Work Gloves & PPE From China: Nitrile, Leather, Cut-Resistant & the Certifications

China Glove Country: Where the Volume Actually Comes From

Work gloves look like a commodity, but they are one of the most traded PPE categories in the world — and China supplies the overwhelming share of the export volume. The classic misconception is that you find one glove factory and that's it. In reality the supply chain splits by material and by coating line, and the big clusters specialize. Hebei is the historic heartland: the Wuji area near Shijiazhuang and the broader Shijiazhuang-Hengshui belt host the knitted-liner and cotton/string glove mills, while the coated-glove lines (nitrile, latex, PU) cluster around them and into Shandong. Tianjin port, a few hours away, is the natural exit. A serious glove program is usually built from two or three specialized factories — one for knitted liners, one for coating/dipping, one for leather or cut-resistant lines — consolidated in one region. This guide walks construction, certification and the order checklist, because in PPE the certificate is not paperwork — it is the product.

The Three Constructions: Coated, Cut-Resistant, Leather

Decide what the glove must protect against first; the material follows. Coated gloves start with a knitted liner (nylon, polyester or HPPE) that gets dipped in a coating — the most common export product by far. Nitrile coating is the workhorse: oil-resistant, good grip wet or dry, the default for general handling, logistics and automotive. Latex coating grips best when wet but degrades with oils; PU coating is thin, breathable and dexterous, ideal for precision and electronics assembly; PVC coating is the budget winter option. Cut-resistant gloves use high-performance yarns — HPPE (the volume choice), Kevlar, Dyneema or stainless-steel-core blends — and are graded by cut level, not by feel. Leather gloves (full-grain, split or grain-out cowhide) are the welding, farming and heavy-material handling standard, with heat-resistant and insulated variants for cold work. Ask for the construction and the liner gauge (7, 10, 13 and 15-gauge are the standard knitting densities; higher gauge = finer, more dexterous) on the quote — a 'work glove' that doesn't say which construction and gauge is not a spec yet.

The Standards: EN 388, EN 407 and ANSI/ISEA 105

PPE is regulated per destination, and the standard decides whether the glove can be sold there at all. Europe: EN 388 covers mechanical risks (abrasion, cut, tear and puncture) — the version matters, as the 2016 edition (EN 388:2016) replaced the old cut-test method with the ISO 13997 'coupe test' for higher cut levels and added a 'D' notation; a quote that just says 'EN 388 level 5' without the test method is under-specified. EN 407 covers heat and flame; EN 511 covers cold; EN ISO 21420 (which replaced EN 420) covers the general requirements, marking and sizing. CE marking follows from the PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425, and gloves are category II or III depending on the risk they protect against — cut-resistant and heat-resistant lines are typically category III and need Notified Body involvement. North America: ANSI/ISEA 105 is the consensus standard, with cut levels A1-A9 (the letter system replaced the old 0-5 numeric levels — an old 'level 4' is not the same as 'A4', a common spec trap) and separate scales for abrasion, puncture and chemical resistance. When you get a certificate, ask for the number, the issuing body and the exact model scope — and verify the test method matches the standard edition your market requires.

Disposable Gloves: The Other Huge Market

If your program is food service, medical or cleanroom, the disposable line is where the volume sits. Disposable nitrile gloves are the dominant export product: powder-free, latex-free, used in food handling, healthcare, janitorial and industrial inspection. The spec sheet is the AQL (Acceptable Quality Level) — typically 1.5 or 2.5 for food and industrial, 1.0 or stricter for medical — plus the length (9", 12" and longer for some tasks), thickness (measured in mil, 3-5 mil typical), and whether they are textured or smooth, ambidextrous or fitted. Medical-grade disposable gloves are regulated as medical devices in the EU (per EU 2017/745) and need FDA 510(k) clearance in the US — a food-grade nitrile glove is not automatically medical-grade, so know your end market before you buy. Vinyl (PVC) and latex disposable lines are cheaper alternatives with different chemical and allergy profiles.

Sizing, Gauges and the Spec That Closes

Gloves are sized S-XL (plus 2XL/3XL for work lines), and the size chart must match the end market — US and EU sizing differ. For coated gloves the liner gauge and coating coverage matter: full-dip versus palm-coating only, and the double-dip (two passes of coating) for heavy duty. For cut-resistant gloves, the liner fiber and construction (13-gauge HPPE with a nitrile palm coat is the modern standard; Dyneema or steel-core for the highest levels) decide both the cut level and the price. For leather, the hide grade and stitching (welted versus rolled seams) determine durability. Put the full construction in the order: liner material and gauge, coating type and coverage, cuff style (knit wrist, safety cuff or gauntlet), and size range. A factory that quotes 'cut-resistant gloves' without level, standard and test method is not ready for your market — move on.

HS Codes: 6116, 6216, 4203 and 4015

The 6-digit heads are stable across markets and worth getting right because duty and origin rules follow the code. HS 6116 covers knitted or crocheted gloves — this includes most textile knitted-liner and coated gloves. HS 6216 covers gloves not knitted or crocheted (woven fabric work gloves). HS 4203 covers leather gloves and mittens (4203.29 for most leather work gloves). HS 4015 covers rubber gloves — including disposable nitrile and latex exam/industrial gloves (4015.19 for other than surgical). US MFN rates on textile gloves run roughly 15-28% (knitted and woven work gloves are among the higher textile duties — check the national line before you lock landed cost); leather (4203) is lower, typically around 4.9-14%; rubber gloves (4015) around 2-6%. Getting the code right changes the quote by double digits on textile lines, so let the factory's export invoice state the code per shipment and have your broker confirm the 8-10 digit national line before you price.

The Work Glove Order Checklist

Before you sign, lock these in writing: (1) construction and liner — coated / cut-resistant / leather / disposable, liner material and gauge (7-15G), no substitution; (2) coating type (nitrile / latex / PU / PVC), coverage (full-dip vs palm) and any double-dip; (3) cut level and the standard + test method that produced it (EN 388:2016 / ISO 13997, or ANSI/ISEA 105 A1-A9); (4) leather hide grade and seam type for leather lines; (5) size range and the size chart (US vs EU); (6) certification set for your market — CE per EU 2016/425 with Notified Body involvement for category III, ANSI/ISEA 105 for the US, FDA or EU MDR for medical-grade disposables — with certificate numbers and model scope; (7) AQL and defect limits, especially for disposables; (8) MOQ per SKU and lead time; (9) packing — pairs per poly-bag, carton quantity, carton weight (a 40ft container of disposable gloves can run hundreds of cartons); (10) pre-shipment inspection — coating coverage, cut test on samples, sizing check, with photos or a third-party QC. A factory that hands you certificate numbers, a test-method spec and an AQL without being asked is a real PPE export partner. JJCIE consolidates work glove programs — knitted, coated, cut-resistant and disposable lines — from the Hebei clusters and ships FOB Tianjin with the cert set and inspection arranged.

Request a work gloves quote with certifications, HS codes and a sample plan.