September 06, 2026

Know Your Cut Resistance Rating Before You Buy Gloves

If your job puts your hands anywhere near sharp edges, metal, glass, or blades, the cut resistance rating on your gloves isn’t a marketing detail. It’s the number that tells you whether a glove can actually handle the risk in front of you. Too many workers grab “cut resistant” gloves off a shelf without knowing what level of protection they’re actually getting, and that’s how hands get hurt on the job.

Not All Gloves Are the Same

“Cut resistant” is a broad label, and it covers a huge range of actual protection. A glove rated for light material handling and a glove built for handling sheet metal or glass can both carry the words “cut resistant” on the tag, but they are not interchangeable. The material, the knit, the coating, and the construction all affect how much force it takes to cut through the glove, and that’s exactly what the rating systems are designed to measure.

Before you buy gloves for your crew, you need to know two things: what hazard your workers are actually facing, and what cut level is required to protect against it. Skipping that step means you’re guessing, and guessing with hand safety isn’t worth the risk.

The Two Standards You’ll See Most Often

There are several cut resistance standards used around the world, but two show up on almost every glove label you’ll come across in North America: ANSI/ISEA 105 and EN 388. If you understand these two, you’ll be able to read almost any glove tag with confidence.

ANSI/ISEA 105 (North America)

This is the standard used across the United States and Canada. It rates cut resistance on a nine level scale, from A1 up to A9. The rating is based on how many grams of force it takes for a blade to cut through the material during testing, so a higher letter and number means more force is needed, and more protection for the wearer.

A1 to A3: lighter duty protection, suited to general handling and lower risk tasks
A4 and up: built for higher risk work like handling metal, glass, or sharp edged materials

EN 388 (Europe and beyond)

EN 388 is the European standard, and it’s also widely used across the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South America. Instead of a simple number scale, EN 388 gloves are marked with a shield icon followed by several ratings covering abrasion, cut, tear, and puncture resistance, with cut resistance itself scored using a letter scale from A to F.

The important thing to know is that ANSI and EN 388 ratings are not directly interchangeable. They use different test methods and different units of measurement, so a glove rated highly under one standard doesn’t automatically translate to the same rating under the other. If a supplier gives you an EN 388 rating and your workplace requires an ANSI rating (or the other way around), don’t assume, ask for the specific test data.

Other Standards Exist Too

ANSI/ISEA 105 and EN 388 are the two you’ll run into most, but they aren’t the only ones out there. Some industries and regions reference other test methods or internal specifications depending on the application. If your workplace has its own safety requirements, always check what standard they’re referencing before assuming a glove qualifies.

The Bottom Line

Before you order gloves for your team, know two things: the hazard you’re protecting against, and the minimum cut level your workplace requires. Then check the label. A glove that looks tough isn’t the same as a glove that’s tested and rated for the job. Matching the right cut level to the actual risk is what keeps hands safe, and it’s a five minute check that’s worth doing every time.