Abrasion Test

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 turns required until a hole appears in the material. The higher the number is, the better the resistance to abrasion. 

Cut Coupe Test

The cut protection is tested. A knife is passed 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 knife during this test, the cut test ISO 13997(TDM test) shall be performed instead, see point 5. 

Tear Test

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 material. 

Puncture Test

Based on the amount of force 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. 

Cut Resistance Test, TDM Test IS 13997

If the knife gets dull during the coup test, see point 2, this test shall be performed instead. The result is given by a letter, A to F, where F indicates the highest level of protection. If any of these letters is given, this method determines the protection level instead of the coup test. 

ISO 13997:1999 – Determination of resistance to cutting by sharp objects

An alternative cut test recommended for cut protection gloves. Shall be used in EN388:2016 for cut protection gloves where the cut material dulls the cutting knife during testing. A knife cuts with constant speed but increasing force until breakthrough of the cut protection material. Level of protection is given in Newton, the force needed for cut through at 20mm cut length. 

Impact Protection Test

If the glove has an impact protection, this information is given by the letter P as the 6th and last sign. If no P sign, no impact protection is claimed. 

This test is based on the mean transmitted force of the material and is carried out in accordance with part 6.9(Impact Protection) of EN 13594:2015 (Protective Glove for Motorcycle Riders.)

The impact test consists of placing the protective back-of-hand knuckle impact material from the glove over a domed anvil (basically a block of metal with a flattened circular top surface) and dropping a 2.5kg flat face surface striker from a sufficient height to provide an impact energy of 5 joules. (Joules are the derived unit used to measure the force of one newton in the direction of its motion through a distance of one-newton meter.)

The peak force is detected and recorded by a sensor that’s beneath the anvil. This test is done four times in each area of protection taken from four different gloves. This helps ensure the results are consistent across the board. To pass the test, the transmitted force needs to be less than or equal to 7 kilonewtons with no single results greater than 9 kilonewtons.

If they pass, the glove marking will display a letter “P” after all the other markings to verify. If a glove is tested and fails, an “F” will be indicated. If the glove was not tested at all (whether it has protective back-of-hand properties or not) an “X” will be indicated.

When gloves pass this test, it’s an indication that when an impact strikes the back of the hand, the protective material successfully and safely dissipates harmful force away from the hand, keeping workers safe.