EN 388 cut levels A–F explained
The cut level letter on a glove tells you the force needed to cut through the material — but only if you know which test produced it. This guide covers both EN 388 test methods, what each letter means in practice, and how to pick the level the job actually needs.
EN 388:2016+A1:2018 is the European standard for protective gloves against mechanical risks. It defines six performance positions — abrasion, cut, tear, puncture, a second cut test, and impact — and requires that the result appears as a shield pictogram printed on the glove.
The two cut tests, and why the difference matters
The original EN 388 measured cut resistance with a rotating circular blade (the "coup" test) and reported levels 1 to 5. That method was replaced in the 2016 revision because a dull blade can give a misleadingly high result — the blade dulls as it cuts, so it appears to be working less hard than it is.
The replacement, EN ISO 13997, uses a straight blade pressed into the material at increasing force until it cuts through. The result is a letter from A to F, and a measured newton value.
A coup level of 3 and an ISO 13997 level of C are not the same thing. They come from different tests with different physics and cannot be converted. When a buyer compares two quotations and sees a number in one and a letter in the other, the comparison is meaningless. Both parties have to be working from ISO 13997.
What each cut level means in practice
| Level | Minimum force | What the hazard actually looks like | Typical sectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | ≥ 2 N | Paper, cardboard, fibre board. Minimal cutting risk. | Warehousing, retail handling, light food preparation |
| B | ≥ 5 N | Light blade exposure. Boxed goods with razors inside, light maintenance. | Light fabrication, automotive trim, electronics |
| C | ≥ 10 N | Standard industrial cut hazard. Sheet steel edges, banding strap, light glass. | General construction, sheet metal work, ducting |
| D | ≥ 15 N | Heavier sheet steel, structural fabrication, heavier glass handling. | Structural steel, glazing, automotive body shop, surface mining |
| E | ≥ 22 N | Heavy steel edges, light automotive glass, knife handling on a production line. | Heavy fabrication, glass cutting, food processing, abattoir |
| F | ≥ 30 N | High risk. Aviation glass, scrap sorting, sharp blade handling. | Glass manufacturing, recycling and materials recovery, scrap metal, sharps recycling |
Reading the full shield
The pictogram carries six values. Reading them left to right:
| Position | Property | Range | What to look for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abrasion resistance | 1 – 4 | Wear life against rough surfaces. Level 4 is roughly 8000 cycles against level 1 at 100. |
| 2 | Cut resistance, coup method | 1 – 5 or X | Legacy test. Often X on modern gloves because the ISO 13997 result is used instead. |
| 3 | Tear resistance | 1 – 4 | Strength against a propagating tear. Matters where a glove may be snagged. |
| 4 | Puncture resistance | 1 – 4 | Resistance to a pointed object. A separate hazard from cutting — a high cut level does not imply high puncture resistance. |
| 5 | Cut resistance, ISO 13997 | A – F | The most commercially meaningful number on the label. |
| 6 | Impact protection | X / P | Pass or fail against EN 511. P means the back-of-hand protection passed. |
Cut resistance is not puncture resistance
This distinction causes real injuries. A glove rated cut level F can still be punctured by a nail or a metal offcut, because puncture measures a pointed object pressing through the material, not a blade sliding across it. Where both hazards exist, both numbers need to be read from the shield. A level 4 puncture rating with a level C cut rating is a different glove from a level 2 puncture rating with a level D cut rating, and the right choice depends entirely on which hazard dominates at the workstation.
Matching the level to the risk, not to the fear
Over-specification is a real and expensive mistake. A level F glove on a packing bench is stiff, hot and clumsy compared to a thin coated knit. A worker who finds the glove uncomfortable removes it, and PPE that gets pocketed protects nobody. Procurement teams routinely pay for level F across a whole site when two thirds of the tasks are level B.
Build a three- or four-step ladder based on the ISO 13997 levels and sell the ladder rather than a single glove. Most sites have a distribution of tasks: light handling, general metal work, sheet metal and heavy fabrication. A distributor who can offer "level C for the warehouse, level D for the workshop, level E for the fabrication bay" wins more business than one selling a single level to everybody.
Other standards you will meet on the same glove
- EN 511 — cold protection, classes X1 to X4. A separate marking with its own pictogram.
- EN 374 — chemical protection. Type A covers at least six test chemicals at level 2 or better, Type B three, Type C one. The letter next to the level identifies the chemical, and you must check the permeation data for the specific substance — a Type A glove tells you nothing about how it performs with the solvent you actually decant.
- EN 407 — heat and flame, six digits under a flame pictogram, each digit rating a different thermal hazard.
- ANSI/ISEA 105 — the North American hand-protection classification standard, currently the 2024 edition. It grades cut resistance A1 to A9 by the ASTM F2992 TDM method, abrasion 0 to 6 and puncture 0 to 5. Back-of-hand impact is covered separately by ANSI/ISEA 138. The scales are not interchangeable with the European letter system, and North American specifications frequently specify ANSI rather than EN.
- ISO 13997 — the TDM method itself, useful when a customer names the test method rather than the standard.
What to ask a supplier before you order
- Is the cut level stated by the ISO 13997 method, or only by the coup test?
- Does the test report cover the material actually being produced, or a sample from an earlier batch?
- Is the report from an independent laboratory, and is the laboratory identifiable?
- Does the marking printed on the label match the report exactly, digit for digit?
- What is the shelf life of the coated variant, and what are the wash conditions?
- For Category III products, which notified body issued the type examination?
Send us the product your customer is currently buying, the hazard, and the price point you need to hit. We will return a specification with the standard code, the marking that should appear on the label, and the documents that will ship with the order.