Hand, Cut & Impact Protection

Hand protection is the most frequently purchased PPE in industry and the most frequently purchased badly. The reason is that cut ratings are read as a league table: buyers assume level F beats level C, order the highest number available, and then watch crews take the gloves off because they cannot feel what they are doing. A glove that lives in a locker protects nobody.

This page orders the decisions the way a specification actually has to be built.

Read the cut level as a test result

The cut level on a glove describes how it performed in a specific test against a specific blade under specific conditions — it does not describe how it will behave against your edge.

That distinction is what makes the highest level frequently the wrong choice. A high-level glove is typically heavier, thicker and less sensitive, and the tasks with the sharpest edges are often the ones that also need feel. The useful question is not “what is the highest level” but “what level does this edge, held this way, for this long, actually demand”. Read ANSI/ISEA 105 explained: cut and puncture ratings and where gloves stop being enough.

EN 388 and ANSI/ISEA 105 do not convert

The two dominant cut standards use different test methods, so their numbers cannot be compared directly — and treating them as interchangeable is a common tender mistake.

A European buyer specifying by EN 388 and a North American buyer specifying by ANSI/ISEA 105 are not choosing between two labels for the same performance. Understanding what each test actually does is the only way to translate a requirement into a purchase order across markets. Read cut resistance levels: EN 388 versus ANSI/ISEA 105.

Also read comparing EN 388, ANSI/ISEA 105 and EN 407.

Liner, coating and grip change the measured number

The same liner can measure differently depending on the coating, the gauge and how much grip the glove has, because a glove that slips lets the blade move in a way the test did not capture.

This is the single most useful thing to understand when a supplier offers two gloves at the same nominal level at different prices. The cheap one may reach the level in the lab and lose it in the hand. Specification language should cover coating, gauge and grip, not just the level. Read cut level selection: how coating, liner and grip change measured performance.

Select by hazard, not by product family

Cut, heat, flame, impact and grip requirements each change the glove, so a plant with several processes needs a task-level matrix rather than one standard issue glove.

The matrix is what turns a catalogue into a control. Build it from the tasks on the floor: what the hand touches, what could strike it, what temperature it meets, and how much dexterity the work needs. Then let the glove follow. Read hand protection selection by hazard: cut, heat, flame, impact and grip and hand safety in manufacturing: injuries, prevention and PPE, which covers the OSHA 1910.138 and EN 388 obligations alongside the matrix.

Also read choosing hand protection for cold environments.

Also read hand protection for utilities and live-line work.

Also read when layered hand protection is justified.

Impact is a separate standard and a separate hazard

Crushing and impact on the back of the hand is not a cut problem, and ANSI/ISEA 138 is the standard that rates protection against it.

Impact protection is often bought by accident, as a side effect of choosing a heavy cut-resistant glove. That leaves the wrong part of the hand protected. Where the exposure is a dropped object, a pinch point or a struck hand, the specification should name the impact standard explicitly. Read impact protection gloves and ANSI/ISEA 138.

Glass, sheet metal and food processing each add a constraint

Glass and sheet metal push the cut level up while demanding dexterity, and food processing adds hygiene, washability and food-contact safety on top of cut protection.

In food processing the three requirements can conflict: a glove that protects against cuts may not survive repeated washing or may not be suitable for contact with food. A glove that fails on any one of the three is a risk in a different direction, not a compromise. Read high-cut gloves for glass and sheet metal: liner choice and dexterity trade-offs, choosing cut resistant gloves for metal and glass, and cut resistant gloves for food processing. For the general buying framework, start with the complete cut resistant gloves buying guide and why cut injuries happen.

Also read hand protection for cold and wet glass handling.

Also read hand protection for food processing hygiene and laundry cycles.

Welding and hot work gloves

Welding gloves carry a heat rating and a cut rating separately, and the process, position and duration of the work decide which of the two dominates.

Leather, FR fabric and coated options each suit different processes: leather for the heaviest spatter, FR fabric where dexterity matters more than a thick barrier, coatings where grip and handling dominate. Read leather, FR and coated gloves for welding and hot work, and for how the heat rating itself is set and read, welding gloves: types, heat ratings and selection.

Sizing is where a specification becomes an order

Glove sizing has to be converted into a size curve before tendering, or the bulk order arrives with the wrong distribution and the programme starts with returns.

A four-step sizing matrix and a worked example for a 40-person workforce is enough to fix a distribution, and it also identifies the point at which a sizing chart stops being adequate and a fit trial is needed. Read industrial safety gloves: sizing and fit guide.

Also read Glove Liners and Their Effect on Cut and Thermal Performance.

Also read Cut-Resistant Sleeves and Arm Protection.

Also read Hand Protection for Mining and Quarrying.

Also read Hand Protection for Automotive Assembly and Stamping.

Also read Hand Protection for Foundry and Metal Casting Shutdowns.

Also read Hand Protection for Rigging, Lifting and Load Handling.

Also read Glove Inspection, Laundering and Retirement Criteria.

Also read Coating and Grip Selection for Dry, Oily and Wet Handling.

Also read EN 388 Explained: Cut Resistance Testing for Gloves.

Questions buyers ask before they order

Should I just buy the highest cut level available?

Usually not. Higher levels generally mean thicker, less sensitive gloves, and the tasks with the worst edges are often the ones that need feel. Specify to the task and test the choice with the people who will wear it.

Can I convert EN 388 cut levels to ANSI/ISEA 105 levels?

Not directly. The test methods differ, and the conversion tables that circulate are approximations that can put you on the wrong side of a requirement. Specify in the standard your market requires.

Why does the same liner perform differently in two gloves?

Coating, gauge, grip and construction all affect how the blade engages the material. The liner sets the ceiling; the rest of the glove decides whether you reach it.

How do I stop crews removing gloves mid-task?

Involve them in the choice and accept that dexterity is a safety requirement, not a comfort preference. A slightly lower level that stays on the hand outperforms a higher level that comes off.

Can you supply gloves to our market and our branding?

Yes. We manufacture cut, impact, heat and welding gloves to EN 388 or ANSI/ISEA 105 as your market requires, with your labels, size distribution and packaging.

Specify the glove programme

Tell us the tasks, the edges and the market you sell into, and we will come back with a glove matrix, a size curve and a quotation.