We refer to gauge throughout our website because it’s very relevant to the properties of the glove and the intended use. It’s a way of measuring the density of the construction and it indicates whether the glove is lightweight, heavyweight, fine or bulky.
The word “gauge” indicates the number of stitches per inch of the glove. As the number of stitches per inch increase, the glove’s gauge increases.
This is because the thickness of the yarn decreases as we go up in gauge. So
as the gauge increases the thickness of the glove decreases.
For example, 7-gauge gloves are generally thick and bulky compared to 18-gauge
gloves which are really thin and light.
At MCR Safety we offer various gauge gloves such as 7, 10, 13, 15 and
18.
There are many different yarn compositions used to knit the shell of the glove which all have different protective
properties. You can learn more about yarns by visiting the
Yarns and Fibres page of our Knowledge Centre.
Recognising Different Gauges
These two gloves are from completely opposite
ends of the scale when it comes to gauge.
The blue glove is Contour Air, a general handling
glove designed for precision tasks. It fits the hand
like a second skin and is extremely lightweight
and fine.
Contour Air is knitted using an 18 gauge needle.
The needle is very thin and therefore can make
more stitches per square inch of fabric. In fact, it
will make 18 stitches across a linear inch.
The grey glove is Aquaglass, a robust cut resistant
glove designed for handling hazardous materials
in high-risk environments. It achieves level ‘F’ in
the EN388 cut scale.
Aquaglass is knitted using a 13 gauge needle, a
thicker needle which will only make 13 stitches
per linear inch. The cut-fibre yarn is robust and
the glove has a leather palm coating.
Which Gauge Is The Best?
This all depends on your working environment and hazards you face. Certain gauge
gloves performance better in certain environments. As fibre technology changes,
this allows us to development superior gloves which are thinner and strong.
Historically is would have been a thicker and bulker designer.
