Shoe last

Department of Leather Engineering, KUET, Khulna-9203

Last
• The last is a mould on which the material of footwear upper is shaped to its required
size and fitting.
• A Last is a mould upon which the shoe is made.
• The design of a last depends not only on the shape and size of the foot but also on
fashion, trends and type of construction made upon it.
S. M. Murshidur Rahman, Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET).

Importance of Last
 Shoe last, the most important raw material used in the footwear industries, is often
called the “Heart of Shoe”. It has its own importance in measurement as the accuracy
of footwear product mostly depends on the accuracy of shoe last.
 It provides the shoe size and fit.
 The footwear is designed on the last.
 It retains the 3-D shape of the shoe upper.
 It helps to attach insole and sole with upper.
 The shoe last represents the anatomical information of the foot, at the same time
giving the finished shoe a pleasing and fashionable appearance.

Last and Feet
Criteria Last Feet
Surface Smooth to enhance the appearance of the shoe & to
enable the upper to be moulded more easily to shape.
Irregular and vary with
individual.
Outline Regular & continuous with a sharp feather edge. No feather edge.
Substance Hard & firm. Softer & flexible.
Toes No toes & toe end of the last is solid. Has separate toes.
Heel curve Greater on the last to grip the foot. Lesser on foot.
Heel pitch Present on the foot. Not present on the foot.
Joint girth Greater on the last to allow the foot to flex in the
shoe.
Lesser than last.
Toe spring Present on the last. Not present on the foot.

Criteria Last Feet
Length Longer than the foot to prevent the pressure from
the shoe on the big toe.
Shorter than the last.
Toe profile Depth gradually decreases to a feather edge on
most lasts.
But not on the foot.
Toe depth The last is normally deeper at the front than the
foot to avoid pressure on toes.
Depth is lesser than last.
Girth & size
intervals
Regular on last. Irregular on feet.
Dimensions Identical on a pair of lasts. Rarely identical on a pair of foot.
Styling It is possible to modify for styling. Not possible to modify for
styling.
Function Used for shoe making Weight bearing & propulsion
Last and Feet

Last Terminology

Toe spring & Heel height
• More the flexible sole, lesser the toe spring,
More the rigid sole , greater the toe spring
• Lower the heel height, greater the toe spring,
Higher the heel height, lower the toe spring

Relationship between Toe spring & Heel height
Toe Spring Heel Pitch
12 mm ----------------------------------------------------10 mm
11 mm ----------------------------------------------------20 mm
10 mm ---------------------------------------------------30 mm
9 mm --------------------------------------------------40 mm
8 mm---------------------------------------------------50 mm
7 mm---------------------------------------------------60 mm

Materials used for last manufacture
Materials used for last manufacture are:
• Wood: Beech, Pine , Shal , Balsa, Maple
• Metal: Iron , Aluminum alloy
• Plastic: High density Polyethylene(HDPE), High density Polypropylene(HDPP).
The material should shape to the dimensions and contours of the last and unaffected by
humidity, heat and withstand the stresses and strains during shoe manufacturing.

Classification of Last
i. Based on the Last materials, Lasts are three types:
• Wooden last
• Plastic Last
• Metal Last

Wooden Last
(Traditionally lasts are made from such as maples , beech or hornbeam because of the
dense, tight grain, which will give a smooth finish .However, wood is now mainly only
used for sample last or for small scale production.

Wooden Last

Plastic Last
Usually high density polyethylene(HDPE) is used and moulded either direct to shape
a or to a castor shape.

Plastic Last

Metal Last
Iron and aluminum alloy is used to form metal last. Metal last is used for direct
injected moulded lasting.

Metal Last

ii. Based on the Construction, Lasts are three types:
• Scoop block Last
• Hinged Last
• Solid Block Last

Scoop Block Last
• The last has a wedge cut on the top.
• The wedge can be detached from the main body of the last by a “Bush Spring Lock”
or a “Split Pin”.
• The last is taken out of the lasted shoe by removing the wedge.
• This type of last is used for hand made shoe constructions and when the production
capacity is less.

Scoop block Last

Hinged Last
• The last is cut into two– the fore part and the back part.
• They are attached by a spring.
• The last can be bent in one direction about this hinge.
• During last slipping operation, the last is bent at the hinge and removed from the
shoe.
• Used for all types of shoe constructions.

Hinged Last

Solid Block Last
This type of lasts are used for Chappal and Sandal making

iii. Based on the Uses, Lasts are also four types:
• Finishing or Treeing Last
• Making Last
• Pullover Last ( Design Block)
• Metal Last ( Mould)

Finishing or Treeing Last
• Used in the finishing room to help the shoe to maintain its proper shape after
lasting and to give firm base for some of the finishing operations.
• It is made from lighter wood and slightly smaller in size than the making last to
allow it to be easily slipped inside the shoe.

Finishing or Treeing Last

Making Last
• Used in the lasting department.
• Features of this type of last vary according to the type of construction being
made.

Making Last

Pullover Last (Design Block)
A light weight, solid wooden block gives the desired fashion shape upon which the
designer puts his design for display.

Pullover Last (Design Block)

Metal Last ( Mould)
• Used when soles are moulded directly onto uppers.
• They need to withstand high pressure and temperature.
• Complete upper is lasted onto the moulds which are attached to Injection Moulding
Machine.

Metal Last ( Mould)

iv. Based on last proportion, Lasts are also three types:
• Symmetric last
• Asymmetric last
• Custom-made last

When two lasts are made from the measurement of one foot, then the lasts are
known as symmetric last. A pair of shoe which is made by symmetric last is not
comfortable for the wearer.
Symmetric Last

When two lasts are made from the measurement of two foot, then the lasts are
known as asymmetric last. A pair of shoe which is made by asymmetric last is
comfortable for the wearer.
Asymmetric Last

If the lasts are made for a particular customer, these lasts are reflecting the
characteristics of the individual feet.
Custom-made last

v. Based on the style of footwear, Lasts are also four types:
• Moccasin shoe Last
• Oxford shoe Last
• Court Shoe Last
• Sport Shoe Last
• Boot Last
• Sandal Last
These type of Last are described with features.

Features of Lasts of different styles

Moccasin Shoe Last
• Sharply defined feather edge,
• Bottom almost flat,
• Well defined apron line,
• Toe end of the last vertical to the last bottom,
• Short front area i.e. 1 size smaller than ordinary shoe last,
• Extra toe spring to prevent extra creasing in vamp,
• Girth is wider i.e. 1 fit larger than ordinary shoe last.

Moccasin Shoe Last

Oxford Shoe Last
• Toe spring is more,
• Narrow toe area,
• Lower instep,
• In case of tack lasting, full bottom area is covered with metal plate,
• Counter line is thinner to give tight and elegant top line,
• Profile from inside joint to breast of heel is straight.

Oxford Shoe Last

Court Shoe Last
• Bottom curvature is more
• Instep is lower than the foot,
• Excessive back curve to grip the foot,
• Wide joint
• Minimum toe spring as the heel height is more,
• Heel feather edge must be similar to that of heel,
• Material of the last along the counter is thinned to give tight top line
• Comb area is narrow

Court Shoe Last

Sports Shoe Last
• Toe spring is minimum,
• Heel pitch is also minimum,
• More fuller toe area,
• More back height,
• More back curve,
• Short front area i.e. 1 size smaller than ordinary shoe last.

Sports Shoe Last

Boot Last
• Medium to low heel pitch,
• Wide joints, wide seat and wide waist to provide comfort and fit to wearer,
• Cone is broad to give comfort and sufficient space to accommodate foot in.
• Heel curve is given as per contour of heel and leg,
• Excessive toe spring as the soles are heavy

Boot Last

Sandal Last
• A slot at toe area of last
• Bottom is almost flat
• Minimum toe spring
• Short front area i.e. 1 size smaller than ordinary shoe last,
• Seat area is also wider than shoe last.

Sandal Last

Last styling & Model Making Last Grading Damage to lasts

Last styling & Model Making
The last stylist must be able to forecast fashionable shoe shapes about one year before the
shoes are to be sold in shops.
Styling and Model making can be done in 3 ways.
a) Smooth turned standard back part and a rough turned forepart.
b) Copied forepart of the last is cut and then attached to a standard back part by adhesive.
c) Copied forepart of an actual shoe.
Reference: Manual of shoe making, Page: 67

Grading
Model last, both for fitting trials and lathe turning, is made in one particular size- the middle
size in any given range. To obtain other sizes in series the proportions of the model last is
scaled up and down. This scaling of proportion for different sizes is called grading.

Last Grading
Sizing System Length Girth
UK & USA 1/3 inch (8.47mm)
¼ inch (6.35mm)
(up to SLL 169mm increment of girth will be 3/16
inch or 4.76 mm)
Paris Point 2/3 cm (6.67mm)
½ cm (5 mm)
(4 mm between whole sizes for Children’s 26-30
sizes)
Japanese system 10 mm 6 mm
Mondo Point 5 or 7.5 mm
2 mm for 5 mm length increment
or 3 mm for 7.5 mm length increment

Grading comparison

Co-ordination Grading

Co-ordination Grading
Reference: Manual of shoe making, Page: 67

Damage to lasts

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Presented by:
S. M. Murshidur Rahman
Department of Leather Engineering,
Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET), Khulna-9203, Bangladesh.
Email: murshidurkhulnabd@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/murshidur.rahman.5203
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Shoe last

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