Reference

European gloves wear an EN 388 shield with digits and letters; US gloves wear ANSI/ISEA 105 cut levels A1-A9. Both now use the same TDM cut test, which makes honest conversion possible: EN letter grades in newtons map onto ANSI gram levels. Here is the conversion table, a worked 4X42C decode, and the impact-rating caveat.

The EN 388 shield-and-numbers mark on a work glove encodes its mechanical protection, but only if you can read it. This guide decodes every position of the EN 388:2016 rating, abrasion, cut, tear, puncture, the ISO 13997 cut letter, and impact, explains why the cut number changed, and maps EN 388 to the ANSI/ISEA 105 scale.