Cut resistance is the one glove property buyers consistently over- or under-specify — and both mistakes cost money. Under-specify and the glove fails inspection or, worse, fails the hand. Over-specify and the crew stops wearing the glove, because a high cut rating usually means a stiffer, heavier, more expensive glove than the task needs.
This guide explains what A3, A5 and A7 actually mean in measurable terms, which jobs each level fits, and how to move between them without re-specifying the whole program.
What the letters mean in hard numbers
ANSI/ISEA 105 cut levels are set by the gram force needed to cut through the material with a straight blade — the TDM method, the same principle behind the ISO 13997 letter in EN 388:
| Level | Gram force | EN 388 letter band | Typical job |
|---|---|---|---|
| A2 | 500 | B | Cartons, assembly, general handling |
| A3 | 1,000 | C | Mixed loads, banding, light sheet |
| A5 | 2,200 | D–E | Sheet metal, glass handling |
| A7 | 4,000 | E–F | Repeated contact with cut edges |
The jump from A3 to A5 is more than double the force; A5 to A7 is nearly double again. Each step usually adds liner weight, gauge and cost — which is why “just give me the highest cut level” is the wrong brief.
(If you also quote EN 388 digits on your market’s packaging, read how the two marking systems relate before printing anything — the coupe digit and the ISO letter do not always agree.)
A3 — the workhorse for mixed handling
A3 (1,000 g) covers the largest share of handling tasks: cartons, banding and strapping, plastics, light stampings, boxes with staples, and most warehouse picking.
A typical A3 build is a 13-gauge HPPE-blend liner with a PU or foam nitrile palm. That combination keeps dexterity high enough for fast picking and scanning work while the liner handles the occasional sharp edge.
A3 is the right answer when cut exposure is incidental — edges appear in the flow of work but the job is not about sharp material. If your crew’s gloves fail from abrasion (the coating wearing through) rather than from cuts, A3 with a stronger coating is the better investment than jumping to A5.
Start from: Level A3 cut-resistant gloves.
A5 — sheet metal, glass and stamped parts
A5 (2,200 g) is the level where cut exposure becomes the job: handling sheet metal blanks, glass panes, stamped components, knives in food processing, and sharp stampings in assembly.
A typical A5 build is a 13- or 15-gauge HPPE liner with glass fibre or steel, often with a foam nitrile or sandy nitrile palm so the glove still grips oily metal. The liner is heavier than A3, and dexterity is noticeably lower — which is precisely why A5 should not be handed to crews doing A3 work.
On glass, match the coating to the surface: dry pane handling pairs with PU or foam nitrile; wet or oily glazing work needs the nitrile. Our glass-handling specification page carries the full decision list, including wrist coverage and cuff style.
Start from: Level A5 cut-resistant gloves.
A7 — edges you meet all day
A7 (4,000 g) is for crews whose hands are on sharp edges constantly: metal stamping and blanking, glass cutting lines, blade handling, heavy burr removal, and recycling lines with high metal content.
A typical A7 build is a heavier HPPE/glass/steel liner, often 15-gauge or double-layered, with a nitrile palm. Expect reduced fingertip sensitivity — A7 gloves trade feel for protection, and crews need to accept that trade. Where a task inside an A7 zone needs precision (e.g., machine threading), the correct answer is a designated A5 glove for that sub-task, not a compromise liner for everyone.
Start from: Level A7 cut-resistant gloves.
How to move between levels without a re-specification
- Fix the coating first, the cut level second. Coating is decided by the environment (wet, oily, dry); cut level is decided by the material. Writing both into one sentence is what makes a brief unambiguous.
- Sample the level below and above. If you believe the zone is A5, sample A3 and A5. In practice, half of “A5 zones” settle at A3 with a better coating, and the other half confirm A5 — but you only learn that from a trial, not from a datasheet.
- Audit the failures. Collect the gloves the crew turned in. Coating worn through with the liner intact → raise the coating, not the cut level. Liner sliced → raise the cut level. Both → different zones need different gloves.
- Write the level into the program. The cut letter (and the standard it came from) belongs on the packing specification, so reorders ship against the same evidence — how documents travel with an order.
The three mistakes we see on first orders
Cut score alone. An A5 glove with a smooth nitrile palm still slips on a wet sheet. Read the coating and the cut level together.
One level for the whole plant. A single SKU “to keep it simple” usually means over-specifying two-thirds of the crew. A four-glove matrix (A2/A3 general, A5 metal, A7 edges) costs less per month than one over-built SKU.
Buying on the datasheet, not the sample. Two laboratories can return different results on the same model, especially on cut. Sample the exact model, check the report covers that model, then commit.
Frequently asked
Is A5 twice as protective as A3? In gram force, yes — 2,200 g versus 1,000 g. In practice, protection also depends on the coating, the fit and whether the glove is actually worn. Fit and comfort decide compliance, and compliance decides protection.
Do A7 gloves last longer than A3? Not necessarily. Coating wear is driven by abrasion, not cut level. A heavier A7 liner can outlast an A3 liner, but if the coating is wrong for the environment both will be thrown away early.
Can I get cut level and oil grip in one glove? Yes — that is the standard build for automotive and fabrication: HPPE-based liner at A3–A5 with sandy or foam nitrile palm. Tell us the oil load and the cut zone, and we will match a construction to sample.
Cut levels describe laboratory performance of a specific model. Confirm the marking of the exact model against its test report, and field-test before rolling out a program.