A guide shoe is installed on the bottom joint of casing and is usually combined with a float collar in the casing string for conventional cementing operations. The guide shoe thru-bore allows conversion balls, tubes and debris to exit the casing without obstruction.
A tapered, often bullet-nosed piece of equipment often found on the bottom of a casing string. The device guides the casing toward the center of the hole and minimizes problems associated with hitting rock ledges or washouts in the wellbore as the casing is lowered into the well.
The outer portions of the guide shoe are made from steel, generally matching the casing in size and threads, if not steel grade. The inside (including the taper) is generally made of cement or thermoplastic, since this material must be drilled out if the well is to be deepened beyond the casing point. It differs from a float shoe in that it lacks a check valve.