Walk into any builders’ merchant in Ireland and you’ll find shelves of work gloves, most of them stamped with a small hammer icon and a string of numbers and letters. Most people ignore it entirely and just buy on price or brand habit. That’s a mistake that costs sites in hand injuries, failed PPE audits, and money wasted on gloves that weren’t right for the job to begin with.
This post breaks down what that code actually means, what changed when the standard was updated in 2016, and what cut level your workers genuinely need.
What is EN388?
EN388 is the European standard for protective gloves against mechanical risks. It tests for abrasion, cut, tear, puncture, and impact resistance. Any compliant glove sold in Ireland or the UK has to be independently tested and display the results on the label.
The standard got a significant update in 2016. The biggest change was a new cut resistance test called the ISO 13997 TDM test. Instead of a rotating blade run repeatedly across the material, it uses a single straight blade pass at increasing force. The reason for the change was accuracy: the old rotating method caused blade dulling mid-test, which skewed the results for high-performance materials like Kevlar and HPPE. The old 1 to 5 cut rating was replaced with an A to F scale under the new test.
So when you see something like 4-X-4-3-D on a glove label, here’s what you’re looking at:
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- Position 1 (0–4): Abrasion resistance — cycles before the palm wears through
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- Position 2 (0–5 or X): Blade cut resistance using the old coupe test. X just means it wasn’t applicable for that material
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- Position 3 (0–4): Tear resistance
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- Position 4 (0–4): Puncture resistance
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- Position 5 (A–F): ISO cut resistance under the new test — the number that matters most for most site hazards
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- Position 6 (P/F/X): Impact protection. P means it passed. X means it wasn’t tested for impact at all
The A to F Cut Resistance Scale
The letter tells you how many Newtons of force a straight blade needs to cut through the glove material. Higher letter, more resistant.
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- A (2–5 N): Very light protection. Fine for general handling where there are no real sharp edges.
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- B (5–10 N): Low protection. Bricklaying, concrete finishing, surface work.
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- C (10–15 N): Medium. Scaffolders, plumbers, HVAC engineers.
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- D (15–22 N): High. Steel fixers, electricians on armoured cable, M&E contractors.
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- E (22–30 N): Very high. Glaziers, curtain wall installation, metal roofing.
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- F (30+ N): Maximum. Heavy metal fabrication, specialist glass cutting, industrial blade work.
The most common mistake on Irish construction sites is under-specifying for steel fixers and M&E workers. A steel fixer tying rebar all day with Level A or B gloves is at real risk of laceration from the cut ends of the bar. That’s still the norm on a lot of sites and it shouldn’t be.
Too Little Protection and Too Much Both Cause Problems
There’s a logic that says the highest cut level is always the safest choice. It isn’t. Putting Level F gloves on a plumber or an electrician kills their dexterity, causes fatigue, and in practice means workers pull the gloves off to do anything fiddly. At that point they have no protection at all.
The right approach is a task-risk assessment: look at what each trade is actually handling, identify the specific hazards, and match the glove level to that. A scaffolder needs something different from a glazier. A roofer’s requirements aren’t the same as a civil groundworker’s.
The Other Ratings Matter Too
Cut resistance gets the most attention but the rest of the EN388 label is worth reading, especially for outdoor work on Irish sites.
Abrasion (position 1): A rating of 4 means over 8,000 abrasion cycles before the palm wears through. For scaffolders gripping steel tube all day this is just as important as cut resistance.
Puncture (position 4): Important for roofers, groundworkers near rebar ends, anyone around fixings and nails. Level 4 puncture resistance requires over 150 Newtons to penetrate.
Impact (position 6): Increasingly being specified on civil infrastructure projects in Ireland. If the label shows P, the glove passed the EN13594 impact test. Worth looking for if your team is working around heavy plant or structural ironwork.
Where Supertouch Comes In
Supertouch carry one of the most complete EN388-rated glove ranges available in Ireland. Their standard range covers general handling from Level A upwards, and their premium Pawa line runs the full way to Level F with options for nitrile coating, oil resistance, thermal lining, water resistance, and Kevlar construction. That breadth matters because you can match both the cut level and the site condition without jumping between suppliers.
We stock the full Supertouch range at HiVisWorkwear.ie, with case pricing for construction accounts and bulk order options. If you’re not sure what spec suits your site, get in touch and we’ll work through it with you.
The Short Version
EN388 ratings are a practical tool for matching hand protection to real hazards. The A to F cut scale, read alongside the abrasion, puncture, and impact ratings, gives any site manager or EHS officer what they need to make the right call. Hand injuries in construction are common and most are preventable. Putting the right glove on the right worker is one of the simpler fixes available.
Browse the full range of EN388-rated gloves at HiVisWorkwear.ie, or contact us for a bulk pricing quote for your construction account.