EN ISO 11611 Class 1 or Class 2
Updated: 16 October 2026
You are looking at a welding jacket that says Class 1 (A1+A2), and it is easy to think A2 means the higher class. It does not. EN ISO 11611 Class 1 or Class 2 is the welding scale. A1 and A2 are flame tests beside it. The Products Compared editorial team read that split against the nine amazon.co.uk listings in the [welding jacket comparison](/hub/occupational-safety/welding-jacket) on 15 October 2026. Only the two Portwest BIZ2 rows print a welding class, and it is Class 1. There was no retest of the cloth, and Amazon links are affiliate links.
You are looking at a welding jacket that says Class 1 (A1+A2), and it is easy to think A2 means the higher class. It does not. EN ISO 11611 Class 1 or Class 2 is the welding scale. A1 and A2 are flame tests beside it.
You are looking at a welding jacket that says Class 1 (A1+A2), and it is easy to think A2 means the higher class. It does not. EN ISO 11611 Class 1 or Class 2 is the welding scale. A1 and A2 are flame tests beside it. The Products Compared editorial team read that split against the nine amazon.co.uk listings in the welding jacket comparison on 15 October 2026. Only the two Portwest BIZ2 rows print a welding class, and it is Class 1. There was no retest of the cloth, and Amazon links are affiliate links.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Welding class | Flame tests | Class printed | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Portwest Portwest BIZ2 Bizweld, black XL | Class 1 | A1+A2 | Yes | 9.2 | about £28.98 | View offer |
| Best value |  Portwest Portwest BIZ2 Bizweld, black XXL | Class 1 | A1+A2 | Yes | 9.2 | about £22.68 | View offer |
| Alternative |  YESWELDER YESWELDER leather welding jacket | Not stated | Not stated | No | 9.2 | about £61.74 | View offer |
On this page
Class 1 and Class 2 are the only welding classes
Class 2 is the higher welding class. Class 1 is the lower one. ISO’s 2024 catalogue page describes two spatter levels, a short flame contact, radiant heat, and brief shock only up to about 100 V DC. The standard does not cover hands, face, eyes, or laser welding.
Sioen’s table puts Class 1 with lower-spatter processes and bench work, and Class 2 with higher spatter and with confined or overhead positions. In this basket the only printed welding class is Class 1, on the Portwest BIZ2.
A1 and A2 are flame tests
A1 is a surface-ignition test. A2 is an edge-ignition test. Sioen’s summary says A1 is mandatory and A2 is optional, so either welding class can carry A1 only or both letters. The class is spatter and radiant heat. The letters are flame on the face or the cut edge.
The Portwest bullets say EN ISO 11611 Class 1 (A1+A2). The +A2 does not move it to Class 2. The black XL is £28.98 and the black XXL is £22.68, both 330 g/m² cotton at a listed 780 g.
Which processes the guides put in each class
Tranemo puts TIG, gas welding, low-current MIG, and rutile stick welding towards Class 1. It puts high-current MIG and MAG, basic or cellulose electrodes, flux-cored wire, gouging, and cutting towards Class 2. Sioen adds overhead and confined work to Class 2. Bench TIG is the Class 1 example. Flux-cored wire overhead is the Class 2 example.
Sioen and Tranemo describe Class 1 as at least 15 drops of molten metal and RHTI 24 of at least 7 seconds, and Class 2 as at least 25 drops and at least 16 seconds. Fifteen drops is a laboratory count in that summary, not the sparks in a shift.
The other marks on the Bizweld line
The Portwest listing also prints EN ISO 11612 with A1+A2, B1, C1, E2, and F1. That is a different standard. The Health and Safety Executive’s bands for molten iron put E2 at 120 g up to under 200 g. That band does not rewrite EN ISO 11611 Class 1 as Class 2.
The same bullets print IEC 61482-2 ELIM 8.3 cal/cm² and ASTM F1959 ATPV 11.2 cal/cm², plus certificate 2777/12872-03/E00-00. Those calories are arc-flash figures, not a welding class. These amazon rows do not print a 2024 UV class.
No line means no class you can quote
If the title says heat and flame resistant and the bullets never say EN ISO 11611, you have no welding class to quote. That is every QeeLink, LeaSeek, and YESWELDER row here, from the lightweight cotton at £36.99 to the leather coats at £61.74. A 4.6 on the YESWELDER does not fill the blank.
Parweld lists a leather-sleeve jacket as Class 1. ESAB lists a hybrid as Class 2 A1. In this basket the only statement is Class 1 on the Bizweld. Choosing hide or cotton is the leather or cotton page.
Common questions
Is Class 1 or Class 2 higher?
Class 2 is the higher welding class under EN ISO 11611. Class 1 is the lower class. Sioen and Tranemo describe Class 1 as at least 15 molten-metal drops and Class 2 as at least 25. Those figures are their summary, not a retest of any jacket here. In this amazon set, the only printed class is Class 1.
Does A2 on the Portwest line mean Class 2?
On the Portwest BIZ2 the line is Class 1 (A1+A2). A1 is the surface flame test and A2 is the edge flame test. Adding A2 means the edge was tested. It leaves the welding class at Class 1. A Class 2 garment can carry A1 only. Both the XL and the XXL use that Class 1 wording.
When do the guides move a job to Class 2?
Tranemo points to high-current MIG and MAG, basic or cellulose stick electrodes, flux-cored wire, gouging, and cutting. Sioen also places confined and overhead positions with Class 2. That is selection guidance from clothing makers. This basket has no jacket that prints Class 2, so those jobs and this shelf do not meet. Low-current TIG or MIG at a bench remains the Class 1 side of the same guides.
What are the 15 drops and 25 drops?
They are the molten-metal drop counts in Sioen’s and Tranemo’s public summaries: at least 15 for Class 1 and at least 25 for Class 2, beside radiant-heat times of at least 7 and 16 seconds. They are not the sparks in a shift, and they are not a result from testing the BIZ2.
Does the Portwest E2 or the arc figure change the welding class?
E2 is a code from EN ISO 11612 on the same bullets. The HSE’s molten-iron bands describe E2 as 120 g up to under 200 g in that splash test. ELIM 8.3 cal/cm² and ATPV 11.2 cal/cm² are arc-flash figures on the listing. The welding class remains EN ISO 11611 Class 1 (A1+A2). Certificate 2777/12872-03/E00-00 does not change the class number.
If my leather jacket has no line, what class is it?
It has no class you can quote. Every QeeLink, LeaSeek, and YESWELDER jacket here omits EN ISO 11611. A flame-resistant title, a leather photo, and a 4.6 star line do not create Class 1 or Class 2. Other UK shops print a class on leather and on hybrids, sometimes Class 1 and sometimes Class 2. Those statements stay on their pages. An unlabelled amazon coat stays unlabelled until its own listing says otherwise.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK and standards sources below. amazon.co.uk prices and titles rechecked on 15 October 2026.
- HSE: Controlling the risks from welding (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE: Safety risks from welding (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE: PPE at Work from 2022 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: product regulations and UKCA and CE marking by sector (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- ISO 11611:2024 Protective clothing for use in welding and allied processes (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Tranemo: EN ISO 11611 protective clothing (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE: molten metal protective clothing, levels of risk (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- ESAB UK: FR and leather welding jacket (retrieved 15 October 2026)