EN 388:2019

Protective gloves against mechanical risks.

According to this standard, characteristics such as abrasion resistance, cut resistance, tearing strength, puncture resistance and impact protection are tested. In conjunction with the pictogram, four numbers and one, or two letters, will be displayed. These signs indicate the performance of the glove.

1. ABRASION RESISTANCE

The material is subjected to abrasion by a sandpaper under a determined pressure. The protection level is indicated on a scale of 1 to 4 depending on the number of cycles required until a hole appears in the material. The higher the number, the better the resistance to abrasion.

2. CUT RESISTANCE – COUP TEST

Cut protection according to this test is tested by passing a knife over the glove material until it cuts through. The protection level is given by a number between 1 and 5, where 5 indicates the highest cut protection. If the material dulls the blade during this test, the cut test ISO 13997(TDM test) shall be performed instead (see point 5).

3. TEARING STRENGTH

Here, the force required to tear the glove material apart is measured. The protection level is indicated by a number between 1 and 4, where 4 indicates the strongest tear resistance.

4. PUNCTURE RESISTANCE

The score of the test is based on the amount of force (N or Newton) required to puncture the material with a tip. The protection function is indicated by a number between 1 and 4, where 4 indicates the strongest material. Please note that this test is not appropriate to test punctures with sharp impact such as needles. Check our specific topic about needle puncture protection here.

5. CUT RESISTANCE, TDM TEST ISO 13997

IEver since the new EN 388 standard was implemented, this additional cut test – a knife cuts with constant speed but increasing force until breakthrough – of the cut protection material is required in cases where the blade gets dull during the coup test. The result is given by a letter, A to F, where F indicates the highest level of protection. Very important : if any of these letters is mentioned, then this TDM test method determines the protection level instead of the coup test.

6. IMPACT PROTECTION

Impact protection on the upper surface of protective gloves is evaluated according to EN 388:2016, which includes an impact test according to section 6.9 of EN 13594. The marking ‘P’ is added when the glove passes the test.
The impact test is only conducted for those gloves for which the characteristic “resistance to impact” is claimed.