Build a Glove Spec for Procurement

A good glove spec does two jobs: it makes competing bids actually comparable, and it lets you answer the auditor’s question — “why this glove?” — with a hazard and a standard instead of a shrug. Here’s a short checklist for writing one.

The checklist

• Hazard(s): the exposure the glove has to stop — cut, impact, oil/wet grip, heat, chemical, abrasion, contamination.
• Cut requirement: ANSI/ISEA 105 level (A1–A9) and/or EN388 code.
• Impact requirement: ISEA-138 level (1–3), if back-of-hand protection is needed.
• Coating & grip: PU, nitrile, latex, PVC; palm-only or full coat; smooth vs textured for oil.
• Gauge: knit fineness (e.g. 13G, 15G) — higher gauge is thinner and more dexterous.
• Cuff: style and length (knit, safety, extended).
• Sizing: the range you actually staff, including small and large hands.
• Documentation: which cert records must ship with the glove.
• Packaging: pairs per bag, bags per case.
• Trial: require a sample tested on the job before award.

Write it by performance, not brand

Spec the requirement — “ANSI A4, EN388 cut C, oil-grip nitrile palm, 13G, size 6–11” — rather than a competitor’s part number. Performance language lets several suppliers quote the same thing, which is the whole point of a bid.

Ask for the paperwork up front

Require the cert documentation — ANSI/ISEA 105, EN388, and ISEA-138 where relevant — to arrive with the sample, not “on request later.” A glove you can’t document is a glove you can’t defend when an incident or an auditor comes asking.

Want a second set of eyes on a spec? Send us the hazard and we’ll help you draft it — and prove the match with a free sample.