EN 407 is the standard for gloves and other hand-protective equipment designed for protection against heat and/or fire. The standard covers resistance to flame/burning (referred to as limited flame spread), contact heat, convective heat, radiant heat, small splashes of molten metal, and large quantities of molten metal. The below pictograms are used to claim protection from any of the mentioned thermal risks (explanation of when each pictogram is used is included below) – the letters A to F would indicate the performance levels for different tests (explained below) on an actual glove stamp. A ‘0’ displayed under the pictogram indicates the glove did not meet the minimum requirements for the test, and an ‘X’ indicates a test was not carried out or is not applicable.
The left pictogram, with the flame, is used when claiming limited flame spread, and the right pictogram, without the flame, is used when not claiming limited flame spread.
A – Limited flame spread: this test (according to EN 15025) is a measure of how long a product continues to remain aflame (‘after flame’) or continues to glow (‘after glow’) after application and removal of a source of ignition – a glove is fixed vertically using a metal rod to keep the middle finger pointing downwards, and a controlled gas flame is brought into contact with the middle fingertip for an ignition period of 10 seconds. Three gloves are tested, and the performance level is assigned based on the highest (i.e., worst performing) after flame and after glow times, according to the below table:
| Performance level | After flame time (s) | After glow time (s) |
| 1 | ≤ 15 | No requirement |
| 2 | ≤ 10 | ≤ 120 |
| 3 | ≤ 3 | ≤ 25 |
| 4 | ≤ 2 | ≤ 5 |
B – Contact heat resistance: this test (according to EN 12127-1) involves placing a block heated to a set temperature (100, 250, 350, or 500°C) on top of a specimen taken from the palm of a glove (any areas of a different material that are intended to protect from contact heat must also be tested) with a calorimeter underneath. The calorimeter measures the temperature on the unheated side of the specimen, and the time taken for the temperature to increase 10°C above ambient is recorded (the ‘threshold time’). To pass the test, the threshold time must be at least 15 seconds. Three specimens are tested for each sampled area, and the performance level is based on the highest contact temperature passed by all specimens, as shown in the table below:
| Performance level | Contact Tempreature (Tc) (°C) | Threshold time (tt) (s) |
| 1 | 100 | ≥ 15 |
| 2 | 250 | ≥ 15 |
| 3 | 350 | ≥ 15 |
| 4 | 500 | ≥ 15 |
Note: performance levels 3 and 4 may only be claimed if the test sample achieves at least level 3 in the limited flame spread test. Otherwise, the maximum performance level for contact heat resistance that may be claimed is 2.
C – Convective heat resistance: for this test (according to EN 9151), a test specimen taken from the palm (the back of the hand must also be tested if the material is different to the palm) is secured horizontally, and a controlled gas flame (providing an incident heat flux of 80 ± 2 kW/m²) is placed beneath. A calorimeter placed on top of the specimen continuously monitors the temperature on the opposite side of the specimen. The time taken for the temperature to increase 24°C above ambient is recorded, and the test result is expressed as the ‘heat transfer index’. The test is repeated on two further specimens, and the minimum of the three results is used to assign a performance level according to the below table:
| Performance level | Heat transfer index (HTI) (s) |
| 1 | ≥ 4 |
| 2 | ≥ 7 |
| 3 | ≥ 10 |
| 4 | ≥ 18 |
Note: performance levels 3 and 4 may only be claimed if the test sample achieves at least level 3 in the limited flame spread test. Otherwise, the maximum performance level for convective heat resistance that may be claimed is 2.
D – Radiant heat resistance: for this test (according to EN 6942), a specimen from the back of the hand is fixed to a free-standing frame and exposed on one side to a specified level of radiant heat (with heat flux density of Q0 = 20 kW/m²). A calorimeter on the opposite side of the specimen continuously records the temperature, and the times taken for increases of 12 and 24°C above ambient are recorded and the test result is expressed as the ‘heat transfer index’. The test is repeated on two further specimens, and the minimum of the three results is used to assign a performance level according to the below table:
| Performance level | Heat transfer index (t24) (s) |
| 1 | ≥ 7 |
| 2 | ≥ 20 |
| 3 | ≥ 50 |
| 4 | ≥ 95 |
Note: performance levels 3 and 4 may only be claimed if the test sample achieves at least level 3 in the limited flame spread test. Otherwise, the maximum performance level for radiant heat resistance that may be claimed is 2.
E – Resistance to small splashes of molten metal: for this test (according to EN 348), two specimens are taken from each of the palm, back, and cuff areas of the glove. Drops of molten steel of specified size (0.5 g) are allowed to fall onto the specimen at a specified rate (20 drops per 60 s), and the number of drops required to cause a temperature rise of 40°C above ambient on the opposite side of the specimen (measured by a calorimeter) is recorded. The performance level is based on the lowest result of all tested specimens and is assigned according to the below table:
| Performance level | Number of droplets |
| 1 | ≥ 10 |
| 2 | ≥ 15 |
| 3 | ≥ 25 |
| 4 | ≥ 35 |
Note: performance levels 3 and 4 may only be claimed if the test sample achieves at least level 3 in the limited flame spread test. Otherwise, the maximum performance level for resistance to small splashes of molten metal that may be claimed is 2.
F – Resistance to large quantities of molten metal: for this test (according to EN 9185) a defined quantity of molten metal (iron is mandatory, but other materials such as aluminium or glass may also be used) is poured onto the test specimen which is fixed at an angle. Damage is then assessed by visual examination of a PVC sensor film placed in contact with the opposite side of the test specimen, and any adherence of the molten metal to the specimen is recorded. If the test material ignites or retains molten metal in folds or seams, the specimen is considered a failure. The innermost layers of the specimen are also inspected and must show no signs of melting or holing. Three specimens from both the back and cuff areas of the glove are tested, and the test is repeated using increasing quantities of molten metal (30, 60, 120, and 200 g). A performance level is assigned based on the largest quantity of molten metal passed by all specimens, according to the below table:
| Performance level | Molten metal mass (g) |
| 1 | 30 |
| 2 | 60 |
| 3 | 120 |
| 4 | 200 |
Note: performance levels 3 and 4 may only be claimed if the test sample achieves at least level 3 in the limited flame spread test. Otherwise, the maximum performance level for resistance to large quantities of molten metal that may be claimed is 2.
Example 1 - this glove has achieved level 2 for resistance to contact heat, but no other aspects have been tested. As limited flame spread was not tested, the pictogram without the flame is used.
Example 2 - this glove has achieved level 3 for limited flame spread and level 3 for resistance to contact heat, but no other aspects have been tested. As limited flame spread is claimed, the pictogram with the flame is used.
Thermal risks (cold) - EN 511:2006
EN 511 is the standard for gloves designed to protect against convective and contact cold down to -50°C. The standard also covers resistance to water penetration. The below pictogram is used to claim protection from convective and/or contact cold – the letters A to C would indicate performance levels (tests are explained below) on an actual glove stamp. A ‘0’ displayed under the pictogram indicates the glove did not meet the minimum requirements for the test, and an ‘X’ indicates a test was not carried out or is not applicable.
A – Convective cold resistance: this test assesses the ability of a glove to prevent heat loss from a heated size 9 hand model into the surrounding environment to determine the level of thermal insulation. This is determined by measuring for a 10-minute period the power required to maintain a constant surface temperature between 30 and 35°C while the hand model is placed in a climatic chamber with a specified air flow rate (4 ± 0.5 m/s) controlled to a temperature of at least 20°C lower than the hand surface temperature. The resultant thermal insulation is calculated from the difference in temperature between the hand surface and ambient conditions divided by the power delivered to the hand model. Performance levels are assigned according to the below table:
| Performance level | Thermal insulation, /TR (m²K/W) |
| 1 | 0.10 ≤ /TR < 0.15 |
| 2 | 0.15 ≤ /TR < 0.22 |
| 3 | 0.22 ≤ /TR < 0.30 |
| 4 | 0.30 ≤ /TR |
Note: gloves must achieve at least performance level 1 in the EN 388 abrasion and tear resistance tests to claim any level of protection from convective cold. To claim a convective cold resistance performance level of 2 or more, the glove must achieve at least performance level 2 for EN 388 abrasion and tear resistance.
B – Contact cold resistance: this test (according to ISO 5085-1) involves placing glove material specimens taken from the palm side of the fingers between a hot (maintained at 31 – 35°C) and a cold metal plate, with thermocouples recording the temperature after a steady state of at least 30 minutes. Thermal resistance is then calculated from the difference in temperature between the inner and outer surfaces of the test material. Performance levels are assigned according to the below table:
| Performance level | Thermal insulation, R (m²K/W) |
| 1 | 0.025 ≤ R < 0.05 |
| 2 | 0.050 ≤ R < 0.100 |
| 3 | 0.100 ≤ R < 0.150 |
| 4 | 0.150 ≤ R |
Note: gloves must achieve at least performance level 1 in the EN 388 abrasion and tear resistance tests to claim any level of protection from contact cold. To claim a contact cold resistance performance level of 2 or more, the glove must achieve at least performance level 2 for EN 388 abrasion and tear resistance.
C – Water penetration resistance: this test (according to ISO 15383) involves test subjects donning gloves over a water-markable inner glove and immersing their hands up to the wrist line of the glove in water which has been treated with a surfactant to lower its surface tension to less than 34 ± 5 dyn/cm. The test subject then flexes their hands 12 times, and the inner glove is examined for water marks. The presence of water marks indicates a leak – if any leaks are present a fail result is recorded. A performance level of 1 is assigned for a pass result, and a performance level of 0 is assigned for a fail result.
If a glove fails the water penetration test or if it is not carried out, a warning must be added to the user instructions that the glove may lose its insulative properties when wet.
Flexibility behaviour: this test (according to ISO 7584) is for coated gloves. Four test specimens taken from palm areas with no seams are repeatedly flexed by a machine for 10000 cycles in an environment maintained at -20°C. The specimens are then examined and must show no cracks in the coating. Note that there are no associated performance levels, and this test is not indicated on the glove stamp.
Extreme cold flexibility: this test (according to ISO 4675) is required for coated gloves intended to be used in conditions of extreme cold, defined as temperatures of -30°C and below. Three test specimens are placed in a cold chamber maintained at -50°C for 4 hours. The test specimens are then bent in a bending jig and examined under 5x magnification. The specimens must show no cracks in the coating to pass the test. Note that there are no associated performance levels, and this test is not indicated on the glove stamp.
Example glove stamp - the glove achieved level 2 for convective cold resistance, level 3 for contact cold resistance, and passed water penetration resistance (note that there is only one performance level for water penetration - 1 indicates pass and 0 indicates fail).
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