurethane systems are used to manufacture lightweight, comfortable, and durable footwear components such as midsoles, outsoles, and safety footwear parts.
Q: What is Haptex® used for?
Haptex® is BASF’s synthetic leather widely used in the upper part of the shoe and offers great design flexibility.
Q: Can BASF materials support sustainable footwear solutions?
Yes. BASF continuously develops solutions that help improve material efficiency, durability, and circularity while supporting customers' sustainability ambitions.
Q: How do BASF materials help footwear manufacturers innovate?
BASF works closely with footwear brands and converters to develop customized solutions that enable new designs, advanced performance, and efficient manufacturing processes.
