In hazardous work environments where you run the risk of cuts, you wear cut-resistant work gloves that protect your hands. Cut resistance is available in 5 classes, with class 5 gloves being the most sought after in sectors such as the glass industry, metal and steel industry, automotive industry and offshore.
Cut resistant gloves class 5
Work gloves with class 5 for cut resistance offer the highest protection against cuts according to the EN 388 standard. The class indicates the performance level for the resistance that the gloves offer against cuts. Work gloves are tested for cut resistance according to the EN 388 standard by looking at the number of cycles required to cut through the glove at a low pressure of 5 Newtons. However, this test does not check whether the knife becomes blunt in the meantime. For this reason, a new test method has been developed (ISO 13997) that only applies if the knife has remained undamaged. The outcome of this test is indicated by a letter from A to F where F represents the best performance level.
Meaning of the numbers (from left to right):
- 1st digit: Abrasion resistance
- 2nd digit: Cut resistance (Coup test)
- 3rd digit: Tear resistance
- 4th digit: Puncture resistance
- 1st letter: Cut resistance (TDM test ISO 13997)
- 2nd letter: Shock resistance P (Passed) may or may not be shown here
- More information about the Couptest
- More information about the TDM test
Choosing the right cut-resistant work gloves
Now that it is clear what changes have taken place in the area of cut resistance testing, it should be easier to choose the right work gloves. However, with the vast majority of work gloves you are still dependent on the old representation of cut resistance. This obviously does not mean that these work gloves are bad, the method of testing is just different. It should be noted that the new testing method is more reliable.