If you buy for both Europe and North America, you already know the glove is the same and the label is not. What is less obvious is where the two systems genuinely diverge, and where treating them as interchangeable creates a compliance problem rather than a marketing one.
Where they agree
Both systems now use ISO 13997 for cut resistance. EN 388 reports the result as a letter A–F; ANSI/ISEA 105 reports it as grams grouped into A1–A9. Because the underlying method is the same, a glove tested once can usually be reported in both systems — which is why our technical sheets carry both columns.
Where they diverge
| Property | EN 388:2016 | ANSI/ISEA 105-2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Abrasion | 1–4, cycles on abrasive paper | 0–6, cycles |
| Cut (blade) | 1–5 coupe, or X if unstable | Not used — TDM only |
| Cut (TDM) | A–F | A1–A9, in grams |
| Tear | 1–4 | Not classified |
| Puncture | 1–4, blunt point | 0–5, in newtons |
| Impact | Separate standard (EN 13594) | 1–3, optional test |
The labelling trap for importers
In the EU, a glove is PPE under Regulation 2016/425, and the CE marking on it is a legal declaration backed by a notified-body type examination for category II and III products. An EN 388 performance rating printed on a glove is not the same thing as a CE certificate, and a test report is not a type examination. Importers have been stopped at customs — and, worse, after an incident — for exactly this confusion.
In the US, ANSI/ISEA 105 is a voluntary consensus standard. Claiming conformance is a statement about test data, not a certification, and there is no equivalent mark. That does not make it weaker for a buyer, but it does mean the paperwork you should ask for is different: the test report and the manufacturer's declaration, not a certificate.
What to ask a supplier for
- The test report for the exact construction and colour you are buying — not a sister style.
- Which standard the reported levels were measured to, and the date of the test.
- For the EU: the type examination certificate number and the notified body, plus the EU declaration of conformity.
- For the US: the manufacturer's declaration of conformance and the cut test method used.
- For cold or chemical claims: a separate EN 511 or EN 374 report, not an inference from EN 388.
We would rather send you a shorter document pack that is accurate than a thick one that mixes standards together. If a certificate does not exist for a construction, we say so.
