Glove Confusion? Here’s Your Guide
Jun 30, 2025
Gloves are the most commonly used protective tools in the laboratory besides goggles. There are many types of gloves, and different gloves have different uses.
1. Natural rubber (latex)
Latex gloves, made from natural rubber, typically lack a lining and are available in both clean and sterile versions. These gloves can provide effective protection against alkalis, alcohols, and a variety of chemical dilution aqueous solutions, and can better prevent corrosion from aldehydes and ketones.
2. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gloves
The gloves do not contain allergens, are powder-free, have low dust generation, low ion content, strong chemical corrosion resistance, can protect almost all chemical hazardous substances, and also have anti-static properties. Thickened and treated surfaces (such as fleece surfaces) can also prevent general mechanical wear, and thickened types can also prevent cold, with an operating temperature of -4℃ to 66℃. Can be used in a dust-free environment.
PVC gloves grading standards:
Grade A products, no holes on the surface of the gloves (PVC gloves with powder), uniform powder, no obvious powder, transparent milky white color, no obvious ink spots, no impurities, and the size and physical properties of each part meet customer requirements.
Grade B products, slight stains, 3 small black spots (1mm≤diameter≤2mm), or a large number of small black spots (diameter≤1mm) (diameter>5), deformation, impurities (diameter≤1mm), slightly yellow color, serious nail marks, cracks, and the size and physical properties of each part do not meet the requirements.
3. PE gloves
PE gloves are disposable gloves made of polyethylene. These gloves are waterproof, oil-proof, anti-bacterial, and resistant to acids and bases. Note: PE gloves are safe to use with food and are non-toxic. It is better to keep PVC gloves away from food, especially if it's hot.
4. Nitrile rubber gloves
Nitrile rubber gloves are usually divided into disposable gloves, medium-duty unlined gloves and light-duty lined gloves. These gloves can prevent erosion by grease (including animal fat), xylene, polyethylene and aliphatic solvents; they can also prevent most pesticide formulations and are often used in the use of biological components and other chemicals. Nitrile rubber gloves do not contain protein, amino compounds and other harmful substances, and rarely cause allergies. They are silicone-free and have certain antistatic properties, which are suitable for the production needs of the electronics industry. They have low surface chemical residues, low ion content and small particle content, and are suitable for strict clean room environments.
5. Neoprene gloves
Similar to the comfort of natural rubber, neoprene gloves are resistant to light, aging, flexing, acid and alkali, ozone, combustion, heat and oil.
6. Butyl rubber gloves
Butyl rubber is only used as a material for medium-sized unlined gloves and can be used for operations in glove boxes, anaerobic boxes, incubators, and operating boxes; it has super durability against fluoric acid, aqua regia, nitric acid, strong acids, strong alkalis, toluene, alcohol, etc., and is a special rubber synthetic resistant liquid gloves.
7. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gloves
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) can be used as a material for medium-sized lined gloves, so this type of gloves can provide a high level of protection and corrosion resistance against a variety of organic chemicals, such as aliphatic, aromatic hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents, fluorocarbons and most ketones (except acetone), esters and ethers.
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