Knowledge Base - Hand Protection

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Protecting your hands.

Your hand has 29 bones, 29 joints, 3 major nerves, and 30 named arteries. Protecting this complex part of your body requires specially designed and engineered PPE. Cut protection gloves offer varying levels of protection against cuts while on the jobsite.

Failure to use the proper hand protection can lead to serious injuries and serious financial consequences. Injuries to the hand resulting from the lack of wearing gloves accounts for over 1 million emergency room visits. Hand injuries cost employers hundreds of millions of dollars a year. OSHA violations for non-compliance of hand protection cost an average of $6,000 per citation.

ANSI Standards

Light Cut Hazards:

Material handling, assembly, maintenance, packaging, warehouse, general purpose, construction
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200 - 499 grams

Light/Medium Cut Hazards:

Material handling, assembly, maintenance, packaging, warehouse, general purpose, construction, metal handling, appliance manufacturing

500 - 999 grams

Light/Medium Cut Hazards:

Material handling, assembly, maintenance, packaging, warehouse, general purpose, construction, metal handling, appliance manufacturing

1000 - 1499 grams

Medium Cut Hazards:

Bottle and light glass handling, canning, dry walling, electrical, carpet installation, HVAC, paper production, automotive assembly, metal handling, metal stamping, packaging, warehouse, appliance manufacturing

1500 - 2199 grams

Medium Cut Hazards:

2200 - 2999 grams

Medium/Heavy Cut Hazards:

3000 - 3999 grams

Medium/Heavy Cut Hazards:

4000 - 4999 grams

Heavy Cut Hazards:

5000 - 5999 grams

Heavy Cut Hazards:

6000+ grams

EN388 Standards

A

B

C

D

E

F

Light Cut Hazards:

Light material handling, small parts assembly without sharp edges

204 - 508 grams/2 - 4.9 newtons

Light/Medium Cut Hazards:

Packaging, warehouse, light-duty general purpose

509 - 1,019 grams/5 - 9.9 newtons

Light/Medium Cut Hazards:

Light duty metal handling, metal stamping, HVAC, light duty glass handling, plastics, material handling

1,020 - 1,529 grams/10 - 14.9 newtons

Medium Cut Hazards:

Light duty metal handling, appliance manufacturing, bottle and light glass handling, canning, dry walling, electrical, carpet installation, HVAC

1,530 - 2,242 grams/15 - 21 newtons

Medium Cut Hazards:

Metal stamping, sheet metal handling, glass handling, automotive assembly

2,243 - 3,058 grams/22 - 29.9 newtons

Heavy Cut Hazards:

Heavy-duty metal stamping, metal recycling, food processing, pulp, and paper

3,059+ grams/30+ newtons

Polyester

Monofilament Yarn
Single Fiber, Not Twisted

Nylon

Man-Made Yarn
Durable
Excellent Abrasion Resistant
Varying Luster

HPPE

High Performance Polyethylene
Same as HDPE or UHMwPE
Offers Cut Levels A2-A3

HPPE with Fiberglass and/or Stainless Steel

Reinforced HPPE
The addition of fiberglass can increase to A3 cut level
The addition of stainless steel can increase to A5 or higher cut level

Kevlar®

Engineered Yarn by DuPont®
Fire Resistant
Offers High Cut Levels
Is available in gloves and cut sleeves

DYNEEMA® Diamond

Uses embedded micro fibers to strengthen fibers up to 2x
Offers higher cut levels
Has great durability and abrasion resistance
Cool to the touch

TekTye® by Radians

Proprietary, Engineered Yarn by Radians
High Cut Levels of A4 without the use of Glass Fiber or Stainless Steel

Browse TekTye Gloves

When Glass Fiber or Stainless Steel is used in the shell over time those fibers will break. This not only causes possible irritation to the skin in the areas of the break but also in that exact spot of the breakage the glove is no longer an A4 but rather closer to an A2.

Smooth Nitrile

Excellent Abrasion Resistance
Synthetic Rubber, Latex Free
Excellent Puncture Resistance
Tactile Sensitivity and Flexible Grip

Foam Nitrile

Lightweight Micro Texture
Good Grip in Wet or Dry Applications
Breathable, Flexible and Porous
Excellent Abrasion Resistance

Sandy Foam Nitrile

Micro Roughened Texture
Excellent Grip in Wet or Dry Applications
Breathable, Flexible and Porous
Excellent Abrasion Resistance

Foam Latex

Micro Texture
Better Breathability and Comfort
Excellent Flexibility
Resistant to Tears and Cuts

Sandy Foam Latex

Micro-Roughened Texture
Better Breathability and Comfort
Excellent Flexibility
Resistant to Tears and Cuts

Crinkle Latex

Rough Texture for Better Grip and Abrasion
Better Breathability and Comfort
Excellent Flexibility
Resistant to Tears and Cuts

PU (Polyurethane)

Semi-Smooth Texture
Extremely Flexible
Superior Dexterity
Not as Durable as Nitrile or Latex

FDG® By Radians

Proprietary, Engineered Coating by Radians
Flexible and Durable
Provides Better Grip than Nitrile

Browse FDG Gloves

When dealing with Foam Nitrile, to get the best grip you must give up some abrasion resistance, and to get the best abrasion resistance you have to give up some grip. With FDG you no longer must give up any of these. You get the best of both worlds.

Grain vs. Split Leather

Grain leather comes from the top portion of the hide where the hair follicles have been removed. It is smooth to the touch.

Split leather is created by “splitting” the grain leather away from the underside of the hide. Turning one hide into two hides allows for more gloves per square meter to be produced. Split leather is rough to the touch.

If you want longevity, then specify grain leather gloves. If you are trying to outfit or protect temporary workers for intermittent jobs, then split leather gloves offer you cost savings and the necessary hand protection.

Cowhide

Most common leather used for gloves
Moderately priced
Durable with good abrasion resistance
Warmer than pigskin or goatskin
Stiffens when it gets wet
More heat resistant

Pigskin

Offers greatest breathability
Becomes softer with use
Withstands moisture without getting stiff
Dries soft and stays flexible
Doesn't loose it shape or function when laundered

Goatskin

Strongest and most durable
Excellent abrasion resistance
Great for tasks that require dexterity
One of the softest leathers available

Hand Protection Solutions

Choosing the right glove is imperative to protecting your hand. The three main components of a cut protection glove are the glove's cut level, shell material, and palm coating.

Protecting your hands.

Your hand has 29 bones, 29 joints, 3 major nerves, and 30 named arteries. Protecting this complex part of your body requires specially designed and engineered PPE. Cut protection gloves offer varying levels of protection against cuts while on the jobsite.

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Standards and Testing

ANSI Standards

Cut Level 1

Light Cut Hazards:

Cut Level 2

Light/Medium Cut Hazards:

Cut Level 3

Light/Medium Cut Hazards:

Cut Level 4

Medium Cut Hazards:

Cut Level 5

Medium Cut Hazards:

Cut Level 6

Medium/Heavy Cut Hazards:

Cut Level 7

Medium/Heavy Cut Hazards:

Cut Level 8

Heavy Cut Hazards:

Cut Level 9

Heavy Cut Hazards:

EN388 Standards

A

B

C

D

E

F

Cut Level A

Light Cut Hazards:

Cut Level B

Light/Medium Cut Hazards:

Cut Level C

Light/Medium Cut Hazards:

Cut Level D

Medium Cut Hazards:

Cut Level E

Medium Cut Hazards:

Cut Level F

Heavy Cut Hazards:

Shell Materials

Polyester

Nylon

HPPE

HPPE with Fiberglass and/or Stainless Steel

Kevlar®

DYNEEMA® Diamond

TekTye® by Radians

Palm Coatings

Smooth Nitrile

Foam Nitrile

Sandy Foam Nitrile

Foam Latex

Sandy Foam Latex

Crinkle Latex

PU (Polyurethane)

FDG® By Radians

Leather Gloves

Grades of Leather

Grain vs. Split Leather

Types of Leather

Cowhide

Pigskin

Goatskin

Want more information?

You can also Contact Us to learn about our Hand Protection Assessment program.

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