Every coated work glove sold in Europe carries a shield-shaped marking with four digits and often a letter: something like 2X42C or 4X43F. Buyers quote these markings in enquiries every day, yet a surprising number of first orders go wrong because the digits were read the wrong way round — or because a marking that looks strong on paper does not describe the glove that actually arrives.
This guide explains what each position in the EN 388 marking means, how the ISO 13997 letter relates to ANSI/ISEA 105 cut levels, and what a test report genuinely covers.
The EN 388 marking, position by position
EN 388:2016+A1:2018 is the European standard for gloves protecting against mechanical risks. The marking reports six results in a fixed order:
1. Abrasion (0–4). Cycles needed to wear through the coating under abrasive paper. A glove rated 4 survives repeated contact with cartons, brick and timber far longer than a glove rated 2. For general handling, abrasion is usually the number that decides how long the glove stays usable.
2. Cut, coupe test (0–5). Cycles needed to cut through under a circular blade at a fixed load. This is the digit most buyers quote first — and the one most often misread. The coupe blade blunts on hard or abrasive material, so on glass, sheet metal and rebar this digit can understate the risk. That is exactly why the fifth position exists.
3. Tear (0–4). Force needed to propagate a tear already started in the material. Tear matters where gloves snag on nails, wire, tooling edges and cage corners.
4. Puncture (0–4). Force needed to pierce the palm with a blunt standardized point. It describes splinters, wire ends and swarf — not sharp needles, which need a dedicated needlestick standard.
5. Cut, ISO 13997 (A–F). Force needed to cut through with a straight blade drawn across the material (the TDM method). Because the blade does not rely on cycles, it holds up on hard and abrasive edges. If you buy gloves for glass, sheet metal or rebar, this letter is the number to negotiate on.
6. Impact (P). A “P” appears only when the glove has been tested for impact protection through the knuckle area, to EN 13594. An “X” in any position simply means “not tested”.
So a glove marked 2X42C offers abrasion level 2, coupe cut “X” (the coupe test was skipped because the ISO 13997 letter carries the cut claim), tear level 4, puncture level 2, and ISO 13997 cut level C. When an “X” appears in the second position with a letter in the fifth, the letter is the cut rating you should be quoting — the digits alone do not describe the cut performance of that glove.
How ANSI/ISEA 105 compares
North American buyers often specify ANSI/ISEA 105 cut levels A1–A9 instead. The two systems measure the same thing — cut resistance — but ANSI reports the gram force needed to cut through, using the same TDM principle as ISO 13997:
| ANSI level | Gram force | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | 200 | Light handling, dry goods |
| A2 | 500 | Assembly, cartons, general handling |
| A3 | 1,000 | Mixed loads, banding, light sheet |
| A4 | 1,500 | Sheet metal, glass handling |
| A5 | 2,200 | Cut panes, stamped parts |
| A6 | 3,000 | Edge work, heavy burr |
| A7 | 4,000 | Repeated contact with cut edges |
Because ANSI A-levels and ISO 13997 letters use the same test method, they map to each other reasonably well: an A4 glove is in the same band as a “D”. They are not interchangeable on paper — a glove marked A4 in one standard is not automatically 4X43 in the other — so quote the standard and the revision your customer specifies, and the report will match it.
A common trap: a glove can be 4X42C on the EN 388 scale and only A3 on ANSI 105 if the coupe digit flatters a thin liner. When a customer hands you both a digit requirement and a letter requirement, match the letter.
What the cut rating does not cover
Three points decide whether a cut level survives contact with the real job:
The liner carries the cut rating. Cut resistance comes from the liner — HPPE, glass fibre, steel or blends. The palm coating decides grip, abrasion and coating life, and contributes essentially nothing to cut. This is why two gloves with the same coating but different liners can sit three ANSI levels apart. Our cut-resistant range is built around this principle: the A3, A5 and A7 models share coatings but not liners.
Washing and loading. Cut and abrasion performance drop as the liner loads with dust and as the glove is laundered. A certificate describes a new glove, tested on a laboratory blade — not a glove at hour seven of a shift.
The model, not the range. A test report covers the exact glove that was submitted. If the liner, gauge or coating weight changes, the report no longer describes what you are buying. What the documents actually cover — and how to check them before the order.
Category II or Category III?
Mechanical-risk gloves usually fall under Category II of Regulation (EU) 2016/425, which requires EU type-examination by a notified body. Gloves claiming chemical protection are Category III, which adds ongoing production checks. A glove tested to EN 388 is not a chemical glove, and a chemical glove is not chosen by cut level — where both risks exist, the specification needs both sets of evidence.
How to use this in a brief
When you send an enquiry, include:
- The marking you are being asked to match (all five positions, not just the cut digit)
- The standard and revision your market requires
- The material being handled, and whether edges are hard or abrasive
- Wet, oily or dry conditions — this decides the coating, not the cut level
Send the glove you are replacing, or a photo of its marking, and we will come back with constructions that match the letter rather than the digit. Start a glove brief.
Frequently asked
Does a CE mark mean the glove is certified? CE marking is the manufacturer’s declaration that the model meets the applicable regulation, supported by a test report and, for Category II and III, EU type-examination by a notified body where required. It is a self-declaration backed by evidence, not a per-shipment certificate.
Which digit should I quote first — coupe cut or the ISO letter? If the material is hard or abrasive (glass, sheet metal, rebar), quote the ISO 13997 letter. The coupe blade blunts on those surfaces and the digits understate the risk.
Can the same glove carry both EN 388 and ANSI 105 markings? Yes, and many export models do. Check that both claims come from the same model’s report, not from two different gloves in the family.
Typical figures in this article describe standard test methods. Confirm the marking of the exact model against its test report before ordering.