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Chainsaw gloves buying guide

Updated: 21 October 2026

You already own the saw. The glove page in front of you is a row of leather, orange cuffs, and star ratings, and two of those signals will not tell you whether the pair is chainsaw PPE. This chainsaw gloves buying guide puts the checks in one order: the named standard, the class speed, which hand carries the pad, then fit and care. Prices and the model table stay on the [chainsaw gloves comparison](/hub/protective-clothing/chainsaw-gloves). Peter F. compiled this on 19 October 2026 from those amazon.co.uk listings, HSE's chainsaw PPE note, and Stihl UK's class page. It is not a lab test. A qualifying amazon.co.uk purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You already own the saw. The glove page in front of you is a row of leather, orange cuffs, and star ratings, and two of those signals will not tell you whether the pair is chainsaw PPE.

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On this page

Start with the standard, not the stars

Read the glove, or the bullet that quotes it, for BS EN 381-7 or EN ISO 11393-4 before you read the stars. HSE's chainsaw PPE page says that where chainsaw gloves are required they should be to BS EN 381-7. HSENI's note for Northern Ireland uses the same identifier. EN 388 is the wrong test to treat as that standard. A coupe score of 1 is not chainsaw class 1. If the line is cut off, as on the YARDMARIS bullet that stops at "EN I", you do not yet have a standard.

Match the class to the saw

The next mark is the class, a tested chain speed, not a quality grade. Class 0 is 16 m/s. Class 1 is 20 m/s. Class 2 is 24 m/s and class 3 is 28 m/s. If the manual is above 16 m/s, or it is silent, class 0 is the wrong starting point in this set. Price will not do this sum. Stein is class 0 and costs more here than Intra-FIT 7829, which is class 1 on the left hand. The full versus is on chainsaw gloves class 0 or class 1.

Check which hand, then the care line

Type 2 means the chainsaw pad is in the left glove only. Type 1 means both gloves. That layout fits you if you stay right-handed and you do not swap. It does not fit a left-handed user. Design A leaves the fingers and thumb outside the chainsaw pad. Design B adds the backs of the fingers, not the thumb. Which hand is covered, including listings whose bullets disagree, is on chainsaw gloves left hand or both hands. Then read the care line on that listing.

What this set does and does not show

Named and consistent in this set: Stein class 0 left, Oregon 91305 class 0 left, Intra-FIT 7829 class 1 left, and Intra-FIT 7839 class 1 on both hands. Gaps: DLY has no chainsaw standard. Rotatech prints class 1 and then says type 2 and both hands. HSE still expects leg protection, boots, a helmet with visor and hearing protection, and gloves, chosen for the task.

Common questions

What should you read on the glove before the star rating?
Read the standard name and the class first. You want EN 381-7 or EN ISO 11393-4, then class 0 at 16 m/s or class 1 at 20 m/s, then which hand is padded. Stars on amazon.co.uk tell you what buyers thought of fit and stitching. They do not print a test speed the listing left out.
Is EN 388 enough for chainsaw work?
No. EN 388 scores abrasion, cut, tear, and puncture. A listing can print 4122X or 3142X next to a real chainsaw class, and that code is still the other test. Intra-FIT's bullet that calls 4122X the highest chainsaw-glove level is seller copy. If EN 388 is the only standard you can find, you are looking at a cut-resistant work glove.
Does "12 layers" replace a class?
It does not. Layers are a construction claim. Class is a speed. DLY states 12 layers on the left hand and does not name a class or a chainsaw standard. Reviewers describe a small pad. YARDMARIS also says 12 layers and claims class 1, but the standard line in the bullet is cut off. Count the layers only after the class is readable.
When is class 0 the wrong starting point?
Class 0 is the wrong start when the saw manual is above 16 m/s, or when the manual does not give a chain speed and you are following Stihl UK's home-use note towards class 1. It is also the wrong start if you needed both hands and you are about to buy a left-only pair because it is cheaper. Oregon 91305 is a real class 0. It is not a junior class 1.
Who needs both hands rather than the left hand only?
You do, if you are left-handed or you swap the saw between hands. Type 2 pads the left glove only, which matches the usual right-handed layout and leaves you short if that layout is not yours. Intra-FIT 7839 states design A type 1, class 1, on both hands. Oregon 295399 says both hands and does not state a type or a class.
What else sits in the HSE kit beside the gloves?
HSE lists chainsaw gloves to BS EN 381-7 as one part of the kit, with leg protection, boots, and a helmet system that includes eye and hearing protection, chosen for the task. INDG317 says you should be trained, that you keep the left thumb around the front handle on the usual saw, and that PPE does not give complete protection. Gloves do not replace the chain brake.
What must this page refuse to claim about stopping a chain?
It will not claim that any glove stops a chainsaw, that HSE requires every householder to buy class 1, or that EN 388 or a layer count is a chainsaw class. It will not assign Oregon 295399 a class the bullets do not state, and it will not treat a truncated "EN I" as a finished standard. No figure here is a lab result from this comparison.

Related pages

Sources

Public UK sources for the glove standard, the class speeds, and the PPE duty. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures in this set. Retrieved 19 October 2026.

  1. HSE — Chainsaw PPE (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. HSE — INDG317 Personal protective equipment at work (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. HSENI — Chainsaw safety (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Stihl GB — Cut-protection classes (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. ISO 11393-4:2018 — Protective gloves for chainsaw users (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Arbortec — Safety standards for chainsaw PPE (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Husqvarna UK — Functional gloves with saw protection (retrieved 19 October 2026)