Cut Resistance Levels, Explained in Grams and in Practice

The scale

ANSI/ISEA 105 cut levels are set by the cutting load in grams on the TDM test: A1 starts at 200 g, A2 at 500 g, A3 at 1,000 g, A4 at 1,500 g, A5 at 2,200 g, A6 at 3,000 g, A7 at 4,000 g, A8 at 5,000 g and A9 above 6,000 g. The steps are not even — the jump from A3 to A6 triples the load.

Matching level to work

General handling with light edge risk lives at A2–A3 — which is where most of this range's printed levels sit, because most real work sits there. Sheet metal, glass and fabrication push to A4–A5. A6 and above serve heavy, sustained cut exposure, and the price is always dexterity and comfort: a glove a crew will not wear protects nobody.

On Toughora, levels are per model and as printed — the cut line's models run mainly A2–A3, with named models at A5 and A6, and individual A7 models (ATV004D7P, FS913F7S, FM913F7) identified on their own pages.

A level belongs to a construction

A declared level belongs to a construction, not a product name. Change the liner fibre, the knit, the coating weight or the factory that makes the glove, and the honest position is that the level is unproven until the new construction is tested. Buyers should write that trigger into supply agreements: no silent construction changes. Every model here is one manufacturer's catalog model, which is what makes that clause enforceable.