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Frequently Asked Questions
Where do the two protections come from?
Cut resistance from the yarn the shell is knitted from; impact resistance from the moulded pads on the back.
High-performance polyethylene, glass and steel fibre blends provide the cut resistance.
Coatings can contribute to it as well.
The pads are a separate bonded component addressing a different injury.
They are rated separately and independently.
A high rating in one says nothing whatever about the other.
Can cut ratings from different markets be compared?
No - the scales and test methods differ, and the same glove can carry several markings.
Comparing a rating from one scheme against another is not meaningful.
That catches people out when sourcing gloves across regions.
Test methods differ in blade type, load and whether blade dulling is accounted for.
The marking on the glove states which scheme it was tested under.
Establishing which scheme the site specifies against is the first step.
Why not just buy the highest ratings available?
Because higher cut ratings mean stiffer yarns, and adding pads on top produces gloves some tasks cannot be done in.
Dexterity and feel fall as cut rating rises.
A glove that prevents the work being done gets removed for the fiddly parts.
That is exactly when the injury occurs.
The correct approach is establishing the actual hazards and specifying the lowest ratings that cover them.
A slightly less protective glove that stays on protects far more than a highly rated one in a pocket.
What work needs both protections?
Handling steel plate, sheet metal, glass, castings and damaged material.
Those tasks present a crushing hazard and a laceration hazard simultaneously.
Swapping gloves between the two does not happen in practice.
Demolition, scrap handling and recycling combine both with unpredictable material.
Oil and gas, mining and heavy fabrication are the other common sectors.
Where only one hazard exists, a single-purpose glove is more comfortable and cheaper.
Do the pads affect cut protection?
They protect the back of the hand from cuts as a side effect, but the rating comes from the shell.
A moulded pad is a physical barrier and does resist a blade over the area it covers.
The cut rating is tested on the shell material rather than on the pads.
Gaps between pads, and the palm side, are protected only by the yarn.
Most cut injuries are to the palm and fingers rather than the back.
So the yarn's rating remains the number that matters for cut protection.