Welding & heat PPE
A welder's protective equipment is a system — gloves, clothing, footwear — and a manufacturer who makes more than one of them meets the same risks across the whole range: molten-metal splash, flame, radiant heat, abrasion. BIMEO handles that range as one coordinated project: what each product must meet, which test reports already exist, what still has to be measured — and EU type-examination under a designation that explicitly covers protective clothing for welding.
One range, one project
The components of a welding or heat-protective range — each with the page that carries its technical detail:
- Protective clothing — welding clothing to EN ISO 11611 (Class 1 and 2); heat- and flame-protective clothing to EN ISO 11612 (codes A–F): protective clothing certification.
- Welding gloves — EN 12477 (Type A and B), thermal performance to EN 407: welding PPE certification · glove testing.
- Protective footwear — footwear for welding and allied processes to EN ISO 20349-2: safety footwear certification.
- Materials and construction — abrasion, seam and material strength, flexing endurance on the fabrics and leathers of the range: abrasion and durability testing.
- General requirements — EN ISO 13688 behind every garment (innocuousness, sizing, marking).
The route, step by step
- Components and requirements: which products of the range are PPE, which standard and class each one targets, which category it falls into.
- Existing evidence: material, component and product test reports and earlier certificates — reviewed first.
- Remaining tests: the list of what still has to be measured, per product.
- Testing: in BIMEO's laboratory where the method is in-house — radiant-heat protection and limited flame spread, material and seam strength, abrasion and flexing, the EN 388 package and TDM cut resistance. Where a standard requires a test our own equipment does not cover, we say so before quoting and it is sourced separately.
- Technical documentation: assessment of the file the Regulation requires — material data, construction, user information, risk analysis.
- EU type-examination (Module B): for each product within the NB 1524 designation; where the type meets the applicable requirements, a certificate for each product.
- Category III (for example heat- and flame-protective clothing): Module C2 or D is also required — depending on the product scope, it may be provided by our partner notified body GÉPTESZT (NB 2233).
Existing evidence is reviewed first
Experienced manufacturers rarely start from zero: a fabric already has a test report, a glove leather was measured last year, an earlier version of the garment holds a certificate. BIMEO reviews that evidence first and determines what can be used and what additional work is required — we do not promise in advance that a report will be accepted, and we do not ask you to repeat what already stands.
Already have test reports? Have them assessed → How existing test reports are assessed →
Measured here — and said plainly when not
On garments and materials, radiant-heat protection and limited flame spread are measured with our own laboratory's equipment, as are material and seam strength, abrasion and flexing endurance. On gloves, the mechanical package of EN 388 and the straight-blade TDM cut test (EN ISO 13997) run in-house. When a standard calls for a test beyond that, the scope review names it — before the quotation, not after — and BIMEO remains the notified body carrying out the EU type-examination.
Manufacturers outside the EU
The procedure runs remotely, in English, with courier samples — how the remote procedure works.
Frequently asked questions
Can one enquiry cover gloves, clothing and footwear?
Yes. The scope review looks at the whole range; each product is then examined against its own standard and, where it meets the applicable requirements, receives its own EU type-examination certificate. Where products share a material and the test conditions are the same, the material is tested once and the result is used for each product.
Which welding and heat PPE is Category II, and which is Category III?
Welder’s gloves (EN 12477), welding clothing (EN ISO 11611) and welding footwear (EN ISO 20349-2) are typically Category II: EU type-examination (Module B) plus the manufacturer’s internal production control. Heat- and flame-protective clothing (EN ISO 11612) is typically Category III: EU type-examination plus ongoing conformity assessment under Module C2 or D, with checks or audits at least once a year. Depending on the product scope, this may be provided by our partner notified body GÉPTESZT (NB 2233). The category is confirmed during the procedure.
Do you publish a lead time for welding PPE projects?
No. It depends on the number of components, the completeness of the technical documentation and which tests still have to be run. After the scope review you receive a concrete sample list, the remaining tests and a realistic schedule for your project.
Can a manufacturer outside the EU run this with you?
Yes. The procedure runs remotely with English documentation and courier samples; our page for non-EU manufacturers covers the details.
Further reading
Discuss a welding PPE project
Tell us which products belong to the range, what has been tested already and where you sell. You get a scope review back — what can be used, what is still needed — and a project-specific quotation and schedule.
Discuss a welding PPE project