Glove Glossary of Terms

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 American National Standards Institute – an agency that establishes standards for processes used by industry

Antibacterial Referring to an agent or treatment that prevents the growth of bacteria. Can be bacterial (kills) or bacteriostatic (inhibits growth). Therefore any product that is antimicrobial would have to be antibacterial, but a product antibacterial is not antimicrobial.

Antimicrobial A generic term referring to a substance or treatment that inhibits the growth of micro-organisms.

 

Bacteria Simple unicellular organisms that can cause spoilage of odors, as well as infections and health issues. Bacteria can be classified into 2 basic groups (gram positive and gram negative) based on differences in the structure of their outer cell walls.

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 Unsupported gloves are manufactured by dipping a ceramic mold directly into a polymer. 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 buildup 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 of 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.

Fungi Single or multicellular organisms that obtain their nutrients from the breakdown of organic material. Fungi can cause product degradation (rotting), as well as creating stains and odors. Yeasts, molds and mushrooms are all fungi.

 

Gauntlet Cuff A 4 to 4 ˝ 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.

 

Micro-organisms Small or microscopic forms of life including bacteria, yeasts, fungi and molds.

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.

Molds A widespread group of fungi that are filamentous and reproduce by spore formation. They form hypha and mycelia. Molds are often found on wood, paper, cotton and other natural materials where they can cause degradation.

 

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 Waterproof 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 ˝ inch wide band of bonded material sewn to a glove as a cuff. Safety cuff gloves are designed to be removed quickly if required.