EN388 is one of the European standards for industrial glove protection. The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) approved version EN388:2003 on July 2, 2003. This standard stipulates the technical requirements, test methods, markings and instructions for use of labor protection gloves against mechanical hazards on the basis of the general standard for gloves EN420. It is applicable to various protective gloves against mechanical hazards and can also be used to determine Impact cut and anti-static properties of gloves.

The so-called "mechanical hazards" refer to hazards that may be caused by friction, cuts, tears and punctures. Therefore, the four basic test performances that illustrate this standard are:

1. Wear resistance: the number of turns the glove material can resist repeated friction;

2. Cut resistance: The number of times the glove material resists cutting objects;

3. Tear resistance refers to how many units of force are required to tear the pre-cut holes in the glove material;

4. Puncture resistance refers to how much force is required to pierce the palm surface of the glove with a calibrated spike.

The EN388 standard uses different methods to test each of the above properties, and then displays the test results obtained through the test with different mechanical hazard symbols to illustrate the rating of the glove against each of the four basic tests. And the results are recorded as performance ratings. The higher the rating, the better protection the glove provides. It is important to note that all testing is conducted under controlled laboratory conditions and these ratings are provided only to provide information so that you can compare the two gloves and understand which one is more suitable for your desired use.

The EN388 standard has refined this provision, and the legend evolved into. The "A B C D" symbols in the legend are the performance ratings of the four basic test properties respectively. The higher the rating of each symbol (level 1-4/5), the higher the corresponding wear resistance, cut resistance, and tear resistance of the glove. The better the crack resistance or puncture resistance, then the mechanical hazard protection can achieve the corresponding effect.

Performance level: Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5

A. Friction resistance (unit: circle) 100 500 2000 8000 -

B. Cut resistance (unit: times) 1.2 2.5 5.0 10.0 20.0

C. Tear resistance (unit: Newton) 10 25 50 75 -

D. Puncture resistance (unit: Newton) 20 60 100 150 -

After understanding the classification rules, here is a brief introduction to the testing methods of each performance.

Abrasion resistance test:

Four round glove material samples (6.45 cm2) were rubbed under a known pressure (9 kPa). Each sample was tested for 100, 500, 2000 and 8000 cycles. The performance rating is based on 4 tests. Depends on the number of turns after. For example, if material A is tested and damaged when rubbed 500 times, the wear resistance level of material A is level 1, and so on;

Cut resistance test:

Two samples are tested under a continuous force of 5 Newtons, and the grade is determined based on the number of turns they endure before being cut;

Tear resistance test:

Use 4 samples cut from the palms of 4 glove test items, test 2 of them from the fingertips to the cuff direction, and test the other 2 in the palm width direction, and measure the tearing speed at 100mm/min. Force to crack the sample, unit Newton;

Puncture resistance test:

Also using 4 samples cut from the palms of 4 gloves, the Newton force of piercing the samples with a steel nail at a speed of 100 mm/min was measured through the test.

EN420 certification is suitable for general-purpose protective gloves. EN 420 certification mainly evaluates the product's size, dexterity, glove composition, non-toxic and harmless (that is, the PH value is neutral), instructions for use, manufacturer information, etc.

EN420 certification requires that the design and manufacture of gloves should fully take into account the use requirements, so that users can obtain maximum protection and operational flexibility during relevant work activities.