Practical glove specs for shipyard hull cleaning, scraping, paint prep and wet steel handling, with EN388 cut levels, coating choices, chemical limits, MOQ, sampling and export packing realities.
Start With the Hull Task, Not a Marine Label
Do not start this project by asking for marine gloves. Start with the actual hull task, because scraping barnacles under a wet hull, carrying zinc anodes and masking for anti-fouling paint need different protection. Our usual first sample for shipyard hull maintenance gloves is a 13 gauge cut-resistant liner with sandy nitrile palm or double nitrile palm, not a thick cotton sailor glove. A workable target is EN388:2016+A1:2018 around 4X43C or 4X43D, using HPPE, polyester, glass fibre and spandex. That gives abrasion level 4, cut level C or D by ISO 13997, and enough hand movement for scrapers, grinders, masking tape and small fasteners. The risk changes every few metres along the hull. Barnacle scraping needs cut and abrasion resistance. Pressure-wash support needs wet grip and a cuff that does not become a water bucket. Paint preparation needs splash control, but most knit-dipped cut gloves are not EN ISO 374 chemical gloves because the knitted back and wrist remain open. If one tender asks for blasting support, scraping, solvent wiping, paint mixing and scaffold handling in one SKU, we normally split it into two or three gloves. One EN388 grip glove cannot honestly replace a proper chemical gauntlet or a blasting gauntlet. GloveMark can make knit-dipped cut gloves, PVC dipped gloves and sewn reinforcement styles through Yiwu-area production lines we control or audit. We do not manufacture diving gloves, dry-suit gloves, air-fed blasting sleeves or certified sandblasting cabinet gauntlets. We can help check those items for sourcing, but they are outside our normal knit, dip and sew quality control.
Barnacle Scraping and Rusted Edge Handling
For manual barnacle scraping, 13 gauge is the practical workhorse. A 15 gauge HPPE liner feels nicer for fitting small parts, but shell edges, rust scale and old weld spatter can destroy thin coatings quickly. For general hull scraping we usually quote HPPE-glass-polyester-spandex at EN388 cut level C. For corroded gratings, tie wire, jagged brackets and sharp zinc anode hardware, we move the target to level D. US buyers may discuss ANSI/ISEA 105 A3 or A4, but we do not print ANSI and EN claims together unless both lab reports exist for that exact construction. The coating is the real field decision. Sandy nitrile bites better on wet painted steel than smooth nitrile. Foam nitrile feels softer but can clog with sludge, shell dust and anti-fouling residue. A double-dip palm, flat nitrile base plus sandy nitrile top, gives better palm liquid resistance and normally improves abrasion life. For this work, buyers often accept a stiffer glove if the palm reaches EN388 abrasion level 4 and the coating does not blister or peel after a 30 minute saltwater soak followed by flexing. Thumb crotch failure is common when workers pull barnacle scrapers, chain or scaffold clips. Instead of making the whole glove heavy, we normally add a nitrile thumb crotch patch or a sewn synthetic reinforcement patch. Leather patches can work, but they absorb water and dry slowly. If the glove is used near rotary wire brushes, needle scalers or grinders, we avoid loose flared cuffs unless the site safety manager approves them. Rotating tools and floppy material are a bad combination.
Wet Grip Is a Coating and Texture Decision
Wet grip on hull steel is not the same as warehouse grip. The surface may carry saltwater, algae, silt, oil sheen, rust dust and old anti-fouling powder. PU coated cut gloves are usually too slick and too thin for this work, even when the liner test result looks good. Latex crinkle grips well on concrete and some wet surfaces, but it can swell in oils, age faster under heat and sunlight, and create latex allergy issues in some tenders. Sandy nitrile is normally the first coating we sample for wet steel handling. For constant hose work, wash-down and wet chain handling, PVC dipped gloves deserve a separate trial. A 10 gauge cotton, polyester or cotton-poly liner fully dipped in PVC is less dexterous than a 13 gauge nitrile cut glove, but it handles continuous water better. Common lengths are 27 cm, 30 cm and 35 cm. A 30 cm rough-palm PVC glove can be more realistic for pressure-wash support than a short cut glove, especially when workers hold hoses, scaffold poles and wet mooring chain for long periods. There is no magic coating that stays dry inside during a 6 hour shift. Fully coated nitrile and PVC trap sweat, and damp gloves smell quickly in ship repair work. We can discuss wash additives or yarn treatments, but we will not claim antimicrobial performance unless the additive, test method and target market rules are agreed in writing. In practice, issuing two pairs per worker per shift often performs better than paying for a marketing treatment with no EN or ASTM claim behind it.
Anti-Fouling Paint and Chemical Splash Limits
Anti-fouling paint work brings solvents, copper compounds, biocides, cleaners and thinners into the PPE discussion. A nitrile-coated cut glove is not automatically a chemical glove under EN ISO 374-1:2016+A1:2018. It may resist brief palm splashes, but the knitted back, wrist and liner can wick liquid. For paint mixing, solvent wiping or handling wet coated panels, the buyer should either provide the chemical names and SDS or select a separate nitrile, neoprene or PVC chemical gauntlet with suitable permeation data. We can supply chemical-resistant styles, but we treat them as a different product family from EN388 cut gloves. A 0.38 mm to 0.50 mm unsupported nitrile gauntlet may suit some oils, greases and paint contact. A supported PVC gauntlet can suit water-based cleaning and general wet yard work. Strong solvents such as MEK, xylene, acetone and aggressive paint strippers need EN 16523-1 permeation data or equivalent lab evidence. Butyl and Viton gloves are specialist items and are not part of our normal Yiwu production range. For EU PPE, Category II mechanical gloves and Category III chemical gloves follow different conformity routes under Regulation EU 2016/425. If CE marking is required, we need the target standards before sampling, not after cartons are printed. Moving from EN388 to EN ISO 374 can change the mould, liner, compound, test budget, lead time, user instructions and carton label. This is why a cheap sample sent before the standard list is agreed often becomes useless.
Spec Details That Make Bulk Orders Work
A useful OEM specification must state liner, gauge, coating, cuff, size range, markings and target standard. A realistic starting spec is 13 gauge HPPE, glass fibre, polyester and spandex liner, double nitrile palm, sandy finish, reinforced thumb crotch, knitted wrist, sizes 7 to 11, target EN388 4X43C. If the main complaint is thumb crotch wear, add a local patch. Do not jump straight to a 10 gauge heavy liner unless the worker can still handle scraper handles, grinder switches and masking tape. Colour is a working decision, not only a branding decision. Dark grey, navy or black hides anti-fouling dust better than white HPPE. Orange, lime or blue liner backs make hands easier to see around mobile platforms and dock blocks. Pantone matching is possible on liner yarn, cuff overlock and printed logo, but dipped coating colour can shift between lab batch and mass production. We ask buyers to approve a reasonable shade tolerance because nitrile compound, curing temperature and pigment loading all affect the final colour. Marking should be agreed early. Heat transfer logos can crack on high-flex areas, so we prefer the back of hand or cuff for branding. Size marks can be woven into the cuff, printed on the back or applied by label, depending on wash and abrasion needs. For reinforced sewn styles, open seams and skipped stitches are major defects. For dipped styles, exposed liner on the palm, cracked coating, thin dip at the fingertips and mixed left or right hands are major defects.
Quality Checks Before Shipment
For industrial gloves we normally work around AQL 2.5 for major defects and AQL 4.0 for minor defects unless the buyer has a stricter inspection manual. Major defects include coating cracks through the palm, missing size marks, wrong carton label, sharp foreign matter, open seams on reinforcement patches, or left and right hand mismatch. Minor defects include slight colour variation, small printing misalignment or loose thread that does not affect use. Desk inspection is not enough for hull work. We recommend three simple field checks before approving bulk: a 30 minute saltwater soak, 10 grip cycles on wet steel pipe, and thumb crotch rubbing against a scraper handle or chain link. These are not replacements for EN388 testing, but they catch coating adhesion and grip problems that a clean sample room can miss. If the buyer has actual hull plate, barnacle waste or paint residue available, we prefer testing on that rather than a polished lab rod. Third-party testing must match the production construction. Changing from 13 gauge to 15 gauge, from foam nitrile to sandy nitrile, or from one HPPE yarn blend to another can change the EN388 result. We do not reuse an old report to support a materially different glove. If the tender needs EN388, ANSI/ISEA 105 or EN ISO 374 claims on the packaging, build the lab time and retest cost into the project before the purchase order is placed.
MOQ, Sampling and Export Packing Reality
For a new nitrile-coated cut glove, practical MOQ is usually 3,000 to 6,000 pairs per colour and size run. If the buyer accepts our existing liner and coating and only changes logo, cuff colour or bag, we may reduce that. New yarn blends, special coating colours, unusual sizes such as 6 or 12, moulded TPR impact backs and chemical claims push MOQ upward. Existing-base samples normally take 10 to 18 days. New yarn or coating trials usually need 3 to 5 weeks before a reliable sample is ready. Bulk lead time for knit-dipped gloves is commonly 35 to 55 days after sample approval and deposit. Add time if third-party EN388 or EN ISO 374 testing is required before shipment. Our usual export terms are FOB Ningbo or FOB Shanghai, with EXW Yiwu possible when the buyer consolidates PPE from several suppliers. We do not promise exact freight savings from a catalogue page because carton size, pair weight, bagging method and container loading plan all change the cube. Industrial packing is usually better than retail packing for shipyards. A practical format is 12 pairs per polybag and 120 pairs per export carton for many coated gloves, though heavy PVC gauntlets may need fewer pairs per carton. Carton labels should show SKU, size, pair count, country of origin, PO number, gross weight, net weight and carton dimensions. If the gloves go into PPE vending machines, tell us the spiral width, folded pack limit and barcode requirement before quotation. Header cards and individual bags look neat, but they increase unit cost, packing labour and carton volume.
Want a Second Opinion on Your Tech Pack?
We review around 8-12 tech packs a week from buyers comparing factories. Free, no obligation - we will flag construction issues, suggest fabric alternatives, and tell you if a quote you got elsewhere is realistic.
This guide is updated when industry conditions change - the last revision was based on Q1 2026 fabric pricing and CN-EU freight rates.