In a laboratory setting or other work areas where potentially hazardous chemicals are handled, chemical protective gloves are an important part of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Depending on the chemicals you work with, you have different requirements for the gloves used. In the uvex range, you will find a large selection of chemical protective gloves made of different materials and different thicknesses.
What are the standards for protective gloves against chemicals?
For chemical protection, gloves are certified according to EN 374. This DIN standard describes the protection of gloves against hazardous chemicals and substances. For more information on the standard and the 2017 change in the standard for chemical gloves, please visit our blog.
According to DIN EN 374, chemical gloves protect against the following chemicals:
| Identification letter | Prüfchemikalie | CAS-NR | Class |
| A | Methanol | 67-56-1 | primary Alcohol |
| B | Aceton | 67-64-1 | Ketone |
| C | Acetonitrile | 75-05-8 | Nitrile |
| D | Dichlormethan | 75-09-2 | chlorinated hydrocarbon |
| E | Kohlenstoffdisulfide | 75-15-0 | sulfur-containing organic compound |
| F | Tuluene | 108-88-3 | aromatic hydrocarbon |
| G | Diethylamine | 109-89-7 | Amin's |
| H | Tetrahydrofuran | 109-99-9 | heterocyclic and ehteric compounds |
| I | Ethyl Acetate | 141-78-6 | Ester |
| J | n-Heptan | 142-82-5 | aliphatic hydrocarbon |
| K | Sodium hydroxide 40% | 1310-73-2 | inorganic base |
| L | Sulfuric acid 96% | 7664-93-9 | inorganic acid, oxidizing |
| M | Salpetersäure 65% | 7697-37-2 | inorganic acid, oxidizing |
| N | Essigsäure 99% | 64-19-7 | organic acid |
| O | Ammonia water 25% | 1336-21-6 | organic base |
| P | Hydrogen peroxide 30% | 772-84-1 | Peroxide |
| S | Hydrofluoric acid 40% | 7664-39-3 | inorganic acid |
| T | Formaldehyd 37% | 50-00-0 | Aldehyde |
By the way: When buying gloves, you will also come across EN388 gloves. This standard is not exclusively applicable to chemical gloves, but describes that a glove has undergone protective testing against mechanical risks. They offer protection against mechanical hazards such as abrasion, cuts, punctures or cracks.
Breakthrough times – Are there acid-resistant gloves?
First of all: There are no completely acid-resistant gloves.
Some models, such as nitrile gloves with chemical resistance, can be worn for long periods of time in contact with chemicals, but they do not provide permanent protection against the potentially hazardous substances and therefore need to be replaced regularly.
The permissible wearing time of the gloves depends on their material and thickness.
Classification of chemicals into protection classes
DIN-EN-374-certified chemical protective gloves are divided into six different protection classes.
These classes describe the breakthrough time (permeation time) of the gloves, which is the time it takes for a chemical to penetrate the glove and come into contact with a person's skin. To find the right gloves, chemicals are divided into different classes. Gloves from protection class 3 therefore protect against chemicals from class 3 for up to 60 minutes.
| Class | Breakthrough time |
| 1 | < 10 minutes |
| 2 | < 30 minutes |
| 3 | < 60 minutes |
| 4 | < 120 minutes |
| 5 | < 240 minutes |
| 6 | < 480 minutes |
Permeation resistance when using various chemicals
The permeation resistance (breakthrough time) of gloves when in contact with various chemicals is divided into three categories: Type A, Type B and Type C.
Type A: Permeation resistance of at least 30 minutes for at least six test chemicals.
Type B: Permeation resistance of at least 30 minutes for at least three test chemicals.
Type C: Permeation resistance of at least ten minutes for at least one test chemical.
Chemical Resistant Gloves – Materials
In order to offer you the best possible safety in your everyday work, you will find a selection of chemical protection gloves made of different materials in the uvex range.
Chemical protective gloves made of latex
Latex or natural rubber plays a major role in glove production. Rubber, also known as rubber elasticum or resina elastica, is a rubber-like substance found in the milky sap of rubber plants. This latex is also known as latex. Latex is well suited for the production of chemical gloves due to its high elasticity.
Gloves can be made entirely of latex, but for use as protective gloves in chemistry, latex is often combined with other materials such as nitrile (NBR = nitrile rubber) to increase the durability of the gloves. Alternatively, latex gloves can also be coated with another, more robust material.
Nitrile chemical protection gloves
Many of uvex's chemical gloves are made entirely or partly of the synthetic material nitrile. This material is made from petroleum and has rubber-like properties.
Unlike latex, nitrile gloves offer better sensitivity at work, and they also show higher abrasion resistance and cut resistance when it comes to mechanical and chemical stresses. Nitrile gloves can also be worn by people with latex allergies.
In which areas are chemical gloves used?
Gloves for chemicals are worn in everyday life in a variety of work areas – wherever risks arise from the use of potentially hazardous chemicals.
The gloves protect workers from dangerous chemical injuries that can occur due to contact with chemicals such as acids or alkalis. These injuries include chemical burns or chemical burns, in which the tissue is damaged to varying degrees.
Use as laboratory gloves
In the laboratory, protective gloves against microorganisms and chemical gloves are an integral part of daily PPE. If chemical protective gloves are worn in the laboratory, they are usually a protection against unexpected chemical splashes. In this case, the hands are not completely immersed in a chemical – even chemical-resistant gloves do not offer sufficient protection for this, especially over a longer period of time. The manufacturer's information on the wearing time must generally be observed. Damaged gloves must be changed as soon as possible. For some jobs, it makes sense to wear chemical protection gloves in long or extra long so that not only the hands, but also the forearms or even the upper arms are protected. When buying lab gloves, be sure to choose the right size – this way you can make sure that the gloves fit properly, i.e. are neither too tight nor too loose. This gives them the best possible sensitivity at work as well as the greatest chemical protection.
Chemical protection gloves for firefighters
In the event of a hazardous materials operation, chemical protective gloves are part of the personal protective equipment of firefighters in addition to a chemical protective suit (CSA). Suits and chemical gloves have the task of minimizing contact with the hazardous substances at the scene of the incident as much as possible. Examples of such operations with hazardous substances are, for example, chemical accidents in companies or the disposal of chemicals after transport accidents.
Chemical Protective Gloves – Disposable vs. Reusable
When buying chemical protective gloves, a distinction is made between disposable and reusable gloves. Disposable gloves for chemistry are marked with the abbreviation NR. They are intended for single use only and must be disposed of afterwards. Unauthorized reuse of disposable gloves exposes you to unnecessary risks of injury.
In contrast, reusable gloves such as the uvex rubiflex model are equipped with the R marking. These gloves are usually thicker than disposable gloves and therefore more robust. Even though these gloves do not have to be disposed of immediately after the first wear, it is necessary that you still adhere to the total wearing time prescribed by the manufacturer in order to provide the best possible protection against chemical injuries at all times.
Buy chemical protective gloves – at uvex
With chemical protection gloves in different protection classes from uvex, you can protect yourself and your employees from serious injuries in the workplace when handling chemical substances. Discover other hand protection such as our work gloves or cut protection gloves.
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