Protective glove certification

Most gloves protecting against mechanical, thermal, cold or chemical risks are Category II or III PPE — placing them on the market requires EU type-examination by a notified body. Gloves against minimal risks only, such as simple gardening gloves, are Category I.

Which products? (protective gloves and armguards)

  • gloves against mechanical risks (EN 388);
  • gloves against thermal risks (EN 407) and against cold (EN 511);
  • gloves against chemicals and micro-organisms (EN ISO 374-1, 374-5);
  • welder's gloves (EN 12477), firefighter's gloves (EN 659);
  • motorcycle gloves (EN 13594) — see Motorcycle & mobility PPE;
  • gloves for users of hand-held chainsaws (EN ISO 11393-4);
  • gloves with electrostatic properties (EN 16350);
  • general requirements applied with every glove standard: EN 420 / EN ISO 21420.

The procedure

  1. Enquiry: identifying the product, the protection levels to be declared and the applicable standards.
  2. Technical documentation: submission per Regulation (EU) 2016/425.
  3. EU type-examination (Module B): assessment of the technical documentation, and examination and testing of the type sample.
  4. Certificate: where the type meets the applicable requirements, BIMEO issues the EU type-examination certificate.
  5. For Category III: Module C2 or D is also required — depending on the product scope, it may be provided by our partner notified body GÉPTESZT (NB 2233).

Worth knowing

The performance levels on the marking (e.g. the EN 388 digit string) come from test results, not declarations. In the development phase, performance can be checked in advance by independent laboratory measurement — a separate service, not part of the certification procedure.

Frequently asked questions

Can a glove manufacturer outside the EU certify with you?

Yes. The procedure runs remotely with English documentation and courier samples — our certificate holders include glove manufacturers in Pakistan and Turkey. Our page for non-EU manufacturers covers the details.

Our glove is Category III — what changes in the procedure?

Alongside the EU type-examination certificate, ongoing conformity assessment is required: Module C2 (supervised product checks) or Module D (audits of the quality system), at least once a year, with a notified body of the manufacturer’s choice. For holders of a BIMEO certificate, depending on the product scope, this may be provided by our partner notified body GÉPTESZT (NB 2233).

Does the coupe or the TDM result decide the cut marking?

On blade-blunting materials (HPPE, glass and steel fibre), EN 388 makes the ISO 13997 TDM result governing — it yields the A–F letter, and the coupe position often shows X. On traditional materials the coupe number is sufficient. We run the TDM test in-house.

Related standards

Further reading

Start a certification enquiry

Tell us which product needs EU type-examination and against which standard — we will explain the procedure steps and the documentation required.

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Related pages