ANSI vs. EN 388: A Plain-English Guide to Reading Work Glove Safety Ratings

If you have ever flipped a pair of work gloves over and seen something like `4X43C P` or `ANSI A4` stamped on the cuff, you have run into the two systems that govern hand protection on most job sites: EN 388 in Europe and ANSI/ISEA 105 in North America. Both exist to answer the same question — how much protection does this glove actually give my hands? — but they measure it in different units, on different scales, using partly different tests.

For anyone buying gloves for a crew or pulling on a pair before a shift, knowing how to read these codes is the difference between guessing and choosing. Here is how each system works, where they line up, where they don't, and how to match a rating to the work in front of you.

Why do glove ratings exist in the first place?

Hand injuries are among the most common and most preventable injuries in the trades. Cuts, punctures, abrasions, and crushed knuckles account for a large share of lost-time incidents, and the gloves meant to prevent them vary wildly in real-world performance. A rating system gives buyers an independent, lab-tested benchmark instead of a marketing claim. Both ANSI/ISEA 105 and EN 388 test gloves against the same core mechanical hazards — abrasion, cut, tear, and puncture — and report the results as a code you can read at a glance.

The catch is that the two systems grew up on different continents, so the codes look different and don't convert cleanly. Plenty of gloves sold in Canada and the US now carry both marks, which is helpful once you know how to read each one.

EN 388: the European standard

EN 388 is the European standard for gloves that protect against mechanical risks. The current version, **EN 388:2016+A1:2018**, fully replaced the older 2003 edition — gloves certified to the 2003 standard can no longer be sold, though existing stock can be worn out.

You'll spot EN 388 by its pictogram: a small shield-and-hammer symbol followed by a string of up to six characters. Each position reports a specific test, read left to right:

1. Abrasion resistance (0–4): How many cycles the palm material survives against abrasive paper before wearing through. Level 1 is roughly 100 cycles; Level 4 means it lasted 8,000.

2. Cut resistance — Coup test (0–5 or X): A rotating circular blade is run across the material, and the standard counts how many passes it takes to cut through. High-performance fibres like steel or glass blends can dull the blade and skew this test, so when that happens, the result is marked X and the cut score moves to the next position.

3. Tear resistance (0–4): The force needed to rip the material once it's been nicked. Level 4 is the strongest.

4. Puncture resistance (0–4): The force needed to push a standard point through the palm. Level 4 represents at least 150 newtons.

5. Cut resistance — TDM / ISO 13997 test (A–F): A straight blade is drawn across the material with a fresh blade for each cut, eliminating the dulling problem. This is now the more reliable cut measure for modern materials, reported in newtons and graded A (lowest) to F (highest, 30 N and up).

6. Impact protection (P): An optional sixth character. A "P" means the glove passed the impact test for the knuckles or back of the hand. No letter means no impact claim.

So a glove marked `4X43C P` reads as: top-tier abrasion (4), Coup test not valid (X), strong tear (4), solid puncture (3), TDM cut level C, and certified impact protection (P).

ANSI/ISEA 105: the American standard

ANSI/ISEA 105 is the North American equivalent, maintained by the International Safety Equipment Association. The current edition is ANSI/ISEA 105-2024, building on the major 2016 revision that overhauled how cut resistance is scored.

The headline feature is the cut scale. ANSI uses a nine-level scale from A1 to A9, measured with a TDM-100 machine (the ASTM F2992 test method) that records the weight in grams required to cut through the material at a set blade-travel distance. The nine levels give much finer resolution at the high end than the old five-level system:

Beyond cut, ANSI/ISEA 105 also rates abrasion on a 0–6 scale and puncture on a 1–5 scale. Two things it does not fold into the glove's main rating: there's no dedicated tear score, and impact protection lives in a separate standard, ANSI/ISEA 138, rather than appearing as part of the 105 mark.

Where the two standards differ

Both systems are credible, and both are tested in real labs. But the scales aren't interchangeable, and treating them as equal is where buyers get tripped up.

- Cut units are different.\ANSI reports cut resistance in grams (A1–A9); EN 388's TDM result is in newtons (A–F). They measure the same physical property — roughly 1 newton equals 102 grams-force — but a glove has to be tested under each method to carry that method's rating. An EN "Level C" can't simply be relabelled "ANSI A3."

- The scales top out in different places. EN 388 stops at F (30 N, about 3,000 g). ANSI keeps climbing to A9 (6,000+ g). That means a single EN rating of F can cover everything from ANSI A6 all the way to A9. So when you're comparing a European glove rated F against a North American one, check the ANSI level too, because "F" alone doesn't tell you how far up that range it sits.

- Abrasion and puncture scales differ. ANSI runs abrasion 0–6 and puncture 1–5; EN 388 runs both 1–4. The same glove can honestly show different numbers across different systems.

- Tear and impact are handled differently. EN 388 includes a tear rating and an optional impact "P" in one code. ANSI splits impact into the separate 138 standard and has no tear metric at all.

A rough cross-reference for cut resistance

The two cut scales don't convert exactly, but for quick orientation, they line up approximately like this:

Treat this as a guide, not a guarantee. If precise performance matters, ask for the actual test report rather than relying on a converted number.

How to actually choose the right glove

Ratings only help if you start from the hazard, not the number. A higher cut level usually means a thicker, stiffer glove, and a glove that's too bulky for fine work creates its own risks — workers over-grip, lose dexterity, or stop wearing it. The goal is the right level for the task, not the highest one on the shelf.

A practical starting point:

- Light handling, packaging, general duty: ANSI A1–A3 / EN abrasion 3–4 is usually plenty.

- Construction, mechanical work, light metal: ANSI A4 / EN cut C–D, with strong abrasion and puncture scores.

- Glass, sheet metal, sharp edges, blade contact: ANSI A5–A6 / EN cut E–F.

- Impact-heavy work (demolition, oil and gas, heavy assembly): look for the EN 388 "p" mark or an ANSI/ISEA 138 impact rating in addition to cut protection.

Write down the top two or three hazards on a given job, match them to the positions in the code, and the right glove tends to stand out.

Where Spectra Supply fits

Spectra Supply gloves are built and tested to these standards. You can buy on evidence rather than guesswork — and because we serve crews on both sides of the border, you'll often see both marks called out.

Take The Rock, our best-selling cut-resistant work glove. It's made from HyPro® fibre with a PU-dipped palm and an EN 388 4443 rating at Cut Level 4 — meaning top-tier abrasion and tear resistance, strong puncture protection, and dependable cut performance for construction, mechanical, and heavy-duty work. Every pair sold also donates a cut-resistant glove to a local shelter through our Giving Glove Campaign.

For women and younger workers who need higher cut protection in a glove that actually fits, The Women's Rockette steps up to ANSI Cut Level A6, Abrasion 6, and Puncture 4 in an HPPE and HyPro® blend, with food-safe PU-dipped fingers and palms. Developed in collaboration with Covergalls and sized specifically for women's hands (4/XS through 7/L), it's a direct answer to a long-standing gap in the industry: most safety glove lines shrink a men's pattern or offer no purpose-built women's option at all. A glove that doesn't fit doesn't protect, no matter what the rating says — and a portion of every women's-line sale supports the Spectra Women In Trades Scholarship Fund.

That pairing also makes the whole ANSI-versus-EN point concrete: The Rock leads with its EN 388 code, the Rockette leads with its ANSI levels, and both describe genuine, lab-verified protection. Once you can read the marks, you can confidently compare any glove on the shelf.

Browse the full range at spectrasupply.com, and if you're outfitting a crew and want help matching ratings to your specific hazards, our team is happy to walk you through it.

The standards referenced here — EN 388:2016+A1:2018 and ANSI/ISEA 105-2024 — are the current editions at the time of writing. Always confirm a glove's current test documentation for safety-critical applications.