what-are-crocs-made-of

What Are Crocs Made Of?

(Last Updated On: December 4, 2023)

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Crocs shoes are made from a proprietary material called Croslite™; this material is also used in their molded plastic hand and bath accessories. Using thermoplastic resin, the company produces a foam-like material that hardens into an extremely lightweight yet durable product. This makes it very comfortable to wear crocs.

This results in a material one-third the weight of leather but just as durable. The iconic Crocs shoes use 100% recyclable materials for all products including soles, straps, and buckles to ensure environmentally conscious manufacturing practices.

The famous Crocs logo

When Were Crocs Invented?

Crocs were first widely released in November 2002 having been created by Scott Seamans, Lyndon Hanson, and George Boedbecker Jr. They were originally conceived for use as a boating shoe with the Beach Model being shown with all 200 pairs of the boating shoes selling out at the 2001 Fort Lauderdale Boat Show in Florida.

What Are Crocs Made Of

Croslite™ is made out of a polymer called ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA). Ethylene-vinyl acetate is a copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate. Vinyl acetate makes up anywhere from 10 to 40 percent of the copolymer. The remainder is made up of ethylene.

Paridhi Wadikar
Test Engineer at Infosys Limited

More About Croslite

Croslite™ is a resin with two properties that make wearing Crocs so comfortable. Croslite has been used in the shoes from day one and it’s proprietary to them. It is not available for any other footwear brands.

Croslite™ material is a revolutionary type of foam that provides all-day comfort without sacrificing any foot protection. It’s 30% better at absorbing shock than other foams, and 40% more comfortable for your feet!

crushed-Croslite™
Crushed Croslite™ (raw material of Crocs)

Benefits of Crocs – Ergonomic Experience

Crocs are committed to providing you with the best possible experience with their foam clog shoes. They have ergonomic certifications for many of their shoes. These certifications provides proof of a comfortable and stress-free environment where people are free to move around as much as they please. This ensures you don’t need to worry about pain or injury arising from poor posture due to improper footwear design.”

US Ergonomics Certifications

Crocs have US ergonomics certifications on offer for a lot of their designs. The certification program itself was developed in America by the American Society Ergonomists Association. This was created because of the concerns over safety standards. Specifically when standing up straight and walking efficiently across uneven surfaces while wearing bad quality footwear.

These certificates represent how effectively Crocs shoes can distribute weight as a person stands and walks. This reduces pain on one’s feet from prolonged standing or walking periods of time.

Related: How to Stretch Crocs: [3 Great Methods] to Make Crocs Bigger

Maker of Corslite Shoes – The Science Behind Crocs

Croslite™ is the science that goes into all of Crocs shoes. With load leveling, it’s able to take high-pressure points away from your feet when wearing crocs. This allows to spread them out over a broader area for ultimate comfort.

One of the things that make Croslite™ a unique foam is that it can act as both an open-cell and closed-cell type of foam. Croslite’s lightweight, soft, flexible properties make it great for athletes to use in their footwear.

Issues with Croslite

The problem with shoes made from Croslite™ is that they compress easily and absorb water. This causes them to get quickly soaked, which means the material can grow bacteria. This isn’t ideal for contact with your feet because of its tendency to stay moist or develop fungus on the inside.

What Are Crocs Made Of

Related: Best Crocs For Plantar Fasciitis: [Top 10] Crocs Walking Shoes With Arch Support

When you go to a closed-cell foam, the benefit is that it’s more durable and solid without absorbing water. The problem is it doesn’t offer as comfortable of feeling or compressibility; this isn’t ideal in and of itself for footwear.

The Traditional Methods of Making Footwear Vs The Crocs Way

The traditional way of making footwear is by combining both a closed-cell and an open-cell foam. Unfortunately, this still leaves the open cell foam against your foot which then absorbs water and gross bacteria.

The Croslite™ material is a revolutionary new innovation in the field of foam. It has all the characteristics of open-cell and closed-cell foam, making it soft and light but durable enough to last for years while never absorbing water like other closed-cells.

Making of Crocs Video

Croslite™ Material “Shock Absorbtion” Test

It is an intriguing demonstration of how well Croslite™ material absorbs shock. If you take a golf ball and hit the table, it goes right through the open-cell foam that compresses with every strike while making contact with any surface.

The closed-cell foam is not going through the table because it’s hard to penetrate. The shock from a fall or bump bounces right back up on impact, which protects your body and keeps you safe!

When you tap the combination of these two types, it’s hard to tell that there is a difference.

Effectiveness of Croslite

The Croslite™ material is so effective that it can even dampen the noise of your footsteps. As each heel hits the ground, you’ll feel a shock go up through your skeletal system and be absorbed by this amazing material!

That’s why walking and standing hurt your back, head, and knees—because they cause shocks through the skeletal system. Croslite™ material is what makes Crocs so unique, as it helps to cushion those pains!

Related: Crocs Sizing: Do Crocs Run Big or Small?

Crocs

Were Original Crocs Made-out of Rubber or Plastic?

The original Crocs never used any regular rubber or plastic material. Off-brand Crocs are made from durable plastic or a synthetic material molded to look like rubber.

The genuine Crocs shoes are made of Croslite material. This is the company’s trademarked brand name for the Crocs brand foam resin material. These materials have similar qualities as those found in natural cork.

Croc Shoes and Buying Off Brand

I wouldn’t recommend you purchase this product because off-brand Crocs don’t have the same quality as genuine authentic Crocs. Authentic Crocs use Croslite™ construction, whereas off-brands use plastic or rubber.

This often means alternatives lack the quality shape that real cork provides your foot. With the off-brand Crocs designs, there are few models that have treads on them. So people will be running around an airport just wearing their socks if they were to find themselves barefoot.

Everything discussed so far, in a video:

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