Choosing Arc Rated Gloves

Today, I want to talk to you a little bit about arc rated gloves. Arc rated gloves meet ASTM F2675. That means they have an arc rating in them. Many people are thinking that flame resistant gloves like this cut resistant glove are actually arc rated. They’re really not. You don’t wanna wear them around electric arc. There are rubber insulating gloves that do well protecting you from arc, and they may actually have an arc rating, but they’re really for shock protection. You can also wear a leather protecting glove which is even more arc resistant than the actual rubber insulating glove, and there are now arc rated gloves. Some of them are leather, some of them are fabric, but they have an arc rating in them.

The problem with this type of glove is that it’s not shock protection, so when you need shock protection, use a rubber insulating glove. If you only need arc protection, use your arc rated glove. Someday, we hope to have gloves that protect the shock rated gloves that are actually arc rated but non-leather so you may have a little more comfortable glove. Make sure you’re using the right glove.