EN 388 vs ANSI/ISEA 105: Two Cut Rating Systems, Read Properly
Europe rates cut gloves by EN 388; North America by ANSI/ISEA 105. The letters and numbers look convertible. They are not — and treating them as if they were is how misspecified gloves get bought.
Two systems, two test philosophies
EN 388:2016 reports four mechanical properties as a string of characters under the shield pictogram: abrasion (0–4), circular-blade cut (0–5, often X), tear (0–4), puncture (0–4), then — for gloves tested on the TDM-100 machine — a straight-blade cut letter from A to F, and optionally P for impact pass. ANSI/ISEA 105 rates cut on the same TDM principle but reports a single gram-based level from A1 to A9.
Because the EN circular-blade test dulls on high-performance fibres, the TDM letter is the figure that matters for HPPE, steel-fibre and aramid gloves — and it is the figure comparable in spirit (never by formula) to the ANSI level.
Why there is no honest conversion table
Any chart that maps EN letters to ANSI levels one-to-one is inventing precision. The tests differ in blade, load protocol and reporting. A glove can legitimately carry both marks from separate tests; what it cannot do is derive one from the other.
How we handle this on Toughora: each model page reproduces the values its manufacturer's catalog actually prints — the EN 388 string, and the ANSI level where the catalog prints one. Nothing is converted, and nothing is inferred.
How Toughora states levels
Every rating on this site belongs to one model and one catalog entry, and the model's CE / test report is available on request — report numbers and documents are provided per model when you inquire. Where a catalog lists a model with conflicting values, we publish no rating for that model at all rather than pick the better figure. That is slower. It is also the only version of a rating worth specifying against.
Related lines
Short answers
Can I convert an EN 388 letter to an ANSI level?
Not reliably. Treat them as separate test results. If your specification needs an ANSI level, buy a model whose catalog prints one and ask for its report.
Which figure should a European buyer use?
The EN 388 TDM letter (the fifth character), read with the full string — abrasion, tear and puncture matter for service life.
Put the guide to work
Send your task and hazard list. The reply maps it to models with printed, report-backed specifications.