Methods for Testing Glove Classes
Gloves suitable for Class 100 cleanrooms are generally made of either latex or nitrile rubber. Nitrile rubber is more widely used.
How are different classes of gloves distinguished? Currently, there is no clear international standard for glove classification. The main difference is usually the number of dust particles; gloves with more dust particles are of a lower class. The following method can be used for testing:
Take one sample of each of two different classes of gloves, slice them into 1-2 cm square pieces, and place them in clean beakers. Add an equal volume of pure water (tap water can be used if pure water is unavailable), approximately 100 ml, and stir thoroughly with a glass rod. If possible, shake for 1-2 hours. Visually inspect the pure water; a higher number of visible impurities indicates a lower class, while fewer impurities indicate a higher class. This method can distinguish between Class 100 and Class 1000 gloves, but it cannot distinguish between Class 100 and Class 10 gloves, requiring a more specialized method.