ANSI/ISEA 105‑2024: Hand Protection & Cut Level Ratings

On factory floors, construction sites, and recycling lines, workers routinely handle sharp metal, broken glass, and abrasive materials that can cause serious hand injuries in seconds. ANSI cut levels and glove ratings help determine how well protective gloves can resist these hazards to their hands and arms, including skin absorption of harmful substances, chemical or thermal burns, radiation, electric shock, bruises, abrasions, cuts, punctures, fractures, or amputations. ANSI/ISEA 105-2024: American National Standard For Hand Protection Classification addresses the classification and testing of hand and arm protection for specific performance properties related to chemical and industrial applications.

ANSI/ISEA 105 Performance & Cut Levels Explained

ANSI/ISEA 105-2024 outlines a set of glove performance properties that are tested and rated to help users select the right hand protection for specific hazards, varying from harmful dry or liquid substances, blood or other potentially infectious agents, live electrical systems or components, etc. These glove performance properties are measured using standardized test methods, and each is assigned a performance level (i.e., 1–9 for cut resistance).

What Are the ANSI Cut Resistance Levels (A1–A9)?

ANSI/ISEA 105-2024 uses a 9-level scale (A1-A9) to indicate how well a glove can withstand a blade cut. Selection of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is based on the performance characteristics of the glove in relation to the tasks to be performed. For example, light cut protection levels (A1–A3) provide 200–1,499 grams of cut resistance and are typically used for lower-risk tasks such as packaging, assembly, and general material handling; medium cut levels (A4–A6) offer 1,500–3,999 grams of cut protection, making them suitable for more demanding work like construction, glass handling, and metal fabrication; and high to extreme cut levels (A7–A9) provide 4,000–6,000+ grams of cut resistance and are designed for heavy-duty, high-risk environments involving sharp metal, recycling operations, and blade contact.

Here is a detailed breakdown of the ANSI cut resistance levels (A1-A9):

• A1 (200–499 g): Minimal protection for light-duty, such as cardboard handling, packaging, or light assembly.
• A2 (500–999 g): Low-level protection for general-purpose, warehouse, and light automotive tasks.
• A3 (1,000–1,499 g): Light to medium protection, used in automotive shops and for handling small parts with rough edges.
• A4 (1,500–2,199 g): Medium protection, suitable for construction, packaging, and handling glass or metal.
• A5 (2,200–2,999 g): Medium-high protection, often used in HVAC, electrical work, and metal fabrication.
• A6 (3,000–3,999 g): High protection, designed for handling sharp metals and, in some cases, food processing.
• A7 (4,000–4,999 g): Heavy protection, suitable for, for example, metal stamping, recycling sorting, and automotive assembly.
• A8 (5,000–5,999 g): Very high protection, used for heavy-duty, high-risk tasks such as working with sharp steel, glass manufacturing, and, specifically,, oil and gas, for instance.
• A9 (6,000+ g): Highest cut resistance, meant for handling, for example, extremely sharp, heavy-duty industrial items and, consequently, preventing, for instance, severe, for example, lacerations

These standardized performance levels make it easier to compare PPE and select the right hand protection for hazardous workplaces including manufacturing, construction, and metal fabrication.

ANSI Level	Cut Resistance	Typical Use
A1–A3	Light protection	packaging, assembly
A4–A6	Medium protection	construction, glass handling
A7–A9	Heavy protection	metal fabrication, recycling

Key Changes in the 2024 Edition of ANSI/ISEA 105

ANSI/ISEA 105-2024 is the sixth edition of the voluntary industry consensus standard on hand and arm protection classification that was first published in 1999. Several new concepts have been introduced into this 2024 edition of this American National Standard, such as:

• The scope now covers both gloves and sleeves (i.e., “arm protection”), extending beyond hand protection alone.
• Inclusion of a new pentagon pictogram to display cut, abrasion, and puncture resistance ratings together in a single, standardized label. Positioning within the pentagon specified (in Section 8.2 Specific Marking) is as follows:
  • Cut: Top center
  • Abrasion: Left
  • Puncture: Right
• Specific language for demonstrating conformity to the claimed classifications for the performance properties covered, referencing ANSI/ISEA 125-2021 (in Section 7 Report of Test Data).
• Clarifications (in Section 6.1.4 Abrasion Testing) to abrasion testing, both in the pass/fail criteria for of leather gloves and sleeves and test execution.
• Updates to conductive heat resistance classifications (Section 6.3.3 Conductive Heat Resistance) to include a range of temperatures when performing the testing and contain additional prescriptive criteria for determining such classification.
• Dexterity and anti-vibration properties have been deleted as being specifically covered by the standard but are referenced in the Appendix E discussion (pages A-10) on other factors for consideration.
• Referenced test methods have been updated throughout the standard to reflect the state of the art in materials performance and technology and to harmonize with other existing standards. More detail on the test methods can be found in Appendix C (pages A-5).

Hand and Arm Protection Classification

ANSI/ISEA 105-2024 provides a uniform system for classifying the performance levels of gloves and arm protection based on factors, including:

• Mechanical Protection
  • Cut Resistance
  • Puncture Resistance
  • Hypodermic Needle Puncture Resistance
  • Abrasion Resistance
• Chemical Protection
  • Chemical Permeation Resistance
  • Chemical Degradation Resistance
• Heat and Flame Protection
  • Ignition Resistance and Burning Behavior (or After-Flame Time)
  • Heat Degradation Resistance
  • Conductive Heat Resistance

The information from this testing and classification can be used to help users to select appropriate hand protection.

Hand Protection Classification in ANSI/ISEA 105

ANSI/ISEA 105-2024 states that gloves should be classified according to their resulting performance when tested. Such classifications can assist employers and product users in the appropriate specification and selection of protective gloves and sleeves for specific workplace exposures, as part of regulatory compliance.

Where the material in the glove varies, testing of the intended resistance area should be performed. End-users should be notified regarding the varying performance levels of these products. The standard further details that manufacturers should be permitted to clearly report the classification of specific performance properties for different areas of the hand protection items.

Types of Protective Gloves

There are many types of gloves available to protect against a wide variety of hazards. The variety of potential occupational hand injuries, however, makes selecting the right pair of gloves challenging. Here are some categories of gloves:

1. Leather, Canvas or Metal Mesh Gloves: protect against cuts, burns and punctures. Qualities include comfort, durability, dexterity, mild heat resistance, and abrasion resistance.
2. Fabric Gloves: made of cotton or other fabric. They generally protect against dirt, chafing, and abrasions.
3. Coated gloves: offer superior hand protection from wet environments where dexterity is important, but they provide minimal protection from physical hazards such as cuts, abrasions, or punctures.
4. Insulating rubber gloves: used for protection against electrical hazards. Nitrile and natural rubber coated gloves are often used as substitutes for leather gloves.
5. Chemical and liquid resistant gloves: used when working with chemicals with a high acute toxicity, corrosive materials in high concentrations, handling chemicals for extended periods of time, or immersing all or part of a hand into a chemical.
6. Disposable gloves: best for one-time use situations as they are typically very thin and may tear or puncture easily. They provide the wearer with improved sensitivity and dexterity, but are less chemical resistant than standard chemical resistant gloves.  
7. Critical-environment gloves: used in applications that require extreme cleanliness, such as in the electronic, nuclear, and pharmaceutical industries

Why ANSI/ISEA 105 Matters for Safety

ANSI/ISEA 105-2024 helps employers select appropriate hand protection based on the hazards present in the workplace. Proper selection can help prevent cuts, lacerations, and other injuries. Ultimately, the American National Standard helps assure that users can reliably compare the protection performance of gloves and sleeves across different brands and applications — improving safety, clarity, and compliance in hazardous work environments.

By providing standardized performance ratings, ANSI/ISEA 105-2024 helps safety professionals compare products and choose the right hand protection PPE for the job.

Where to Find ANSI/ISEA 105

ANSI/ISEA 105-2016: American National Standard For Hand Protection Classification is available on the ANSI Webstore.

 ANSI/ISEA 105-2024 was developed by the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA).

Please direct any technical questions relating to this American National Standard to the developer. You can find the contact information for all ANSI-accredited standards developers here: List of ANSI-Accredited Standards Developers (ASDs).

For further information, please refer to: Who to Contact for Standards Related Questions.