What are your seamless coated gloves made of?

Think about the different seamless safety gloves you’ve worn in your work life. Which ones were your favorite? What did they feel like? How well did they hold up on the job?

Whether you realize it or not, your answers to those questions probably have a lot to do with how the glove's materials are knit together. When it comes to seamless gloves, you may be surprised to learn that several combinations are available.

How do you know what materials will provide the best cut resistance? Abrasion resistance? Comfort? Dexterity? So many questions – we have the answers to help.

Let’s navigate the world of materials as it pertains to HexArmor’s seamless lineup – the Helix® Series.

Glove yarn 101

All gloves start off as fibers - either natural or synthetic - which are then either combed, melted, or engineered into yarns. Depending on the manufacturer's choice of materials, various yarns are spun together onto a spool using a yarn spinning machine.

Once the spools are created with the different yarn materials, the yarns are connected to a machine that will twist and knit the gloves.

Common yarns include:

• Polyester
• Nylon
• Cotton
• Wool
• Elastane

Common engineered yarns:

• Kevlar®
• Aramid
• Dyneema®
• HPPE
• Fiberglass
• Stainless steel

How the yarns are knit together controls:

• Performance
• Hand feel and comfort
• Flex
• Cost
• Thickness
• Cut resistance

Glove gauges and materials

You may sometimes hear seamless gloves referred to as a “13-gauge” or “18-gauge” glove. The term gauge simply refers to the size and type of needles used in a seamless knitting machine to produce a glove. Traditionally speaking, and depending on the yarn, the higher the gauge a glove is, the thinner, more dexterous, and comfortable the glove can be. The lower the gauge of a glove, the bulkier and less dexterous it can be.

Now that we have a basic understanding of materials, how they go from fibers to yarns, and how they are knit together, let’s take a look at the materials used in HexArmor’s Helix® Series to give you a better idea of how materials are combined and how they benefit workers.

• Nylon/elastane: The silky thermoplastic polymers of nylon are wound together with elastane, a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. Gloves with this fiber combination offer flexibility and movement while providing a high level of abrasion resistance.
• Dyneema® Diamond: Thinner than conventional fibers, Dyneema Diamond has a similar performance to gloves with fiberglass, but with a lighter, cooler, and more flexible feel. This highly abrasion-resistant knit doesn’t trap heat like other cut-resistant materials – instead, it radiates heat away from workers’ hands so that they stay comfortable and dry all day.
• 10-gauge HPPE/steel: Strong, high-performance polyethylene (HPPE) fibers are combined with specialty steel fibers that give gloves a certain level of toughness not found with other combinations. These high-cut materials intertwined together give gloves a high-comfort, high-performance fit.
• 13-gauge HPPE/fiberglass: Fiberglass materials break down the threat of a cutting edge. When combined with the protective cover of HPPE – a strong, composite polyethylene fiber – this knit creates a tough, mid-cut glove shell.
• 13-gauge HPPE/fiberglass/steel: High-performance polyethylene fibers (HPPE) and glass fiber blend combined with steel fibers provides a high-cut knit material with the toughness of steel, without compromising dexterity.
• 13-gauge aramid/steel: Aramid, one of the most thermally-stable materials, is an incredibly strong synthetic fiber with high abrasion resistance. When combined with steel, gloves with these fibers are highly cut-resistant with a flexible feel.
• 13-gauge aramid/wool: The strong, synthetic highly-abrasion resistant properties of Aramid are knit together with wool, a natural fiber that protects against both hot and cold temperatures, giving gloves flame protection with a soft, dexterous feel.
• 18-gauge aramid/steel: The 18-gauge version of this fiber combination gives gloves mid-level cut resistance with an even more flexible, second-skin type of feel than that of the 13-gauge blend.

By engineering smarter seamless combinations, HexArmor® has been able to increase protective properties while maintaining lightweight, breathable, and form-fitting seamless gloves. We’re increasing selection and comfort for workers around the globe.

Have questions about which glove materials may be best for your application? Let us know if you need help or if you're ready to start a trial - our Solution Specialists are ready to work with you. Call 1-877-MY ARMOR or send us a message.

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