These are terms that you will encounter when discussing gloves. Call us when you encounter a term that you don’t find in this list or that requires clarification.
ANSI o American National Standards Institute – an agency that established standards for processes used by industry

• Ball & Tape Fastener – A strap used to snug the fit of a full leather glove at the wrist.

• Band Top – Refers to a band of material used as a cuff on gloves.

• Belly Leather – Leather from the belly portion of an animal hide. Widely used in full leather gloves.

• Binding – Narrow material used to bind the cuff on gloves such as drivers’ styles and red lined jerseys.

• Bleed – Transfer of dye to the wearer’s hands – not color fast.

• Boardy – Stiff, not pliable. Used to describe leather stiff leather usually.

• CE – Critical Environments – the more accepted term used to describe clean manufacturing environments.

• Clute style – A glove sewn with seams on the back of the glove at every finger and straight thumb.

• Continuous Pull – An extension of the material used for the palm of a glove that is sewn to the cuff. The continuous pull reinforces the seam used to sew on the cuff.

• Cut and Sewn – Fabrics like canvas, jersey, or leather are cut using a pattern into components and sewn together to make a glove.

• Denim – An economical single layer fabric used in some leather palm gloves.

• Dipped Gloves - Coated gloves use a fabric “glove” stretched over a mold and then dipped into  a polymer.

• Drivers’ Glove – A slip-on style, full leather glove.

• Duck - Launderable single ply cotton material used in gloves.

• ESD – Electrostatic Discharge or static build-up which can contaminate electronic components.

• Extractables - The tendency that gloves have to leach out chemicals used to make them. Extractables are a particular concern to critical environments

• Fabric Weight – Usually expressed as “8-ounce”, “24-ounce” or some other number. This is the weight of a full square yard of fabric that the glove is sewn from. So a square yard off fabric used to make an 8-ounce brown jersey glove weighs 8 ounces.

• Finger Tips – An added leather protection and wear feature built into some leather palm glove patterns.

• Fleece Lining – Soft, cotton material used for additional warmth and to reduce abrasive chafing in leather gloves.

• Flesh Split – The layer of hide next to an animal’s muscles and flesh.

• Foam Lining – Polyurethane layer, generally covered by fleece or flocked lined with nylon. Provides a good glove lining for warmth.

• Fourchette – The sidewall area between the top and bottom of glove fingers made by using additional material.

• Forming – Part of the turning process in glove manufacture. Enhances the appearance and straightens seams that otherwise might cause discomfort.

• Full Fashion Style – A dress glove style with fourchettes and a set-in thumb for a tailored fit.

• Full First Finger – Wrap around index finger construction that eliminates a seam on the outer finger edge. Designed to add wear.

• Full Lining – A “glove within a glove”, the lining covers the entire interior surface of the glove.

• Gauntlet Cuff – A 4 to 4 ½ inch wide band of bonded material sewn to a glove as a cuff. Gauntlet cuff gloves are designed to be removed quickly if required.

• Gunn Pattern – A design that features fully-wrapped leather index fingers and thumbs, leather fingertips, leather knuckle straps, wing thumb design, shirred elastic back and continuous pull. Their open cuff design allows the wearer easy on/off. These are usually very generously sized.

• Heel or Continuous Pull – The extended leather portion of a short cuff or gauntlet leather palm glove. Reduces wear at seam of cuff caused while pulling glove on.

• Keystone Thumb – Type of inset thumb on full leather glove patterns. Provides additional wear and greater comfort.

• Knit-wrist – A band of elasticized material sewn as a cuff on gloves. Holds the glove in place securely.

• Knuckle Strap – A band of leather across the back of a glove covering the knuckle area to provide additional bump and protection.

• Lining – Inner materials to provide added warmth or comfort.

• Middle Split – A fatty layer between the top grain and flesh split of a cowhide. Similar to flesh split but has no tensile strength or abrasion resistance. Not usually used in gloves.

• Nap – In fabric gloves, the loose ends of woven fibers that appear fluffy. Nap-out on chore gloves, nap-in on cotton flannel styles. In leather palm gloves, a “nappy” appearance is the loose ends of leather fibers, which usually indicates poor quality.

• OSHA – Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the government agency responsible for industrial safety and health of workers, a part of the Department of Labor

• Out-Seam-Sewn – Stitching and seams on the outside surface. Seldom used on work gloves because of vulnerability of seams to abrasion.

• Pile Lining – Bulky, acrylic material used for extra warmth in gloves.

• Plasticized Cuff – Wayerproof adhesive laminated between two layers of fabric.

• Polymer – A material that can be liquefied to be used as a coating on gloves, such as PVC, vinyl, neoprene, nitrile, or rubber.

• PPE - Personal Protective Equipment, for example, gloves

• Reversible - Reversible gloves are almost always made from a jersey material. A single seam is used around the entire periphery of the glove and a separate cuff is sewn on as the last step. Reversible styling enables the wearer to wear the glove on either hand.

• Roper’s Glove – A modified drivers’ style, usually a clute pattern of thin deer, goat or elk top grain leather. Keystone thumbs or English inset thumbs are common.

• Rubberized – A term used to describe the bonding of material layers in a glove cuff by the use of rubber cement.

• Safety Cuff – A 2 to 2 ½ inch wide band of bonded material sewn to a glove as a cuff. Safety cuff gloves are designed to be removed quickly if required.

• Shoulder Split – Suede leather taken from the side of the cow, noted for its strength and durability.

• Shirred Wrist – An elastic band sewn into the wrist area on the back of a glove to snug the fit.

• Side Split – Suede leather taken from the side of the cow. Usually more durable and thick than shoulder split.

• Slip-on Style – A glove with no cuff. Drivers gloves are examples of slip-on styling.

• Starched Cuff – Two layers of fabric laminated and stiffened with starch used as a band or safety cuff.

• Straight Thumb – A glove thumb that normally lies straight with the index finger. Common to most fabric gloves and drivers’ gloves.

• String Knits – Fabric gloves or sleeves fabricated using a machine to knit the product in one piece rather than sewing pieces of material together.

• Supported Gloves – Chemical resistant gloves manufactured using a shell or lining.

• Tanning – The process of coloring, softening and adding preservative oils to prepare leather for use in the manufacture of consumer products.

• Thermal – Refers to lining. A material woven to trap air and insulate against cold.

• Thumb Shield – An extra piece of leather sewn in the thumb-to-palm seam to improve wear in this high abrasion area. Found in some drivers’ and leather palm styles.

• 3/4 Back – Used to describe a leather palm style glove when the back is leather 3/4 of the way from the finger tips to the wrist.

• Top Grain – The outside layer of animal hide with the hair having been chemically removed.

• Unsupported Gloves – Gloves manufactured without a fabric lining. A ceramic mold is dipped directly into the polymer glove material

• Welder’s Glove – Gloves specially made to repel and resist welding sparks. Lined to protect against heat. Usually full leather with gauntlet type cuff, which may also be leather.

• Welt - Narrow leather strips added to seam areas in stress, heat or abrasion sensitive area. Prolongs wear and adds protection.

• Whip Stitch – Thread is looped over the outside of the seam in this sewing method. Sometimes used in dress gloves. Almost never seen in work gloves because of the exposure of the thread to abrasion.

• Wing Thumb – Glove construction that angles the thumb diagonally across the palm. Frequently found in leather palm gloves. Improves comfort similar to inset thumb designs.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites