07 Nov 11/07/2017
We literally have over 1,000 different gloves utilizing a multitude of different materials. Protecting today’s modern day employee from all the potential workplace hazards that exist requires a wide assortment of options. So asking us which glove material makes up the majority of our gloves opens up a lengthy discussion. Put it this way, we list over 40+ materials available under the MCR Safety website—glove section making up these 1,000 plus gloves.
You might be wondering how we got to a point where 40+ materials were needed. Well, up until around 1970, leather, cotton, and jersey fabrics represented the bulk of the industry's hand protection offerings. For a historical overview of how we got here, we encourage you to read our OHS article from the summer. We truly are in the Golden Age of Hand Protection!
In general, we offer 40+ material options because each material improves upon one of three areas:
The list of glove materials runs from natural, such as bamboo and cotton, all the way to synthetic string knit materials, such as DuPont Kevlar. For the purposes of this blog, we will keep it short and only cover some of the most requested materials.
High Performance materials provide users the greatest protection. There has been a progressive shift to utilizing more seamless knit shells as liners because of their enhanced features.
High performance string knits offer enhanced protection for abrasion, cut, tear, thermal, and puncture resistance. The most common, DuPont™ Kevlar and DSM Dyneema® are covered more in the next section.
Here are four of the most requested high performance materials:
Withstand temperatures of up to 900° F. Its tensile strength is 5 times stronger than steel in its ability to withstand the amount of tension applied. MCR Safety is a DuPont licensed manufacturer for KEVLAR® brand fiber. MCR Safety is unique in respect to being the only licensed manufacturer which also spins our KEVLAR® yarn.
Recognized for excellent abrasion and cut protection levels. Additionally, when combined with fiberglass or steel, achieves higher levels of cut resistance. Dyneema launders well even with the use of bleach. Additional hand protection styles combine HMPE with other materials to offer a highly comfortable fit, often with a palm dip to enhance grip.
Features:
Two strands of stainless steel wrapped with a soft knit yarn for a comfortable fit.
One of the highest rated ANSI Cut and puncture resistant materials available. Alycore™ gloves offer maximum dexterity and sense of touch due to the high degree of flexibility and patent pending construction. All Alycore™ styles provide cut performance levels, which exceed ANSI A9 and CE cut level 5 ratings. All styles are launderable (machine wash, do not dry).
Common characteristics to all types of leather include superior abrasion resistance, tensile strength, breathability, and heat resistance. Often overlooked characteristics include the ability to absorb shock and provide good puncture resistance.
The grain leather is the external portion of the hide and provides a smooth, soft, and comfortable leather. Grain leather allows for more dexterity and sense of touch. It is priced higher than split leather due to its demand from the automobile, furniture, sporting industry, and apparel market.
The split leather is cut from the inner portion of the hide closest to the flesh. Leather’s strength is due to the density of fibers and will vary depending on which portion of the hide is used. Split leather is more commonly used in the glove industry due to its abundance and diversity.
The most common leather types are cowhide, goatskin, pigskin, deerskin, and synthetic leather. Each type of leather offers its own benefits.
The traditional cut-n-sewn cotton glove was one of the first hand protection offerings. New introductions include cotton canvas, double palm, and dotted double palm styles available in high visibility yellow, green, or orange fabrics.
String knit gloves were originally designed as glove liners. Today, they have progressed into the most economical general-purpose work glove due to their versatility and comfort. The most commonly used yarns include cotton, polyester, and nylon yarn either knitted separately or blended.
Well, as we mentioned above, we would keep it short. We know this means we’ve only scratched the surface to the 40+ different materials that exist. As questions arise or if you have an application that needs further discussion, don’t hesitate to give us a call or check in with our distributors.
For more information browse our website, request a catalog, find a distributor, or give us a call at 800-955-6887.
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