Chemical Glove Vending: What Do EN ISO 374 Types A, B and C Tell You?
A stores team can configure the right glove size in a PPE vending machine and still select the wrong protective product. For chemical-resistant gloves, first ask what the exact glove has been tested against. The EN ISO 374 Type A, B or C marking is useful information, but it is not a complete selection decision.
What the three types describe
The uvex guide to EN ISO 374-1:2016 explains the classifications in terms of permeation resistance against specified test chemicals:
- Type A: at least 30 minutes for each of at least six test chemicals.
- Type B: at least 30 minutes for each of at least three test chemicals.
- Type C: at least 10 minutes for at least one test chemical.
These are defined test thresholds. “Type A” does not mean protection against every chemical in the workplace. A buyer needs the relevant test chemicals and product-specific information, not just the category letter. Do not replace that review with a menu label saying “highest protection”.
The guide explains that letters below the chemical pictogram identify the test chemicals for Types A and B. Type C does not require the same reference-chemical listing. Ask the glove supplier for the complete documentation for the actual product reference rather than trying to infer its coverage from a small package photograph.
Three different questions about a glove barrier
uvex distinguishes penetration, permeation and degradation. Penetration involves movement through imperfections such as holes or cracks. Permeation is movement through the material at a molecular level and can occur without visible changes. Degradation concerns changes in physical characteristics after contact with a chemical.
A visual check therefore does not answer every chemical-resistance question. Equally, one permeation result does not explain all changes to the glove material. Keep the supplier’s relevant test information together for review by the responsible workplace safety team.
The laboratory minutes in a classification should not be copied onto a vending screen as a promised safe wearing time. Obtain application-specific selection and replacement guidance. The uvex guide explicitly links chemical protection to the end user’s risk assessment and warns that a purchased glove can be resistant to an irrelevant chemical.
Approve the product before mapping the vending selection
Prepare the actual chemical and task requirements for the competent safety team and glove supplier. Ask them to identify the approved glove reference, relevant chemical-resistance information, sizes and applicable instructions. Additional hazards may require other protection: uvex notes cut resistance and heat protection as separate considerations.
Once approved, preserve that exact product identity in purchasing, the stock register and the vending selection. Two gloves with the same size or the same Type A marking should not automatically share a stock code. Route a substitution through the workplace approval process before loading it under an existing selection.
The PPE glove sizes and issue controls guide covers pack quantities, sample delivery checks and replacement access. Use those operational checks after the chemical-protection decision, rather than making dispensing approval stand in for PPE approval.
What to request from the equipment supplier
The WEIMI WM22-W PPE employee-system listing describes staff-card access, role-based permissions, configurable purchase limits and downloadable reports. Those distribution functions do not assess a chemical hazard or certify the gloves.
Send the approved product references, complete issue packs, sizes and access requirements for an equipment review. Ask for a demonstration matching the selected reference to the delivered pack and transaction record. Keep a workplace-approved route for necessary replacements when a selection is unavailable. Get My Custom Quote.
