EN 388 is a European standard used to test the resistance of protective gloves to various mechanical risks, ensuring they offer adequate protection for the wearer. Since the 2016 update, the EN 388:2016 safety standard measures the abrasion, cut, tear, puncture, and impact resistance of protective gloves.
The EN 388 standard
EN 388 is the European safety standard for protective gloves against mechanical risks such as abrasion, cut, tear, puncture, and where applicable, impact. The performance of gloves are graded against four or five performance levels, allowing the wearer to choose gloves with the appropriate performance level profile for the work activity they will be undertaking.
This safety standard has been updated several times over recent years. EN 388:2016 provided a significant update to this standard in November 2016, replacing the previous EN 388:2003 edition. The EN 388 standard was also revised in 2018, namely EN 388: 2016 + AI:2018.
EN 388:2003
The EN 388:2003 safety standard measured the performance of protective gloves in accordance with their abrasion, blade cut, tear, and puncture resistance.
Due to the continuous development of high-performance fibres and materials to improve the cut protection of safety gloves, EN 388:2003 was replaced with a revised version in 2016.
EN 388:2016
The 2016 update to EN 388 ensured that performance testing for protective gloves was improved to address the use of high performance fibres.
EN 388:2003 relied on the Coupe Test to assess the cut resistance of protective gloves. However, gloves with high levels of glass and steel fibres would quickly dull the Coupe Test blade, resulting in the need for a new testing method. The 2016 standard update introduced the TDM-100 Test to measure the cut resistance of high-performance fibres.
An Impact Protection Test was also brought into effect with the EN 388:2016 update. This tests the gloves ability to protect the wearer against impact on the knuckles. This test has three ratings: Pass (P) or Fail (F) for gloves designed for protection against impact, or Not Tested (X) for gloves that do not offer impact protection.
Abrasion resistance
The abrasion resistance test is carried out using the Martindale Abrasion Machine. This machine measures the number of cycles to abrade through material samples cut from the palm of a glove over 180 grit abrasive paper.
The performance level rating is determined by the number of cycles taken to abrade — or ‘hole’ — the gloves, ranging from 100 cycles for a performance level rating of 1 to 8,000 cycles for a performance level rating of 4.
Cut resistance (Coupe test)
The Coupe Test is one of two tests used to measure the cut resistance of protective gloves. This test measures cut resistance by moving a circular blade under a 5N load backward and forward over the material samples until the blade cuts through the material.
A ‘cut index’ is determined by calculating the number of rotations required to cut through the sample material. Gloves are then assigned a performance level of 1-5 based on this cut index, with five indicating the highest level of protection.
Tear resistance
The tear resistance of protective gloves is measured using a tensometer. This device determines the strength required to tear a sample apart. To assess the tear resistance of safety gloves, four rectangular samples are taken from the palm of four separate gloves. Two samples with a 50mm slit in the longitudinal direction are taken across the palm while the other two samples are taken along the length of the glove.
The maximum tearing force is recorded for each sample to provide a performance level of 1-4 based on the lowest of all four results achieved.
Puncture resistance
The puncture resistance of safety gloves is measured by pressing a 4mm rounded steel stylus into the glove material using a tensometer fitted with a compression load cell. Four material samples from the palm of the glove are tested. The peak force required to puncture each sample is recorded with the lowest of all four results being used to determine the final puncture performance level, ranging from 1-4.
Cut resistance (TDM-100 test)
Added as part of the EN 388:2016 update, the TDM-100 test is used to assess the cut resistance of protective gloves. This test was the most significant change to the EN 388 safety standard issued in November 2016. It was introduced to accommodate higher cut resistance materials.
The TDM-100 test, also known as ISO 13997, measures cut resistance by drawing a TDM device fitted with a single-use straight edge blade once across the material sample in one direction. After each cut, a new blade is used and increased force is applied until cut-through is achieved. The cut through measurement determined both the weight applied (in Newtons) and distance travelled. This test provides a cut resistance performance rating from 1-5.
Impact protection
Impact protection testing was also added to the EN 388 safety standard in 2016. This additional test only applies for gloves that claim to offer impact protection.
Impact protection is tested by dropping a weight of 2.5kg onto the material sample from a height of 20cm and at a force of 20kN. Gloves without impact protection do not need to be tested. For these gloves, the performance rating will be X for “Not Tested”. Gloves that claim to offer impact protection will either be rated as P for “Passed” or F for “Failed”. In order to pass, the transmitted mean force needs to be less than or equal 7kN.
