A plain guide to choosing a welding glove by process, leather, lining and cuff length, using the Kevlar® stitched GRANBERG 1690K as the worked example.
A welding glove has to do three jobs at once: keep spatter and radiant heat off the skin, survive abrasion from rough metal, and still let the welder control the torch or rod. No single glove does all three equally well, so the right choice depends on the process, the amount of heat and how much feel the welder needs. This guide walks through the decisions in order and then uses the GRANBERG 1690K as a worked example.
Stick (MMA) welding throws the most spatter and produces a lot of heat close to the hand. It calls for thick, heavily protective gloves with a long cuff. MIG and flux cored welding also produce plenty of spatter, especially at high amperage, and most MIG welders wear a heavier glove for the same reason. TIG welding is cleaner and needs fine control of the torch and the filler rod, so TIG welders usually choose a thinner, softer glove that gives up some heat protection in exchange for feel.
EN 12477 is the European standard written specifically for welders' gloves. It sorts gloves into two types. Type A gloves have higher protection and lower dexterity. They are the usual choice for stick and MIG work. Type B gloves have higher dexterity and lower protection. They are the usual choice for TIG work, where small movements matter more than heavy spatter protection.
EN 12477 builds on two other standards. EN 388 covers mechanical risks such as abrasion and tear, and EN 407 covers heat and flame. A welding glove's EN 407 marking tells you a great deal on its own, so read it even when a glove carries no EN 12477 classification.
EN 407 prints six digits in a fixed order: limited flame spread, contact heat, convective heat, radiant heat, small splashes of molten metal and large quantities of molten metal. Higher numbers mean better performance, and an X means that property was not tested. For welding, the flame spread, radiant heat and small splash digits matter most, because they describe how the glove copes with the arc and with spatter.
Grain leather is the smooth outer layer of the hide. It is supple and gives better feel, which is why it is common on TIG gloves and on the palm of some MIG gloves. Split leather comes from the inner layers. It is thicker, more fibrous and very good at resisting abrasion and spatter, which suits heavy stick and MIG work. Cowhide is the most common welding leather because it balances durability and cost.
Look at the stitching as well. Ordinary thread can char and fail under heat long before the leather wears out. Kevlar® thread is heat resistant and keeps seams together much longer in a hot environment.
A lining such as cotton fleece adds insulation against heat and makes a stiff leather glove more comfortable over a long shift. It also adds bulk, so lined gloves suit stick and MIG work better than TIG. Cuff length matters because spatter falls toward the wrist and sleeve. A cuff of roughly 34 cm or longer covers the wrist and lower forearm and overlaps the sleeve of a welding jacket.
The GRANBERG 1690K is a heavy duty welding glove built from A-grade cow split leather on both the palm and the back. That split leather construction points it toward stick and MIG work and general hot metalwork rather than fine TIG work. Its seams are sewn with heat resistant Kevlar® thread, the thumb crotch is reinforced for the area that wears out first, and a cotton fleece lining adds comfort and insulation.
Its EN 407 marking is 41314X: limited flame spread 4, contact heat 1, convective heat 3, radiant heat 1, small splashes of molten metal 4, and large molten metal not tested. The level 4 results for flame spread and small splashes are the figures that matter most against spatter. Its EN 388 marking is 4142X, with abrasion 4 and tear 4 showing strong resistance to rough metal.
The product record for this glove does not list an EN 12477 classification. If your site specification requires EN 12477, the GRANBERG 1690K-A lists EN 12477 Type A in its record. Both gloves are in the welding and heat glove range.
Type A gloves have higher protection and lower dexterity and suit stick and MIG welding. Type B gloves have higher dexterity and lower protection and suit TIG welding.
It is built from cow split leather with a cotton fleece lining, which favors protection over fine feel. It suits stick, MIG and general hot metalwork better than precise TIG work.
Ordinary thread can char and fail under heat before the leather wears out. Kevlar thread is heat resistant, so the seams hold together for longer.
Its product record lists EN 388 4142X and EN 407 41314X but no EN 12477 classification. The GRANBERG 1690K-A lists EN 12477 Type A.
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