Understanding the new Glove Cut Resistant EN 388 Standard

Many of you who use Cut Resistant gloves will begin to see the new markings relating to the new standards on the gloves they use. They can be a bit confusing at first but they are simply more precise as to the mechanical risk.

To make them easier to understand, we have loaded a printable PDF file on our web site that you can print out. This file is compliments of the technical people at the PIP Glove Company.

Regarding the cut resistance, most gloves in the old 3, 4, and 5 ranges remain almost the same but with a new A3, A4, and A5 symbols. I mention these ranges since most of the popular cut resistant gloves fall in these ranges.

Link: New EN 388 Standard

Link: Cut Resistant Gloves

Updated EN 388 Standard for Protective Gloves


https://www.gloves-online.com/catalog/cut-resistant-gloves
The European Standard for Protective Gloves, EN 388, was updated on November 2, 2016 and is now in the process of being ratified by each member country. Glove manufacturers selling in Europe, have two years to comply with the new EN 388 2016 standard. Regardless of this allotted adjustment period, many leading manufacturers will immediately start using revised markings on gloves. Therefore, we thought it would be wise to provide this information now to help avoid any confusion. 
The good thing is that the new markings will include the old markings with the added two new testing results added at the end for the new TDM-100 Cut test and the new Impact Protection test. 
Unless someone can convince me otherwise, I have found that the old EN 388 standard and markings provided an excellent guide for our customers in the USA.  However, for the sake of proper technical information I have provided both markings as a guide. 
As far as impact protection (the last letter), it is a simple P for Passed; F for Failed; or X for Not Tested.