Very nice pair of boots. They are barefoot in the fact there is no heel drop, but you need to remove the insole to archive this. The toe area is a bit tight, not like a normal barefoot large open toe box. I am normally a size 9 work boot, 9.5 barefoot, so I opted for a size 10 playing it safe, for me this was a good move, as I have room so that my toes are not squashed together. I have replaced the insole with a barefoot insole. For me this was the reason I brought these boots, to have a barefoot work boot. These are smart, light, flexible ,comfortable and half to price of any similar type boot. My pictures show the difference in the supplied insole and a barefoot insole. Although from the side view it looks as if the heel is higher, it's not, it's just the look.