Are Squat Shoes Allowed in Powerlifting? (IPF Rules Explained)

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This question comes up a lot from people about to do their first meet, and I get why. Powerlifting has a long list of gear rules, from approved belts to sleeve thickness, so it’s natural to assume a raised heel is some kind of loophole. It isn’t. Lifting shoes are named in the rule itself.

I’m not a referee, and I’m new to the sport myself. What follows is my reading of the IPF Technical Rules Book (the 2024 edition; editions back to 2019 carry the same height and insole limits), plus what I found on how other federations handle it. Your meet’s referees have the final word.

What the IPF rule on shoes says

The footwear rule sits in the personal equipment section, and it opens with “Shoes or boots shall be worn.” So you can’t lift barefoot or in socks. It then says shoes include only indoor sports shoes or sports boots, weightlifting or powerlifting boots, and deadlift slippers. It adds, a little dryly, that “Hiking boots do not fall into this category.”

After that come the limits that actually matter:

• No part of the underside can be higher than 5 cm.
• The underside has to be flat, with no projections, irregularities or changes from the standard design.
• Loose insoles that aren’t part of the manufactured shoe are limited to 1 cm thick.
• No adhesives on the sole, and that includes resin and magnesium carbonate (chalk). A spray of water is fine.

That’s it. There’s no heel-to-toe drop limit and no rule that says squat shoes in particular are banned or approved. A shoe is legal if it’s the right type and its sole meets those limits.

Is any squat shoe too tall for the 5 cm limit?

Not among the shoes we cover. The table below shows heel heights for common squat and weightlifting shoes. The tallest are around 22 mm, which is less than half of 50 mm.

One caveat. Heel height figures for lifting shoes usually describe the effective lift, not the total thickness of the sole at its highest point. Even so, there’s a lot of room between 22 mm and 50 mm. You’d need a platform sneaker, not a lifting shoe, to get close.

What actually gets footwear flagged

If squat shoes are fine, what isn’t? Reading the rule, the risks are less about heels and more about things lifters add or change.

Heel wedges and stacked insoles are the first one. A loose insert counts as a loose insole, so anything over 1 cm breaks the rule. If you train with a wedge inside a flat shoe to fake a heel, that setup won’t fly on the platform. Buy a shoe with the heel built in instead.

Sticky soles come next. Resin, chalk or anything tacky on the underside is out. So is a sole you’ve cut, studded or built up yourself, because it’s no longer the standard design.

Socks catch people out too. The IPF bans socks with a rubber outer sole lining for the squat, bench and deadlift, so grippy yoga socks are a no. There’s a separate rule about sock length. Retailer guides disagree on whether shin-length deadlift socks are strictly required when you wear a long-legged singlet, so read the socks section of the current rulebook yourself rather than trusting a summary (including mine).

Are squat shoes allowed in USAPL and other federations?

In the US, this got more confusing in 2021. The IPF voted to expel USA Powerlifting (USAPL) that November, and Powerlifting America became the American IPF affiliate. Powerlifting America meets follow the IPF Technical Rules.

USAPL now publishes its own rulebook (version 2026.2 is current as I write this), with its own footwear section. I couldn’t read that section directly. Secondary sources describe the same 5 cm sole limit, and I didn’t find any federation that bans lifting shoes outright. One blog claims USAPL generally prohibits raised heels, which contradicts every other source I found, so I’d ignore it and check the rulebook itself.

Some brands advertise their shoes as “IPF approved.” The footwear rule I read is written in terms of shoe type and sole shape, not brand names. If you’re entering an international IPF meet, check the current IPF Approved List as well, since brand approvals for other gear live there.

Should you wear squat shoes for powerlifting?

Legal doesn’t mean right for you. It depends on how you squat.

High-bar, narrow stance, or ankles that won’t let you hit depth? A heeled shoe usually helps. A 20 mm lifter like the Nike Romaleos 4 gives you the most room, while a 15 mm shoe like the Adidas Powerlift 5 is a smaller change that a lot of powerlifters prefer. Its single strap and flat base also make it a decent bench shoe.

Low-bar with a wide stance is different. You sit back into your hips, and a tall heel pushes you forward, so many low-bar lifters squat in flat shoes. Our guide to the best shoes for squats goes through heel height by squat style.

For the deadlift, I’d change into something flat. Nothing in the footwear rule limits you to one pair per meet, and a heel adds distance to the pull. Plenty of lifters bring a squat shoe and a flat shoe or slipper in their meet bag.

My one firm suggestion: don’t debut new shoes on meet day. Whatever you squat in at the meet should be what you’ve been squatting in for weeks. If you’re still choosing a pair, start with our main buyer’s guide.