Which gloves protect against chemicals? How to read a chemical resistance chart

How do you read the chart for a task?

1. Start with the safety data sheet, not the glove. Section 8 of the SDS (exposure controls and personal protection) names the glove material the chemical’s maker expects, and sections 2 and 3 tell you what the chemical does to skin and whether it is absorbed through it. That sets how strict you need to be.
2. Find the chemical by name and concentration on the glove maker’s chart. Charts are per material and often per glove model and thickness. A 15 mil nitrile and a 5 mil nitrile are not the same row. Concentration matters: 10 percent sulfuric acid and 96 percent sulfuric acid are different entries.
3. Read the breakthrough time against the length of contact. If the task is 20 minutes of splash contact and the chart shows more than 480 minutes, the glove is comfortable. If the task is 2 hours of immersion and the chart shows 45 minutes, it is not, no matter how the color code looks.
4. Read the degradation column separately. A glove that swells or softens loses its grip and its cut and puncture resistance even before the chemical breaks through. Poor degradation is a reason to reject a glove on its own.
5. Set a change-out time shorter than the breakthrough time. Charts are run at 23 °C with a fresh glove and no flexing. A hand at 37 °C in a glove that is being stretched and abraded gives the chemical an easier path, so the working change-out is set below the chart number, and the glove is removed and discarded when the time is up or when contact is heavier than planned.
6. For mixtures, use the worst component. OSHA’s Appendix B says to pick the glove by the component with the shortest breakthrough time, because a solvent can carry other ingredients through the glove with it.

What do the EN ISO 374 letters and types on a glove mean?

Many gloves in our catalog carry a European chemical marking next to the beaker pictogram: a Type (A, B or C) and a string of letters. The letters are codes for the standard’s list of 18 test chemicals, and each letter printed on the glove means that chemical broke through in no less than 30 minutes in the EN 16523-1 test. A: methanol. B: acetone. C: acetonitrile. D: dichloromethane. E: carbon disulfide. F: toluene. G: diethylamine. H: tetrahydrofuran. I: ethyl acetate. J: n-heptane. K: 40 percent sodium hydroxide. L: 96 percent sulfuric acid. M: 65 percent nitric acid. N: 99 percent acetic acid. O: 25 percent ammonium hydroxide. P: 30 percent hydrogen peroxide. S: 40 percent hydrofluoric acid. T: 37 percent formaldehyde.

The Type tells you how many of those chemicals the glove held for how long. Type A: at least 6 of the listed chemicals for 30 minutes or more. Type B: at least 3 for 30 minutes or more. Type C: at least 1 for 10 minutes or more. The standard also grades each result on a six-level scale by breakthrough time: level 1 is over 10 minutes, 2 over 30, 3 over 60, 4 over 120, 5 over 240 and 6 over 480. A glove’s information sheet lists the level per chemical; the glove itself shows only the Type and the letters.

A letter on the cuff is a pass against a laboratory chemical, not a promise about your chemical. If your solvent is not one of the 18, the letters tell you only what family the glove is good against; you still need the manufacturer’s chart row for the chemical you use. The biohazard pictogram with EN ISO 374-5 is a separate claim about bacteria, fungi and, when marked VIRUS, viruses, and says nothing about chemicals.

What does OSHA require of the employer?

Two things. First, hand protection must be selected and worn when hands are exposed to skin absorption of harmful substances or to chemical burns; those are two of the seven hazards 1910.138(a) lists by name. Second, the selection has to be based on an evaluation of the glove’s performance characteristics for the task, the conditions, how long it is worn and the hazards identified. A chart is how that evaluation is documented. Picking “nitrile” because the last crew used nitrile does not meet the second requirement.

The hazard assessment under 1910.132(d) is where the chemical, the task and the glove get written down, and it has to be certified in writing with the workplace, the person and the date. Appendix B to Subpart I adds the practical guidance: ask the manufacturer for documentation that the glove meets the test standard for the hazard before buying it, work out how long the glove can be worn and whether it can be reused, and make sure workers can take the gloves off without contaminating their skin.

Which glove materials go with which chemical families?

The chart decides, but the materials have well-known strengths, which is why each one is in the catalog. Nitrile: oils, fuels, greases, many acids and caustics, aliphatic solvents; weak against ketones and many chlorinated and aromatic solvents. Butyl: ketones, esters, aldehydes, strong acids and caustics; weak against fuels and hydrocarbons. Neoprene: acids, caustics, alcohols, refrigerants and oils, a broad middle ground. PVC: acids, caustics, salts and oils, and the lowest cost per pair; weak against most organic solvents. Natural latex: water-based chemicals, dilute acids and caustics; weak against oils and solvents, and a latex allergy risk. Polyethylene and laminate film gloves: the widest chemical range in a thin, loose glove, usually worn under another glove. These are the directions a chart will point you; they are not a substitute for the row.