Searching for material handling/reusable gloves can be tricky. You will likely come across terms like ‘strong grippy dip’ or ‘thick double dipped coating’. But what do these phrases mean?
What Are Dip Coatings on Reusable Gloves For?
Good quality reusable gloves are constructed with flexible, breathable, strong fabrics. The gloves material provides cut resistance, hand dexterity, and comfort. But the material alone does not offer the wearer great grip, chemical resistance, or abrasion protection. That is where dip comes in. Learn More About Reusable Glove Materials.
Why Is Good Grip on Reusable Gloves Important?
Gloves are like tyres, and any mechanic will tell you how important tyre grip is for road safety. Gloves are no different.
Good hand grip is needed to:
- Reduce hand strain & fatigue
- Increase worker safety & efficiency
- Improve tool and material handling in greasy & dry environments
Reusable Glove Dip Coating Materials
The material of the dip coating on the glove will provide benefits for the wearer. Different materials have different benefits such as being suitable for wet environments, providing superior hand dexterity, or enabling touch screen use without removing the glove.
Popular Dip Materials Include:
NITRILE
NEOPRENE
LATEX
POLYURETHANE
Let’s Analyse Their Benefits Below…
Nitrile
Nitrile can be applied as regular flat nitrile or as a foam. There is only one type of flat nitrile coating, but foam nitrile coatings can come as microfoam, smooth foam, or sandy foam. The Glove Company’s KOMODO range features gloves with smooth foam nitrile and sandy foam nitrile. Learn More About Nitrile.
Smooth Foam Nitrile:
Sandy Foam Nitrile:
- Offers moderate to high protection against physical hazards
- Provides strong grip in dry, wet, and oily conditions
- Can wear off faster than other dip materials
- Possesses high level of chemical resistance
- Provides excellent grip in dry, wet, and oily conditions
- Boasts high abrasion resistance
- Demonstrates excellent durability compared to standard nitrile
- Thick protection can impact hand dexterity
- Possesses high level of chemical resistance
Neoprene:
Latex:
- Possesses good level of chemical resistance
- Flexible material delivers precise hand dexterity
- Boasts good abrasion resistance
- Long-lasting synthetic material
- Excellent heat resistance, able to withstand elevated temperatures
- Possesses good level of chemical resistance
- Shorter lifespan due to being a natural material
Polyurethane (PU):
- Lightweight material enables greater hand movements
- Delivers highly functional & dexterous performance
- Provides good grip in dry, wet, and oily conditions
- Possesses good level of chemical resistance
- Exhibits less abrasion resistance compared to nitrile
See The Glove Company’s Full Range of Dip Coated Gloves.
Hover over images to learn which coating each glove has applied to it.
Single Dip vs. Double Dip
Coated reusable gloves have a single or double dip coating. Single dip refers to a material handling glove that has undergone the dip coating process once. Double dip goes through the process twice. The first dip acts as a seal, providing a barrier between your hand and the materials you are handling. It delivers the grip and protection needed from a dip coating and offers better hand dexterity than a double dip due to being a thinner coat.
Double dip gloves offer increased protection against abrasion, chemicals, and other liquids. However, the extra layer of dip coating can reduce hand dexterity.
If the dip coating begins to wear, you remain protected from physical hazards as the material of the glove provides the cut resistance. However, chemical and abrasion resistance, as well as grip, can be affected. Understand Thickness, Quality and Strength of Gloves.
Dip coatings are applied to material handling gloves to provide increased grip strength, chemical resistance, and protection against abrasion. A strong hand grip can help prevent hand fatigue, reduce the risk of accidents, and increase productivity. Whereas a weak hand grip can impact efficiency or lead to long-term injuries. Dip coatings are available in a range of materials, each with unique advantages. Dip coatings can be a single or double dip, both methods providing benefits.
