HandCare gloves are made with a variety of different materials, including nitrile, latex, vinyl, and polyethylene. They also vary by size, thickness, texture, and color. In this guide, we’ll give you an overview of all the different factors you need to consider when choosing gloves.
Glove Materials
Here, we’ll take a look at the four most common materials we use to make gloves, and the benefits and drawbacks of each material.
Nitrile won’t cause an allergic reaction in those who have latex allergies, because it’s completely free of latex proteins. As such, it’s a safe choice for professionals who come into direct physical contact with other people, such as healthcare providers, dentists, tattoo artists, salon workers, and security personnel.
Nitrile
Nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), or nitrile for short, is a petroleum byproduct that was patented in the 1930’s by German chemists. Originally used to manufacture tires and rubber seals, it wasn’t used to make disposable gloves until 1991. Disposable nitrile gloves quickly rose to popularity in the industrial sector, but eventually, they caught on in the medical industry as well.
Nowadays, nitrile is the most highly recommended glove material across all industries. It is stronger than latex or vinyl. Nitrile gloves respond to body heat, warming up and conforming to your hands for a uniform, comfortable fit. Nitrile gloves have a fit and comfort level comparable to latex, but nitrile is three times more puncture resistant as well as more chemical and abrasion resistant than latex. Nitrile gloves also have a longer shelf life than latex gloves. They are manufactured in both industrial as well as medical (exam) grades.
Nitrile gloves are recommended when working with up to 76% of common chemicals. Nitrile can withstand various oils, grease, gasoline, diesel fuels, and many acids. This makes nitrile gloves popular in many industries, including automotive, manufacturing, janitorial, plumbing, chemical and paint shop, and food service industries.
The main drawback to nitrile gloves is the price. These gloves tend to be more expensive than others. This is partly because they are more durable and well-suited for extended use (as opposed to disposable gloves that are frequently discarded and replaced). In particular, industrial grade nitrile gloves tend to be thicker to withstand very demanding applications.
The main drawback of latex is that it is a well-established allergen. Though latex allergies affect less than 1% of the US population, they are significantly more common in healthcare workers (as high as 17%), because repeated exposure to the material increases the likelihood of developing a negative reaction.
Latex
Natural latex rubber is made from the sap of the Hevea brasiliensis or Pará rubber tree native to South America. It is also grown in some South and Southeast Asian countries and replaced the India rubber plant as the primary source of natural rubber in the early 20th century. Sap collected from the tree is treated chemically using a process known as vulcanization. This process converts the latex polymers into a material that is more stretchable and durable.
Latex is the most elastic and resilient of all glove materials. They’re also considered very comfortable and have excellent fit and dexterity. Because of latex’s unique stretch and flexibility characteristics, they also offer better tactile sensitivity than nitrile or vinyl. This makes them a great fit for applications that require the wearer to to directly feel materials being handled, such as medical applications. Latex gloves also have better puncture resistance than vinyl, but not as good as nitrile.
Latex gloves are available in both industrial and medical grades. Industrial grade latex gloves have a wide variety of uses, including automotive, janitorial, paint shop, printing, and food service applications. Medical grade latex gloves are used in many applications in the healthcare sector, including dental, laboratory, non-surgical, and EMS applications. Latex gloves come in both powdered and powder free form, but the FDA banned powdered latex gloves for medical use in 2017.
That said, there are ways of manufacturing latex gloves that reduce the likelihood of the gloves causing an allergic reaction, such as washing the gloves in a chlorinated solution. Chlorinating gloves reduces the number of latex proteins and makes them softer, though it does shorten their shelf life. The price of latex gloves fluctuates based on the availability of the necessary natural resources, but they tend to be less expensive than nitrile.
Most vinyl gloves are either clear or light colored, but blue vinyl gloves are popular among food service workers. This is because blue stands out, making it easy to pick out glove fragments that accidentally fall into food during preparation.
Vinyl
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or vinyl for short, is a synthetic material made from the polymerization of vinyl chloride. First patented in 1913, the material was very rigid on its own, but researchers have since discovered additives which make the material more soft and flexible. Apart from disposable gloves, the material is also used to make bottles, plumbing fixtures, toys, and many other products.
Vinyl gloves have a soft, flexible feel, and fit more loosely than latex or nitrile. Vinyl gloves come in both industrial and medical grades, and are available in powdered and powder free forms. Those who want to avoid latex or petroleum byproducts (nitrile) should consider vinyl. Vinyl is also a budget-friendly option, making it popular for applications that require frequent glove changes, such as food service, salon, and janitorial applications.
The main drawback of vinyl is that it isn’t as durable or long-lasting as latex or nitrile. But because vinyl gloves are less expensive than latex or nitrile, they don’t need to be as long-lasting: You can go through them more quickly than nitrile gloves without spending more money. Of course, the material isn’t recyclable, so those worried about excessive waste may prefer more durable disposable gloves so as to waste fewer gloves.
Polyethylene gloves are a popular choice for applications involving frequent glove changes and short-term use, such as food service, arts and crafts, light cleaning, and beauty salons.
Polyethylene
Polyethylene is a synthetic material made from ethylene and a thermoplastic that can be molded into a variety of shapes as it cools from a liquid to a solid state. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is more stiff than low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and the least expensive glove material option. HDPE gloves are popular for short-term applications like pumping gasoline. Meanwhile, LDPE allows for greater flexibility and sensitivity, and is also used to make plastic bags.
Polyethylene is the most affordable of all these materials. Only available in industrial grade and powder free options, polyethylene gloves are a popular choice for applications involving frequent glove changes and short-term use, such as food service, arts and crafts, light cleaning, and beauty salons. LDPE is a non-leaching plastic, so LDPE gloves won’t release any unwanted chemicals into food, making LDPE gloves one of the most popular choices for food service workers.
The main drawback of polyethylene is that it is the least durable of these materials. Additionally, polyethylene isn’t dipped, unlike nitrile, latex, and vinyl, meaning it is not impervious to liquid. But because it is so inexpensive, you can go through many pairs of polyethylene gloves without worrying about spending too much money.
Medical (Exam) vs
Industrial Grade Gloves
The FDA rigorously inspects gloves before they may be given the exam-grade designation. There are stricter requirements for gloves labeled medical (exam) grade. As such, medical gloves can be used for industrial applications, but not vice versa. While both types of gloves are often produced on the same manufacturing lines, medical gloves are designed to be higher-quality.
To be labeled medical grade, gloves must perform sufficiently well on puncture and abrasion resistance tests, tension and elongation tests, and chemical resistance tests. The acceptable quality limits (AQL) score, as determined by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), must be low.
The AQL refers to the number of gloves in a batch of 100, i.e. the percentage of gloves, that fail the test. For instance, if 5 out of 100 gloves in a given batch fail the test, then that batch of gloves has an AQL of 5.0. For medical grade gloves, the AQL must be 1.5 or lower. So if two gloves out of 100 fail the test, the entire batch must be discarded or sold as industrial grade. In this case, the manufacturers must review their processes to determine how to improve quality.
The reason medical grade gloves are held to such strict standards is that medical applications tend to carry the inherent risk of spreading pathogens. For instance, the pinhole leak test determines whether gloves have any pinholes and is performed by filling the glove with water, closing it off at the cuff, and hanging it to see if it leaks: Even the tiniest pinhole suggests the glove could spread pathogens when used in a medical setting.
Gloves that don’t pass the ASTM tests are not “approved” by the FDA, but they may still be “accepted.” Such gloves are not unsafe, but simply not approved for medical use. In fact, many industrial gloves come very close to passing the tests required for medical gloves but just slightly fall short.
Note that not all medical gloves are sterile. Only irradiated gloves that are designated surgical grade are considered sterile.
Glove Color
Gloves come in a variety of colors, including black, orange, blue, and more. Black is a popular choice for industrial or automotive applications because it conceals grease and dirt, while maintaining a professional look. As such, many food service and automotive workers use black gloves.
Other colors are meant to offer high visibility, such as orange, green and blue. This allows workers to be able to see their hands easily in darker environments and managers to easily ensure workers are wearing their gloves.
When multiple applications are required in the same workspace, it’s a good idea to use a color-coding system that allows users to easily identify which gloves are needed. Some facilities have strict standards that require the use of different types of gloves in different areas, and no workers will be permitted to enter a specific area without the right color gloves.
For instance, food service workers may wear different colored gloves depending on what type of food they handle or where they are in the production line. Color coding is also common in manufacturing industries to differentiate different shifts or levels of security. Further, the medical industry uses color coding to differentiate materials. For instance, all nitrile gloves might be one color while all latex gloves might be a different color. Color coding can also be used to differentiate gloves of different sizes.
Glove Finish
The main factor that determines a glove’s finish is whether or not it is powdered. Powdered gloves are coated on the inside with food-grade cornstarch. This allows the gloves to be put on more easily when hands are wet, and as such, powdered gloves are popular in working environments with moist conditions.
In the past, all gloves were powdered, because the powder was applied during manufacturing to help remove the gloves from the mold. This meant that powder free gloves had to go through an extra step to remove the powder. Nowadays, gloves can be manufactured without powder or have the powder added at a later stage of manufacturing.
Powder free gloves are preferred in medical settings, because of concerns about cornstarch interfering with healing wounds. In 2017, the FDA banned the use of powdered latex gloves in medical settings for this reason, and because of concerns that the powder could cause the spread of latex allergies. Powder free gloves are also preferred in industrial settings where powder might interfere with delicate surfaces, such as painting or varnishing.
In addition to powder, there are four less well-known factors that determine the finish of a glove. These are: polymer coating, chlorination, double chlorination, and polyurethane.
Polymer coating on the inside of gloves creates a sleeker finish and reduces surface friction, allowing them to easily slide on and off. Materials used for polymer coatings include silicones, acrylics, and hydrogels.
Gloves with a chlorination coating are washed in a chlorine solution or with chlorine gas, giving them a softer texture and more comfortable feel. This also allows the gloves to more easily slide on and off. For latex gloves, chlorination also eliminates some of the latex proteins, making them less likely to cause an allergic reaction. After the chlorination process, gloves are thoroughly rinsed to remove any remaining chlorine.
Double chlorination is preferred for thicker gloves, such as thicker latex gloves, which require a more thorough chlorination process to make them softer and easier to put on and take off. Finally, polyurethane is added to some vinyl gloves to reduce the stickiness of the surface, again making them easier to put on and take off.
Glove
Thickness
Glove thickness is measured in mils, which are equivalent to one thousandth of an inch, or 0.001 inches. Thus, a glove with a thickness of 3 mils is 0.003 inches in thickness. This is an appropriate thickness for many applications, but gloves that need to offer protection against abrasive chemicals or other dangerous materials should be at least 5 or 6 mils thick, while gloves needed for heavy duty use should be 8 mils thick or more.
Gloves are designed to be thicker in the fingers than around the wrist, to offer maximum protection where it’s most needed. This is achieved by forming the liquid glove material around ceramic, hand-shaped molds that are hanging with the fingers pointing downwards, so that gravity encourages more of the material into the fingertips and less around the wrists..
Glove thickness is mainly determined by the number of times the glove is dipped. After drying, the glove may be repeatedly dipped into the same material solution and dried, thus increasing the thickness. As such, thicker gloves are more expensive, since they use more material..
Cuff length is also an important consideration. Most gloves are 9.5 inches long, but some are 12 inches long to offer extra protection. Cuffs are often designed to be rolled, as this makes it easier to put the glove on without tearing.
Glove
Texture
Gloves have either a smooth or rough texture depending on the application. To create a rough texture, manufacturers may use sandblasting — i.e. the use of small ceramic balls and forced air — to create texture on the glove, or spray-on, which applies a coating. Sandblasting is used on thicker gloves, while spray-on is used for thinner gloves.
Manufacturers may apply texturing to some combination of the fingertips, fingers, inner palm, the entire inner side, or the entire glove. If a glove is ambidextrous (able to be worn on either hand), the texturing will be applied to both sides.
In general, gloves with more texturing give the wearer a stronger grip. Some gloves have micro-roughening for basic needs, while others have an aggressive diamond raised texture. Raised diamond texture channels water, allowing the gloves to maintain their grip even while wet.
There are four basic classifications of texture: smooth, embossed, micro-roughened, and aggressive texture.
Smooth
Smooth gloves have no texturing and are primarily made from vinyl.
Embossed
Embossed is the lightest texture and makes use of a light pattern on both sides of the glove, popular among food service workers.
Micro-roughened
Micro-roughened gloves are primarily nitrile or latex and have a surface that appears to be lightly sanded. Healthcare workers tend to use micro-roughened gloves to keep a firm grip on their tools without irritating the patient.
Aggressive
Aggressive texture gloves are usually made from nitrile and meant for heavy-duty, industrial applications.
Conclusion
Originally pioneered for medical use, disposable gloves are now used in a variety of industries.
In recent years, disposable gloves have become more popular in industrial settings, such as automotive repair, food service, janitorial, and sanitation industries. Meanwhile, medical gloves have found uses among other professionals who have extensive direct physical contact with the public, such as salon workers, tattoo artists, food service workers, and more.
Currently, the industrial sector is the fastest-growing market for disposable glove use, especially with recent advancements in the quality and variety of nitrile gloves. Nitrile is now the most popular glove material, and we predict its popularity will continue to grow — especially as future advancements make its fit and feel even more comparable to latex. Vinyl will always be a budget-friendly alternative.
As awareness for worker protection and infectious disease prevention continues to spread worldwide, especially in the Asian and African countries where the markets for safety equipment are relatively young and rapidly expanding, the disposable glove industry will continue to grow as well.
