One of the most confusing things about the EN388 safety standard is that it lists 2 tests or ratings to display the protection a glove gives from cut risks. 

(Don’t what EN388 is?? - Read our explanation here) 

A lot of our customers ask us about this.  Initially it makes specifying and choosing the best gloves much more confusing. 

So, here’s our attempt at making it a little clearer for you: 

EN388 has been around as a standard to certify a glove’s mechanical protection capabilities for quite a while. 

Every now and again the publishing body (the British Standards Institution or BSI) reviews and updates the standard to ensure it remains a correct and relevant standard for use in workplaces throughout their client base. 

The last time they did this was in 2016.  This was when the second cut test was introduced into the rating produced under the certification offered by EN388. 

Under the original version of the standard (released in 2003) the test used to calculate the protection given against cut risks was the coupe cut test. 

Under this test a stainless-steel circular blade is run over a sample of the glove being tested.  The number of cycles required to achieve a breakthrough is recorded and transferred into an index rating of “1” to “5”.  A rating of “1” offered the least protection with “5” giving the most. 

This provided the market with a simple and visual way of defining the protection and rating that they required. 

However, the test had some serious drawbacks. 

Firstly, the blade was run over the sample material at a uniform speed and force.  This didn’t relate to the nature of cut risks in the workplace.  Typically, a cut risk in real life involves a high amount of force and irregular speed/movement. 

Secondly, the blade would quickly dull and blunt on poor quality materials that tended to “clog” the blade.  This gave products of poor manufacture an inflated protection rating. 

To combat these problems the second test was introduced in 2016. 

We call this test the “ISO Cut Test” because it uses the ISO 13997 cut resistance test method. 

This test gives a rating between “A” and “F”.  The rating is based on the amount of force taken to achieve a breakthrough on a sample piece of the glove material. 

This closer relates to the workplace as it introduces varying levels of force and requires the blade used for each “swing” to be fresh and “undulled”. 

So that’s the difference between the two tests. 

If you have any further questions or if you want to talk about your hand protection requirements then get in touch with our lovely team on 01443 741999 or at info@pksafetyuk.com.