How to Lace Dr Martens: Straight Bar, Ladder & Criss-Cross
Part of the appeal of Dr Martens is how they look laced up — especially that clean, straight-across bar style you see on a fresh pair. It's easy to do yourself, and you can switch the look any time without buying a thing.
Shop Dr Martens laces →1. Straight bar lacing — the classic Docs look
The neat, ladder-free look with flat horizontal bars across the front and no visible crossovers. It works best with an even number of eyelet pairs, so it's made for the 8-eye 1460.
- Thread the lace straight across the bottom two eyelets, feeding down from the top so both ends go inside the boot. Even up the ends.
- Take the left end straight up inside the boot and out through the second eyelet on the left, then straight across and down into the second eyelet on the right.
- Take the right end straight up inside, skipping one eyelet, out through the third eyelet on the right, then straight across and down into the third on the left.
- Keep going: each end runs up inside, skipping one eyelet, then straight across. At the top, bring each end out through the top eyelet on its own side and tie off.
Tip: keep the bars pulled evenly as you go and the finished look stays crisp.
2. Ladder lacing — bold and secure
Ladder lacing makes a strong visual statement and grips hard, so the boot stays snug all day. It uses a bit more lace, so size up if you switch to it.
- Feed the lace straight across the bottom eyelets and even up the ends.
- Take each end straight up the side to the next eyelet and feed it in.
- Bring each end across and tuck it under the vertical section on the opposite side before going up again.
- Repeat to the top. You'll build a ladder of horizontal rungs held by vertical risers.
3. Criss-cross lacing — the everyday classic
The standard, fuss-free way to lace, and the quickest to redo.
- Thread the lace across the bottom two eyelets and even the ends.
- Cross the left end over to the next eyelet up on the right, and feed it through.
- Cross the right end over to the next eyelet up on the left.
- Keep crossing all the way to the top, then tie off.
Which laces you'll need
All three styles use the same laces. Dr Martens boots take round laces, usually 4–5 mm. Before you re-lace, make sure yours are the right length for your model: an 8-eye 1460 takes 140–160 cm, a 10-eye 1490 160–180 cm, and a 14-eye 1914 around 210 cm. Switching to ladder lacing? Lean to the longer end, since it uses more lace.