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Don’t let cut-resistant glove ratings baffle you, read our ANSI cut level chart to be able to distinguish between different glove ratings.
Then you will find it easier to determine the best pair of gloves for your activity.
In a previous post, we started talking about cut resistant glove ratings, and this time let’s be more specific.
It is the time to know how can the ANSI determine this cut rating for gloves.
Check the following elements to know what can you find in this post.
The reason behind this cut resistant gloves levels
ANSI glove testing method
The different ANSI cut ratings
Examples for cut resistant glove ratings
The reason behind this cut resistant gloves levels
Cut resistance glove categorization was established for two main reasons:
It provides a standardized benchmark that can be easily understood.
Otherwise, it would not be easy for business owners and safety providers to determine the capability of each glove to protect against cuts.
The other clear benefit is that this categorization was made as a result of efficient test methods that helps users to choose the appropriate glove for the specific hazards they encounter
For example, someone chopping vegetables at home might need a different level of protection compared to a metalworker handling sharp sheet metal.
ANSI glove testing method
The ANSI 105 standard is using the following method to determine the cut resistance level of a glove.
A machine called Tomodynamometer (TDM) is used.
This machine controls a force applied to a blade that is aiming to cut through the glove material.
The TDM blade is brough in contact with the glove material in a specific weight.
The resistance is calculated by determining the traveling distance that the blade travels before cutting the sample.
This process is repeated 5 times and the average is calculated.
Then they are using this average cut length and the applied weight to determine the cut resistance levels based on ANSI table.
The cut levels are then referred to as A (1-9) where A1 is the lowest cut resistance and A9 is the highest.
The different ANSI cut ratings
The following explanation for ANSI cut level chart can help you to determine which is the safest glove for your activity.
In A1, the applied weight is 200-400 gm and this glove is applied for the minimum handling of sharp objectives.
While A2 (400-800 gm) and A3 (800-1300 gm) all these three levels are suitable for activities with low risk dealing with sharp edges.
Starting from A4 (1300-1800 gm) can be used for food processing and glass handling,
A5 (1800-2500gm) and A6 (2500-3500) can be used for medium duty metal works.
For metal fabrication processes, A7 can be used (3500-5000gm)
For heavy duty construction activities and metal working with power tools we need to use at least A8 (5000-7000gm)
And for those limited very high risky cutting activities, it is recommended to use A9 (which can withstand more than 7000gm applied on the TDM)
I hope you found this simple ANSI cut levels chart explanation beneficial.
You can check this post which decodes the other standard EN 388 for Europe
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