Knitted Work Glove Materials & Performance

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With  trusted glove suppliers such as Superior Glove®, PIP® (Protective Industrial Products), HexArmor®, Ansell®, Majestic®, Wells Lamont Industrial, Portwest®, Traffi®, and SHOWA® offering industrial hand protection against workplace hazards such as lacerations, snagging, abrasions, impacts/bangs and punctures, how can you be sure you are selecting the proper work glove material for the task?

When selecting work safety gloves, most individuals simply focus on hazard ratings as the primary guide for choosing the proper hand protection. While certain materials and ANSI/ISEA standard ratings may indicate a strong performance against specific hazards like lacerations or attributes like dexterity or comfort, most folks do not account for glove materials and related limitations that potentially impact safety for task specific environments.

LIMITATIONS

Different materials provide different protective values against workplace hazards and as such, not all work gloves are created to protect universally. 

KNITTED YARNS

A glove's shell is considered the foundation of all safety gloves. All knitted work gloves start off as fibers. Whether natural or synthetic, fibers are either combed, melted, or engineered into yarns. From there, various yarns are then fused together using a spinning machine onto a spool which are then connected to another machine that twists and knits a glove shell.

MDS Associates provides shoppers with an extensive portfolio of seamless knit work gloves in a variety of glove gauge thicknesses, materials and palm coatings.  Here you can read and compare the most popular compositions that best meet your needs when on the job.

PRIMARY YARN MATERIALS

COTTON

Cotton is a natural cellulose fiber that is flexible, naturally heat resistant and comfortable. Soft and non-irritating, it protects against mechanical aggression (impacts, low vibration, iron filings, splinters, glass fragments), absorbs perspiration and provides wearers with outstanding comfort when wearing dipped protective gloves continuously. While not as string as as synthetic fibers, cotton fibers are often blended with polyester fibers to associate comfort with higher mechanical resistance and more elasticity.

NYLON/POLYESTER

A lightweight elastic polyamide which is lint-free, stretchy, strong, durable, and washable, dries quickly and is resistant to abrasion and deformation. Mixed with cotton and acrylic, nylon makes the glove more flexible and extends its lifetime. When exposed to heat, this material can become soft, melt and adhere to skin in high temperature environments. 

ACRYLIC

A polymer that is resistant to water, common solvents, acids, and weak alkalis, and that is resistant to abrasion and to traction, Soft and warm against the hand, it insulates you from frigid conditions. Mixed with cotton, it makes the knit lighter.

HPPE

High performance polyethylene is flexible, lightweight,, strong, and durable. As resistant to cutting as a para-aramid but with more resistance to abrasion (ten times more resistant to flexion than a wire), it remains resistant to chemicals, in particular solvents. When exposed to heat, this material can become soft, melt and adhere to skin in high temperature environments. 

KEVLAR®

Kevlar® is lightweight supple, comfortable, and washable. It provides wearers with effective protection from cuts (above level 5, with stainless steel reinforcing) and from convective heat and offers durability and performance that far exceeds that of leather (five times higher) and cotton (three times higher).

PARA-ARAMID

Para-aramid is a high strength fiber that offers some degree of protection against cuts and punctures, it is also naturally flame and heat resistant. Its dense fibers can be rougher and warmer to wear than HPPE and less dexterous, tactile and flexible. 

STATIC DISSIPATIVE YARN

This is a specialty product that includes high performance conductive fibers integrated into the yarn construction. This conductive material provides protection from ESD (electrostatic discharge) hazards that could pose a risk to either sensitive electronic components or from serious explosion hazards around flammable materials.

WIRE CORE / FIBERGLASS

Wire core and fiberglass are additives used in safety gloves to enhance its cut resistance and durability. This material is lightweight, strong, and effective at reinforcing gloves for tasks involving sharp or abrasive objects. Prolonged use of gloves that incorporate Wire Core & Fiberglass, especially around abrasive  tasks with high-friction can cause glove fibers to poke through the glove lining and lead to skin irritation referred to “glass or wire itch”.   

PROPRIETARY BLENDS

To achieve better comfort, dexterity, and enhanced mechanical protection against industrial workplace hazards, a combination of primary yarn materials in various gauges or thicknesses mentioned above or introduced materials such as steel, fiberglass, and others are typically blended into the yarn for comfort, dexterity, and higher mechanical protection. To enhance glove performance, palm coatings are added to complement the protection workers need for specific hazards.

Understanding the limitations of a glove material is critical for optimal hand protection. Depending on your own unique circumstances, the hazards at your job may be vastly different from someone else – even if you both work in the same industry. Our work gloves are designed by some of the best glove engineers in the industry to be task-specific, so whether you need impact protection with good grip in oily conditions or cut protection with winter lining, we’ve got a pair of gloves to suit your needs perfectly.

Besides providing workers with gloves, finding ways to help workers comply with glove wearing protocols will go a long way toward creating a safer and more productive work environment. Now you can offer your staff comfortable and high-performing hand protection on which you can depend. Now all you need to do is tap the button below and shop our line-up of wholesale-priced industrial work safety gloves that drive compliance to new levels!

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