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4 styles we can bring in · Yoko, Result Workguard, PortwestKnee pads, and the trousers that take them.
Insert pads for knee-pad-pocket trousers and strap-on pads for trousers without them. Portwest, Yoko and Result — and the trousers with the pockets are already in the shop.
Yoko
Kneepads (WK006)
EN 14404
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Result Workguard
Work-Guard kneepads
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Portwest
Kneepad (S156)
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Craghoppers
Normanton kneepads
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No prices here on purpose. These are the styles we can bring in; what they cost depends on the quantity, the sizes and the standard you need, so we quote against your actual order rather than publishing an average.
Pocket pads or strap-on pads
If the trousers have knee-pad pockets, buy insert pads: they sit flat, they cannot rotate round the leg, and nothing straps across the back of the knee. If the trousers do not, strap-on pads are the only option, and the thing to check is the strap — a single strap behind the knee restricts blood flow and gets abandoned by lunchtime, two straps above and below the joint does not.
What EN 14404 actually certifies
EN 14404 is the standard for knee protection for work in a kneeling position. It has types, by how the pad is held in place, and performance levels for force distribution and for puncture. Type 2 is the insert-in-trouser kind. The important detail for buyers: an insert pad is only certified together with a trouser the manufacturer tested it in, so mixing a pad from one brand into another brand's pocket may leave you outside the certification even though it physically fits.
The trousers are the cheaper half of the job
The shop already holds work trousers with knee-pad pockets, and buying the trouser and the pad together is the usual way round this — a pad with nowhere to sit is money wasted. If you are re-kitting anyway, specify the pocket trouser first and the pads follow.
Knee pads: the questions people actually ask
Do I need knee pads or knee-pad trousers?
Both, in practice. The pad does the protecting and the trouser holds it in the right place. Trousers with knee-pad pockets plus insert pads is the comfortable, long-lasting combination and the one most trades end up at. Strap-on pads are the answer when you cannot change the trousers, or when only one person on the team kneels all day.
What does EN 14404 mean on a knee pad?
It is the European standard for knee protection for work in a kneeling position. It defines types by how the pad is held — a pad built into or inserted in a trouser is Type 2 — and performance levels for how well the pad spreads force and resists puncture. One catch worth knowing: an insert pad is certified as a system with the specific trouser it was tested in, so swapping brands can take you outside the certification even if the pad fits the pocket.
Are gel knee pads better than foam?
Gel is more comfortable for long static kneeling and heavier. Closed-cell foam is lighter, cheaper and recovers better if it gets wet. For a tiler or a flooring fitter kneeling for hours, gel usually wins. For someone kneeling intermittently through the day, foam is fine and will not get left in the van.
Can you put knee pads in any work trousers?
Only if they have the pockets. Trousers without knee-pad pockets will not hold an insert pad in place, and a pad that slides round the leg is worse than none because it moves the load onto the side of the knee. For trousers without pockets, use a two-strap external pad instead.
Who has to pay for knee pads at work?
The employer, where they are needed as PPE. Knee protection for someone whose job involves kneeling is PPE under the PPE at Work Regulations, and an employer cannot pass that cost to the worker — including to casual and agency workers since the April 2022 amendment. It is also one of the cheapest pieces of PPE there is, against one of the most expensive long-term injuries.
How long do knee pads last?
Until the padding stops recovering. Press the pad: if the dent stays, the foam or gel has taken a set and it is no longer spreading load, whatever it looks like from the outside. Heavy daily kneeling usually kills a pad in six to twelve months. They are cheap enough to replace on sight rather than on schedule.