Radians Knowledge Base

Hand Protection Solutions

Choosing the right glove is imperative to protecting your hand. The three main components of a cut protection glove are the glove's cut level, shell material, and palm coating.

Radians line of cut, coated, and leather gloves utilize the latest technologies to offer you the best glove selection on the market. Read below to learn more about the components of a good glove and what solutions Radians has to offer.

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Protecting your hands.

Your hand has 29 bones, 29 joints, 3 major nerves, and 30 named arteries. Protecting this complex part of your body requires specially designed and engineered PPE. Cut protection gloves offer varying levels of protection against cuts while on the jobsite.

Failure to use the proper hand protection can lead to serious injuries and serious financial consequences. Injuries to the hand resulting from the lack of wearing gloves accounts for over 1 million emergency room visits. Hand injuries cost employers hundreds of millions of dollars a year. OSHA violations for non-compliance of hand protection cost an average of $6,000 per citation.

Product Developer
Spotlight

Meet Justin, Radians hand protection product development manager. In this video, he'll explain where Radians hand protection line is and how it got here.

Standards and Testing

Standardized testing of gloves ensures that the proper glove can be selected based on the hazards present. Testing includes ratings for abrasion, cut, tear, and puncture.

The two glove standards are the ASNI/ISEA 105 and the EN388.

ANSI-Logo
European-Standards-Logo

 

ANSI Standards

A1
A2
A3
A4
A5
A6
A7
A8
A9

 

EN388 Standards

A

EN388

B

EN388

C

EN388

D

EN388

E

EN388

F

EN388
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Shell Materials

Gloves can be constructed from a number of different materials. Each material offers varying levels of protection and comfort. In addition to the material type, each shell is given a gauge.

The gauge of a shell identifies how many needles are used per linear inch on a knitting machine. The smaller the gauge, the thicker the shell. 7 gauge is the thickest shell and 18 gauge is the thinnest, lightest weight shell.

glove-construction-gauge@2x
Polyester
  • Monofilament Yarn
  • Single Fiber, Not Twisted
Nylon
  • Man-Made Yarn
  • Durable
  • Excellent Abrasion Resistant
  • Varying Luster
HPPE
  • High Performance Polyethylene
  • Same as HDPE or UHMwPE
  • Offers Cut Levels A2-A3
HPPE with Fiberglass and/or Stainless Steel
  • Reinforced HPPE
  • The addition of fiberglass can increase to A3 cut level
  • The addition of stainless steel can increase to A5 or higher cut level
Kevlar®
  • Engineered Yarn by DuPont®
  • Fire Resistant
  • Offers High Cut Levels
  • Is available in gloves and cut sleeves
DYNEEMA® Diamond
  • Uses embedded micro fibers to strengthen fibers up to 2x
  • Offers higher cut levels
  • Has great durability and abrasion resistance
  • Cool to the touch

 

Palm Coatings

To address specific work-related hand protection issues, Radians offers gloves in several different types of palm coatings. Palm coatings allow for better gripping capabilities and tactile sensation without losing dexterity.

palm-coating-glove@2x
Smooth Nitrile
  • Excellent Abrasion Resistance
  • Synthetic Rubber, Latex Free
  • Excellent Puncture Resistance
  • Tactile Sensitivity and Flexible Grip
Foam Nitrile
  • Lightweight Micro Texture
  • Good Grip in Wet or Dry Applications
  • Breathable, Flexible and Porous
  • Excellent Abrasion Resistance
Sandy Foam Nitrile
  • Micro Roughened Texture
  • Excellent Grip in Wet or Dry Applications
  • Breathable, Flexible and Porous
  • Excellent Abrasion Resistance
Foam Latex
  • Micro Texture
  • Better Breathability and Comfort
  • Excellent Flexibility
  • Resistant to Tears and Cuts
Sandy Foam Latex
  • Micro-Roughened Texture
  • Better Breathability and Comfort
  • Excellent Flexibility
  • Resistant to Tears and Cuts
Crinkle Latex
  • Rough Texture for Better Grip and Abrasion
  • Better Breathability and Comfort
  • Excellent Flexibility
  • Resistant to Tears and Cuts
PU (Polyurethane)
  • Semi-Smooth Texture
  • Extremely Flexible
  • Superior Dexterity
  • Not as Durable as Nitrile or Latex
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Leather Gloves

Leather work gloves are a workplace staple and remains a high-demand favorite among workers. Considered one of the world's greatest natural materials, leather protects hands from exposure to cold, heat, abrasion, punctures, and impact.

Leather Lineup

Grades of Leather

Despite mechanization, leather tanning consists of a complex series of treatments that require considerable time and energy. The purpose of the tanning process is to alter the protein structure of the skin to increase its durability, texture, and appearance. All natural hides are sorted at the tannery and are ranked by quality.

grades-of-leather

Grain vs. Split Leather

Grain leather comes from the top portion of the hide where the hair follicles have been removed. It is smooth to the touch.

Split leather is created by “splitting” the grain leather away from the underside of the hide. Turning one hide into two hides allows for more gloves per square meter to be produced. Split leather is rough to the touch.

If you want longevity, then specify grain leather gloves. If you are trying to outfit or protect temporary workers for intermittent jobs, then split leather gloves offer you cost savings and the necessary hand protection.

Split vs grain

Types of Leather

Cowhide
  • Most common leather used for gloves
  • Moderately priced
  • Durable with good abrasion resistance
  • Warmer than pigskin or goatskin
  • Stiffens when it gets wet
  • More heat resistant
Pigskin
  • Offers greatest breathability
  • Becomes softer with use
  • Withstands moisture without getting stiff
  • Dries soft and stays flexible
  • Doesn't loose it shape or function when laundered
Goatskin
  • Strongest and most durable
  • Excellent abrasion resistance
  • Great for tasks that require dexterity
  • One of the softest leathers available
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Want more information?

All of the information from this page, and more, can be found in our print-ready Cut-Glove and Leather Glove Fast Fact guides.

You can also Contact Us to learn about our Hand Protection Assessment program.

We can help review your job sites' hazards and advise on the protection needed. 

Fast-Facts-leather-gloves update
Download Leather Gloves Fast Facts