Coating guide: Nitrile

Let's start our specialised guide with this first part focussing on nitrile. The guide will be divided into several instalments looking at different work glove coatings.
Examples of work gloves given below are just a sample of the many options in our catalogue for each use and solution. You can check out all our nitrile-coated work gloves here.
Definition: Nitrile is an alternative synthetic to natural latex, widely used in manufacturing work gloves.

Its classic features include:
- Excellent abrasion resistance.
- Magnificent performance working with solvents, oil, diesel and animal fats.
- Protein-free, it avoids allergy-related skin problems.
- Recommended for applications where grip is fundamental in wet and dry environments.
- Work gloves can be coated in nitrile on the palm, up to half the back of the hand or completely.
- In addition, different nitrile coatings can be watertight, porous, rough and bipolymer, depending on their purpose.

The main nitrile glove finishes are listed below:

1. WATERTIGHT FINISH Does not let liquids i

Example: AC5-440 JUNIT. Smooth Nitrile. Seamless Nylon® glove with nitrile coating on palm

2. POROUS FINISH: It gives more grip and breathability than the smooth finish

Foam Nitrile
Widely used in construction, industry, agriculture, general assembly, electronics and gardening.
It uses a chemical to create small holes in the surface, making it smoother and more breathable

Example: 5150 JUNIT FLEX. Seamless Nylon® glove with microporous foam nitrile coating on palm

Nitrile NFT
Work glove with a revolutionary grip in any situation. Good protection for dry or slightly oily situations, the micro-capillaries on its finish help liquid pour out more quickly, giving great grip

Example: 5111 NFT AGILITY. Seamless Nylon® + elastane (spandex) glove with full NFT coating.

Nitrile Microfinish

Example: AG503 ACTIVGRIP SERIES. Seamless Nylon® glove with full nitrile Microfinish® coating. Microfinish® technology provides great grip thanks to its smooth, flexible composition. Full of thousands of microscopic bubbles that act like suckers and create a vacuum that improves the grip under a wide range of wet and oily conditions.

Nitrile dots

Example: H5112 AGILITY DOTS. Seamless Nylon® + Lycra® fibre glove with ultralight foam nitrile coating and nitrile dots on palm

3. ROUGH FINISH: Maximum grip and waterproofing on heavy applications.

Example: 5114 AGILITY DRY Waves® Rough Nitrile. Nylon® glove with double nitrile covering. The first layer makes it watertight and the second provides grip in wet and oily situations.

4. BIPOLYMER: New technology that provides extreme grip (nitrile + aqueous based polyurethane)
It would be better to call it sponge or spongy texture, and it is normally manufactured using nitrile compounds. Its elasticity makes the gloves long-lasting and comfortable although it is less resistant to abrasion than the smooth finish.

Example: 4115 AGILITY T-TOUCH. Nylon®/Elastane glove coated in nitrile in combination with water-based polyurethane with T-Touch® technology.

We will carry on analysing different work glove finishes next week. Thanks for following us!