Top 10 Common Protective Gloves & Global Standards

Protective gloves are specifically designed to protect workers’ hands from harmful elements encountered in the workplace. With a wide range of materials and specialized properties, each type of glove is suited to the specific safety requirements of different industries. Join Lapro to explore the top 10 most common types of protective gloves and the international standards you need to know to choose the optimal solution for your needs.

What Are Protective Gloves?

Protective gloves are a type of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE gloves) specifically designed to safeguard workers’ hands from various occupational hazards. They help prevent injuries caused by physical elements such as cuts, abrasions, and sharp objects, as well as exposure to hazardous chemicals, extreme temperatures, electric shock, biological agents, or mechanical vibrations.

Depending on the industry and specific job requirements, users can select industrial gloves made from different materials with tailored features and technical standards. Choosing the right pair of work gloves enhances operational efficiency and plays a critical role in ensuring occupational safety and compliance with workplace health regulations.

Top 10 Most Common Types of Personal Protective Gloves

Today’s market offers a wide range of protective gloves that are specially designed for specific industries and job-related hazards. Below are the 10 most common types of personal protective gloves used across various sectors.

Cotton safety work gloves

Cotton safety work gloves are one of the most basic forms of personal protective equipment, commonly used in low-risk tasks such as gardening, light material handling, or general support at construction sites. These gloves are typically made from knitted fabric or cotton, providing comfort, breathability, ease of use, and cost efficiency.

Although cotton safety work gloves do not offer the same advanced protection as specialized glove types, they still play a vital role in shielding hands from dirt, minor abrasions, and general mechanical hazards.

PU/Nitrile-Coated Safety Work Gloves

As an upgraded version of traditional cotton safety work gloves, PU gloves or Nitrile-coated gloves are enhanced with a special coating to improve grip and abrasion resistance. The coating is typically applied to the palms and fingertips, allowing users to handle tools with greater precision and safety. These personal protective gloves are widely used in light-duty industries such as assembly, light engineering, and electronics manufacturing.

Anti-Vibration Gloves

Anti-vibration gloves are specially engineered to minimize the negative effects of continuous vibration during the use of power tools such as drills, compactors, or jackhammers.

Made from flexible materials such as spandex, nylon, or polyester, these gloves feature thick padding in the palm area using gel, foam rubber, or leather. This padding effectively absorbs mechanical shocks, helping reduce the risk of occupational conditions such as hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). They are commonly used in construction, mechanical engineering, and mining industries.

Anti-Static Gloves

Widely used in the manufacturing of electronic components and microchips, anti-static gloves are designed to prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD) that can damage sensitive equipment. These personal protective gloves also protect workers from static buildup when handling circuit boards and electronic parts. Made from polyester, carbon, or PVC with low electrical conductivity, they effectively dissipate static charges and ensure safe, precise operation in ESD-sensitive environments.

Steel Mesh Cut-Resistant Gloves

Crafted from interlocked rings of stainless steel, steel mesh cut-resistant gloves offer superior protection in high-risk working conditions. These gloves are ideal for industries requiring maximum cut and puncture resistance, such as food processing, woodworking, and metal fabrication.

Their robust structure helps prevent severe injuries caused by sharp tools, blades, and saws. These personal protective gloves are a reliable safety solution where hand protection is critical to maintaining workplace safety and productivity.

Fabric Cut-Resistant Gloves

Compared to their steel counterparts, fabric cut-resistant gloves offer greater flexibility while still providing a high level of protection. Made from advanced fibers such as Kevlar, HPPE, or Spandex, these gloves feature excellent durability and resistance to abrasion, cutting, and tearing. They are an ideal choice for tasks involving mechanical assembly or handling sharp materials such as metal or glass.

Chemical-Resistant Gloves

Chemical-resistant gloves are designed to protect hands from corrosive substances, strong solvents, and hazardous industrial chemicals. Constructed from materials such as nitrile, latex, PVC, or butyl, these gloves provide excellent chemical resistance, durability, and effective liquid barrier protection.

Depending on the intended application, users can select from disposable or reusable options with varying thicknesses and material compositions. These gloves are widely used in chemical manufacturing, food processing, medical, pharmaceutical, and other industries that require strict safety and hygiene standards.

Insulating Gloves

Insulating gloves are specialized personal protective gloves designed for electrical industry workers. Made from natural or synthetic rubber, they offer high dielectric strength and resistance to electrical shock. These gloves are classified by voltage protection levels, ranging from Class 00 to Class 4, corresponding to maximum working voltages from 500V to 36kV.

Heat-Resistant Gloves

Also known as thermal protective gloves, heat-resistant gloves are engineered to safeguard hands from high-temperature exposure. They are essential in industries such as metallurgy, cement production, or any environment with radiant heat. Constructed from heat-insulating materials such as heat-resistant leather, aluminized fabric, or asbestos fibers, these gloves provide excellent thermal resistance while maintaining flexibility for handling tasks.

Arc Flash Gloves

Unlike standard insulating gloves, arc flash gloves are made from multiple layers of flame-retardant materials such as nomex or aramid fibers. These layers are specifically designed to dissipate the intense heat and energy generated during an arc flash incident, minimizing the risk of severe burns or skin damage.

Thanks to their advanced multi-layer structure and outstanding thermal protection, arc flash gloves are widely used in maintenance operations, high-voltage grid servicing, and industrial electrical systems.

International Standards for Personal Protective Gloves You Should Know

Currently, personal protective gloves are manufactured and assessed based on various international standards, depending on the region and the specific hazards they are designed to guard against. Below are some of the most widely recognized standards applied across different countries.

European Standards (EN)

EN 388 – Protective Gloves Against Mechanical Risks

This standard evaluates gloves used to protect against mechanical hazards such as abrasion, blade cuts, tearing, and punctures. Performance is rated on a scale from 0 to 5 (or A–F under the updated version), with higher values indicating greater protection.

EN 420 – General Requirements for Protective Gloves

This is a general standard outlining the basic safety, hygiene, and performance requirements applicable to all types of protective gloves.

EN 374 – Gloves giving protection from chemicals and micro-organisms

This standard classifies gloves based on their chemical resistance capabilities:

– Type A: Resistant to at least 6 chemicals for ≥ 30 minutes

– Type B: Resistant to at least 3 chemicals

– Type C: Resistant to at least 1 chemical

EN 407 – Gloves giving protection from thermal hazards

Specifies performance levels for gloves that protect against heat and fire, including resistance to flammability, contact heat, convective heat, radiant heat, and small splashes of molten metal.

EN 511 – Gloves giving protection from cold

Applies to gloves used in cold environments. It evaluates thermal insulation, resistance to water penetration, and retention of warmth, essential for preventing frostbite and circulation issues.

U.S. Standards (ANSI/ISEA)

ANSI/ISEA 105 – Standard for Industrial Protective Gloves

This standard outlines performance levels for various hazards including cut resistance, chemical resistance, abrasion, and puncture protection. Protection levels are rated from 0 to 9, or from A1 to A9 for cut resistance.

ANSI/ISEA 138 – Standard for Impact-Resistant Gloves

This standard evaluates the glove’s ability to protect the knuckles and fingers against impact. Gloves are classified into three performance levels based on their protective capacity.

Canadian Standards (CSA)

CSA Z96 – Standard for Protective Gloves Against Mechanical Hazards

Comparable to the European EN 388 standard, this regulation defines protective criteria against mechanical risks but employs different testing methodologies.

Australian/New Zealand Standards (AS/NZS)

AS/NZS 2161 – Standard for Protective Gloves Against Mechanical Risks

Derived from the EN 388 standard, this version includes region-specific requirements for testing and labeling in accordance with local working conditions in Australia and New Zealand.

Vietnamese Standard

TCVN 8838-2:2011 (ISO 13999-2:2003) – Protective Gloves Against Cuts

This national standard specifies requirements for gloves designed to protect against sharp blades or cutting tools, commonly used in food processing and mechanical industries.

Lapro – Comprehensive supplier of high-quality protective gloves

Lapro (under THACO INDUSTRIES) specializes in manufacturing and supplying internationally certified protective gloves that are trusted by major domestic and global enterprises.

Currently, Lapro offers over 50 product lines, including cotton, polyester, and nylon gloves; PU-, latex-, nitrile-, and PVC-coated gloves; cut-resistant gloves, and touchscreen-compatible gloves. These gloves serve various industries such as mechanical engineering, metallurgy, electronics, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, and mining.

With a production system comprising 1,600 automatic knitting machines (10G, 13G, 15G, and 18G) and a flexible automated rubber coating line (full, ¾, and ½ coating), Lapro achieves an impressive annual output of 90 million pairs of gloves.

All products are made from premium materials imported from South Korea and Australia, utilizing advanced technologies transferred from Daiwa Technology (Japan). As a result, Lapro’s gloves are known for their outstanding quality, high durability, elasticity, and maximum safety performance, even in the most demanding working environments.

Lapro’s entire production process is rigorously managed according to international standards such as ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015, and certified with WRAP and WCA for social responsibility and technical compliance, meeting the stringent requirements of markets such as the United States, Europe, Japan, and South Korea.

With exceptional manufacturing capacity, a diverse product portfolio, and the ability to fulfill large-scale orders, Lapro is well-positioned to meet dynamic market and customer needs. Contact us directly via hotline: (+84) 348 620 063 or through our fanpage for the fastest consultation and support.