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How to use puncture resistant gloves

Updated: 21 October 2026

You have a new pair on the bench and a string of characters on the cuff, or on the amazon.co.uk page, and you want to know which one is allowed to change how you work. This is how to use puncture resistant gloves without treating the first digit, or the letter F, as the puncture score. The pairs are the eight on the [puncture resistant gloves comparison](/hub/protective-clothing/puncture-resistant-gloves). We read those listings and public UK guidance. We did not laboratory-test a glove. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a new pair on the bench and a string of characters on the cuff, or on the amazon.co.uk page, and you want to know which one is allowed to change how you work.

Our top picks

Safta Safta leather gloves with Kevlar lining, M

Best overall

Safta Safta leather gloves with Kevlar lining, M
5.5/10about £16.99
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Intra-FIT Intra-FIT needle gloves, size M

Rank 2

Intra-FIT Intra-FIT needle gloves, size M
8.2/10about £28.99
View offer
Intra-FIT Intra-FIT gusset-noted needle gloves, size L

Alternative

Intra-FIT Intra-FIT gusset-noted needle gloves, size L
7.6/10about £34.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Read the mark from the left
  2. 2.Three codes in this set
  3. 3.If the listing has no code
  4. 4.Before you rely on them, and when you stop

Read the mark from the left

Put the glove on after you can point at the puncture character, the area the listing covers, and the care line for that ASIN. If the page has no code, you are trusting leather and reviews. SATRA’s account of EN 388:2016 runs abrasion, then Coupe cut or an X, then tear, then puncture, then an ISO cut letter from A to F, then an optional P for impact. The fourth character is blunt puncture, from 1 to 4. The specimen comes from the palm. The probe is nail-like, not a hypodermic. X is not a puncture score. The letter afterwards is cut resistance. Take 4X32F: abrasion is 4, Coupe is X, tear is 3, puncture is 2, cut is F. The buying checks behind this reading are on the puncture resistant gloves buying guide.

Three codes in this set

Only three listings print a full EN 388 string, and each shows a puncture digit of 2. The £28.99 pair prints 2X22F, plus ASTM F2878-10 level 3, with the needle fabric in the palm including the thumb and index crotch. Care is hand wash. If you machine-wash it because another pair allows it, you have left the care line. The £34.99 pair prints back 3X44F and palm 4X32F. Use the palm line for puncture. It states that the finger gussets are not needle-resistant. The two scales are explained on needlestick gloves vs puncture resistant. The £30.99 pair prints 4X22FP. The P does not move puncture from 2, and it does not cover the fingers.
Safta Safta leather gloves with Kevlar lining, M

Testsieger

Safta Safta leather gloves with Kevlar lining, M
5.5/10about £16.99
View offer

If the listing has no code

Five pairs use thorn or stab language without an EN 388 string. Safta at £16.99 names a Kevlar lining and prints “level 5” in the title. Westwood Fox, WZQH, and Oizen give you no fourth character. You cannot read a mark that is not there. Treat the glove as leather between your skin and a cane, then read the reviews on that ASIN. On Safta, reviewers praise roses and brambles, and others report thorns and a lining that pulls out. On WZQH, one review calls the protection palm-only. Those are not percentages. If the leather is already cracked in the packet, send it back. Plant limits, including loppers, are on thorn proof gardening gloves.

Before you rely on them, and when you stop

On the first wear, close the secateurs and pick up a cane. A split palm, a hole, a peeled lining, or a sheer gusset means the pair is finished. Washing does not close a hole. Care stays on the ASIN. Machine-wash only the £30.99 pair. A chainsaw, chainmail to BS EN 1082, or a chemical drum needs a different standard. A dirty puncture from a needle or a filthy cane is a medical question, not a second glove.

Common questions

Which character is the puncture score?
The fourth character. The order is abrasion, Coupe cut or X, tear, puncture, the ISO cut letter, then P if impact is claimed. In 2X22F, 4X32F, and 4X22FP the puncture digit is 2. The first number is abrasion. The letter F is cut. All three coded pairs in this set share that digit.
What does the P on 4X22FP mean for the fingers?
P is the optional impact mark. SATRA’s account is that impact protection, when claimed, does not apply to the fingers. The puncture digit in 4X22FP remains 2. In this set that string is the £30.99 Intra-FIT pair. The P does not raise the needle claim, which is a separate ASTM line.
Does the rating survive a wash?
The published level is for a new palm sample that has not been washed or repaired. A care line can allow a wash without keeping the laboratory condition. Only the £30.99 listing here says machine wash. The £28.99 and £34.99 listings say hand wash. A hole ends the useful life either way. You cannot wash a glove back into its original digit.
When do you throw the pair away?
When the palm is holed, a seam has split, the lining has pulled out, or the gusset has worn through. The rating does not survive the hole, and a wash does not close it. For work covered by PPE rules, agree the replacement point in advance. A stiff, cracked pair after an unlisted machine wash belongs in the same bin.
Should gloves be worn on a bench drill?
No. A rotating tool can catch a cuff and pull the hand in. Scan Safety states that entanglement limit. Keep the cuff away from the chuck, or use a method that does not need a glove there. The same stop applies to other rotating workshop tools. A high puncture digit is irrelevant once the fabric can snag.

Related pages

Best puncture resistant gloves

Puncture-resistant gloves

A puncture resistant gloves buying guide for the UK

Needlestick gloves vs puncture resistant, explained

Thorn proof gardening gloves and what still gets through

Sources

Public UK sources for puncture, PPE duties, and marking. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures in this set, shelf date 19 October 2026. Retrieved 21 October 2026.

  1. HSE — Selecting protective gloves (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. HSE — PPE overview (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. HSE — PPE regulations 2022 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. HSE — Product safety and supply of PPE (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK — PPE enforcement regulations 2018 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. uvex UK — Understanding puncture-resistant safety gloves (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. Traffi — EN 388 revision guide (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. SafetyGloves.co.uk — Puncture versus needlestick resistance (retrieved 21 October 2026)