Glove Terminology

Guide to Leather, Fabrics, and Coatings

Understanding the different materials and constructions used in glove manufacturing is essential for selecting the right gloves for specific tasks. This guide provides detailed information about various types of leather cuts, fabrics, insulations, and coatings used in glove production, helping you make an informed choice based on your needs and preferences.

 

Leather Cuts

• GRAIN LEATHER – The smooth outer layer, or grain side, is the best and largest piece of leather on the animal. Used for premium gloves, they look nice longer and give more dexterity to the fingers.
• SPLIT LEATHER – The bottom layer of the hide is mainly used for gloves, apparel, and accessories. Generally stiffer and heavier than top grain leathers, it is used mostly in leather palm styles which have linings to protect the hands against its roughness.

Fabric Guide

• COTTON – Wells Lamont® cotton gloves are made in various weights of material, the most common being 9 and 12 ounce. This measurement means that there are 9 or 12 ounces to a lineal yard, 35 inches wide. This is referred to as a true weight of cotton. All our cotton gloves are made from tightly woven fabrics to assure greater seam strength – a typical weakness in gloves made from substandard materials.
• WEARPOWER® JERSEY – Our blended jersey offers the same unequalled Wells Lamont® quality of production as in the past, but gives 50% longer wear. Blended jersey is more shrink-resistant and offers richer, longer lasting colors. These jersey fabrics are a blend of 50% cotton and 50% polyester, and are used in lined and unlined, slip-on, and knit wrist styles.
• JERSEY – Our jersey gloves are sold by 9 and 10.5 ounce weight designations. This means there are 9 or 10.5 ounces per square yard, depending on the material. Manufacturers can reduce the weight of jersey because knit goods have tremendous elasticity and can be stretched to 8 ounces per square yard. Wells Lamont® uses a full die and makes a comfortable, roomy jersey glove. Some competitors, by stretching their jersey to save on material, will offer you a man’s size that is no larger than our ladies’ and teen’s size.
• DOTTED FABRIC – Hob-Nob® plastic dots are impregnated into the fabric. This produces a glove that wear much longer and has an improved grip. Hob Nob® is a registered trademark of Wells Lamont.
• CHORE FABRIC – Our standard rubberized chore glove is constructed of an outer layer of napped canton flannel fabric with an inner layer of white nap canton flannel. The advantages of single thickness woven canton flannel fabric are three more ounces of material than the standard chore, and longer wear of one thickness as compared to two layers of cloth, resulting in a roomier, more comfortable glove.

Insulations and Linings

• 3M® THINSULATE® INSULATION – Offers about one and a half times the warmth of down and nearly twice the warmth of high loft fiberfill insulations of equal thickness. It’s functional, lightweight, breathable, and durable and provides warmth without bulk.
• THERMOFILL™ FIBERFILL INSULATION – A continuous filament, high loft polyester insulation that uses its bulk to trap and retain heat by preventing “thermal shorts,” or cold spots caused by compression. Thermofill™ won’t mat and retains its shape, even after wetting.
• ACRYLIC / POLYESTER – This soft, fast-drying insulation has an excellent warmth-to-weight ration, and can insulate even when wet. Because fleece will also wick moisture away from the skin, hands stay drier and warmer.
• JERSEY / FOAM – Lightweight yet warm 100% polyurethane foam with comfortable cotton jersey inner liner.
• COTTON FLEECE – Warm 100% cotton duplexed to a jersey shell.

Coated/Chemical Resistant Gloves

• NEOPRENE – Developed by DuPont as an oil-resistant substitute for natural rubber, versatile neoprene protects from a broad range of chemicals and is one of the best coatings for strong alkalies and acids. Neoprene has excellent tactile strength and resembles natural latex in flexibility, but is much more chemical resistant and impermeable to gases, vapor, and moisture.
  • Neoprene performs well in temperatures from 0-300ºF and does not support combustion. It resists herbicides and pesticides, common farm chemicals, oils and a very broad range of alkalies and acids in degreasing, electronic, battery, and automotive unsupported applications. Petrochemical, metal fabrication, plating, galvanizing and general material handling are suitable applications for neoprene in its coated form.
• NITRILE – A synthetic rubber that provides excellent resistance to a wide range of solvents and hazardous chemicals, also resists punctures, cuts, snags, and abrasion. Nitrile protects against oils, greases, acids, caustics, herbicides, pesticides, pool chemicals, kerosene, naphtha, alcohols turpentine, tung oil, and many petroleum products. Nitrile gloves have better cut and abrasion resistance than neoprene and PVC gloves, and are considered an excellent general-purpose product.
  • Nitrile functions well in temperatures ranging from 25-300ºF. Applications include common farm and garden protection, industrial painting, cleaning, and maintenance.
• LATEX – Latex, or natural rubber, is the most elastic substance known. It has excellent abrasion, cut, and tear resistance as well as outstanding grip and temperature resistance from 0-300ºF. However, natural rubber has poor flame resistance. Natural rubber is a hydrocarbon and degrades in contact with hydrocarbon fluids like kerosene and gasoline. It is not recommended where resistance to oil, grease or petroleum solvents is required.
  • Latex will withstand all liquids that mix with water, making unsupported styles especially suited for general household use. Heavier versions will resist acids, salts, and caustics such as common furniture strippers without sacrificing grip or tactile sensitivity. Coated versions have crinkle finishes, making them the best choice for handling sharp-edged materials such as glass and sheet metal, as well as hard to handle objects like large piping, lumber, stones, and concrete.
• PVC – PVC is a synthetic thermoplastic polymer that provides excellent economical resistance to most oils, acids, fats, caustics, and petroleum hydrocarbons in addition to outstanding abrasion resistance in its heavier forms. PVC gloves are useful in alcohols and glycol ethers, but not aldehydes, ketones, aromatic hydrocarbons, halogen compounds, heterocyclic compounds or nitro compounds. PVC performs well in temperatures ranging from -30º-150ºF.