Industrial gloves are the most frequently purchased PPE item in Canadian manufacturing, construction, and operations. When workers go through dozens or hundreds of pairs per month, glove selection becomes both a safety decision and a significant procurement decision. Get it wrong and you’re either over-spending on protection the task doesn’t require, or exposing workers to hazards that inadequate gloves don’t address. This guide covers every major category of industrial safety glove available in Canada, how to match glove to hazard, and what to look for when buying at volume.
Why Glove Selection Matters More Than You Think
Hand injuries are among the most common workplace injuries in Canadian industry. According to the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada, hand and finger injuries consistently account for a significant percentage of lost-time claims across manufacturing, construction, and resource extraction. A large proportion of those injuries occur in operations where gloves are available but workers removed them — typically because the gloves were uncomfortable, poorly fitted, or inappropriate for the task.
This is the central paradox of PPE procurement: buying cheap gloves or the wrong gloves often results in workers not wearing them, which defeats the purpose entirely. The right glove for the task, in the right size, with the right fit, is worn. The wrong glove sits on the bench.
Industrial Glove Categories
1. String Knit Gloves — General Purpose
The baseline of Canadian industrial hand protection. String knit gloves are made from continuous cotton or blended yarn knitted into a seamless glove. They provide basic abrasion protection and hand coverage for light to medium-duty tasks. Available uncoated (cheapest, least protective) or with palm coatings that significantly extend their usefulness:
- Latex-coated: Improved grip on dry and wet surfaces, good for warehousing and assembly in non-oily environments
- Nitrile-coated: Oil-resistant grip — the dominant specification for Canadian automotive, MRO, and machining environments. Latex-free, suitable for all workforces
- Polyurethane (PU) coated: Thin coating for maximum dexterity in precision assembly and electronics work
String knit gloves are consumables. High-consumption operations buy by the case or pallet and treat them as freely replaceable — workers should never be rationing gloves because they’re worried about cost.
2. Leather Work Gloves — Heavy Duty
For construction, ironwork, landscaping, and heavy material handling where fabric gloves don’t provide adequate protection against rough surfaces, punctures, and abrasion. Canadian construction crews, structural steel workers, and outdoor labour teams rely on leather gloves as their standard specification.
- Split cowhide: Most common — affordable, durable, suitable for general construction and material handling
- Full-grain cowhide: Premium — longer lifespan, better abrasion resistance, worth specifying for ironwork and structural steel
- Pigskin: Best in wet conditions — remains pliable when wet, preferred by workers in rain or concrete environments
3. Cut-Resistant Gloves — Blade and Edge Hazards
The ANSI/ISEA 105 cut resistance standard rates gloves from A1 (lowest cut protection) through A9 (highest). Canadian facilities must match the glove’s cut level to the documented cut hazard in the work area — overspecifying adds unnecessary cost; underspecifying creates injury risk.
- A1–A3: Light cut hazards — box cutting, general assembly with occasional sharp components
- A4–A6: Medium cut hazards — sheet metal handling, glass processing, food processing with blades
- A7–A9: High cut hazards — automotive stamping, heavy gauge sheet metal, high-speed cutting operations
Materials include HPPE (High-Performance Polyethylene), Dyneema, Kevlar, and stainless steel mesh — often combined for different protection profiles. Canadian WorkSafeBC, WSIB, and provincial WCB programs may specify minimum cut levels for regulated tasks.
4. Chemical-Resistant Gloves — Hazardous Materials
No single glove material resists all chemicals. The correct chemical-resistant glove depends entirely on the specific chemicals involved:
- Nitrile: Oils, greases, fuels, many solvents, and dilute acids — the most common specification in Canadian industrial settings
- Neoprene: Broader chemical resistance — acids, bases, alcohols, and some solvents that nitrile doesn’t resist
- Natural rubber (latex): Good general chemical resistance but not for petroleum-based products; latex allergy risk limits use
- Butyl rubber: The highest chemical resistance for aggressive chemicals, ketones, esters, and highly corrosive materials
- PVC: Mild acids and bases; limited organic solvent resistance
Always consult the SDS (Safety Data Sheet) for each chemical you’re working with and cross-reference against the glove manufacturer’s chemical resistance chart. Canadian WHMIS regulations require this information to be available in the workplace.
5. Disposable Gloves — Hygiene and Cross-Contamination Prevention
For food processing, healthcare, laboratory, and automotive detailing where a fresh pair is required for each task or worker:
- Nitrile: Dominant in Canadian food processing and industrial applications — latex-free, good chemical resistance, puncture-resistant
- Latex: Best tactile sensitivity for medical and dental applications; not suitable where latex allergies exist
- Vinyl: Most economical; appropriate for low-risk, short-duration food service tasks
6. Heat-Resistant Gloves — Thermal Hazards
For welding, foundry work, glass handling, and any application involving hot surfaces or molten material. Protection levels are rated in EN 407 (European standard, widely referenced in Canada) or ANSI specifications covering contact heat, convective heat, and radiant heat resistance. Material ranges from leather welding gauntlets to aluminized fabric for radiant heat applications.
The Right Glove for the Right Task: A Decision Framework
- Identify the hazard: Cut, puncture, chemical, heat, abrasion, or combination
- Determine the dexterity requirement: Fine assembly needs thin, tactile gloves; material handling tolerates bulk
- Check regulatory requirements: Provincial WCB regulations may mandate specific protection levels for certain tasks
- Consider the consumption rate: High-turnover applications need economical gloves; lower-frequency tasks with high hazards justify premium specifications
- Fit and comfort: Stock sizes that cover your workforce — workers remove gloves that don’t fit
Buying Industrial Gloves Wholesale in Canada
Wi-Supply supplies the full range of industrial safety gloves to Canadian facilities — string knit (uncoated, latex, nitrile, PU coated), leather (split and full-grain), cut-resistant (multiple ANSI levels), chemical-resistant (nitrile, neoprene, butyl), and disposable (nitrile, latex, vinyl) — from Canadian inventory with same-day shipping. We supply by the dozen, the case, and the pallet, with pricing built for production-scale consumption. Contact us to discuss the right specification for your operation and get a wholesale quote.
