Heat Resistant Gloves

Which heat resistant gloves match your hot work — honestly?

Short answer: heat resistant gloves are rated products in principle — EN 407 codes and contact-temperature numbers — but an honest reading of this six-listing shelf finds none of the listings state a temperature rating, so this page matches by stated construction instead. The SpecxArmor aluminized kevlar welding glove is the radiant-heat shape; Ironclad HEATWORX states a silicone palm for grip-on-hot-parts work; the Wells Lamont para-aramid states heat-and-flame resistant fiber; and three Ergodyne ProFlex entries bring stated ANSI cut levels (A4–A7) with contact-heat construction. True welding leathers live on welding gloves; the category master is hand protection.

Editor's pick — SpecxArmor aluminized Kevlar
The radiant-heat silhouette — aluminized backing over kevlar for foundry-adjacent and welding duty; verify its temperature limits against the manufacturer sheet before molten-metal proximity. Read the full listing.

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Heat-Resistant Gloves — High-Temperature Work Gloves for Welding and Industrial Use

Heat-resistant gloves protect workers from burn injuries caused by contact with hot surfaces, molten metals, open flames, radiant heat, and hot liquids encountered in welding, foundry work, glass handling, furnace operations, bakery and food service, metal casting, and any industrial process involving high-temperature materials. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.138 requires appropriate hand protection when employees' hands are exposed to hazards including severe burns from heat, and ANSI/ISEA 105 provides standardized testing methods for heat and flame resistance that allow objective comparison of heat-resistant glove performance across manufacturers and models.

Welding gloves are the most widely used heat-resistant gloves in industrial settings, designed specifically for the combination of radiant heat, spattering molten metal (spatter), hot workpiece contact, and occasional direct flame exposure encountered in MIG, TIG, and stick welding operations. Leather construction — typically split cowhide, goatskin, or premium pigskin — provides the combination of heat resistance, spatter resistance, and tactile sensitivity needed for controlling welding equipment precisely while protecting against the thermal hazards. TIG welding gloves use thinner, more supple leather that preserves the fine motor control needed for TIG torch manipulation at the cost of some thermal mass; MIG and stick welding gloves use heavier leather construction for greater thermal protection against the higher spatter and heat outputs of these processes.

ANSI/ISEA 105 Thermal Contact Heat Resistance rating (formerly the Contact Heat designation) measures the threshold time in seconds at a given contact temperature at which a thermal transfer sensor reaches 10°C above ambient through the glove — a higher rating indicates better contact heat protection. Level 1 through Level 4 contact heat ratings correspond to performance at 100°C through 250°C contact temperatures. The ANSI 105 Convective Heat rating measures resistance to hot air convection (flameproof performance); the Radiant Heat rating measures resistance to infra-red radiant heat from furnaces and molten metal surfaces. Selecting gloves with ratings matched to the specific heat source type and temperature encountered in the application ensures appropriate protection without overspecifying unnecessarily thick or unwieldy gloves.

Aluminized gloves — gloves with a metallized foil outer layer over fiberglass or similar insulating fabric — provide superior radiant heat protection for foundry, furnace, and high-radiant-intensity environments where other glove constructions cannot provide adequate protection from intense radiant heat exposure without the foil's reflective layer. The aluminized surface reflects up to 95% of radiant heat rather than absorbing it, allowing the wearer to work near very high-temperature heat sources that would rapidly overheat a non-reflective glove. Aluminized gloves are typically used in continuous furnace charging, glass blowing, aluminum casting, and similar operations with sustained intense radiant heat exposure.

Our heat-resistant glove collection covers welding gloves in TIG, MIG, and stick configurations, oven and furnace gloves, aluminized high-temperature gloves, and cut/heat combination gloves for applications requiring both thermal and cut protection simultaneously. All gloves are rated with ANSI/ISEA 105 thermal performance levels to allow direct comparison and appropriate selection for specific temperature and heat exposure scenarios.

All six listings, by stated construction

Construction	Listing	Stated rating
Aluminized Kevlar	SpecxArmor Graywolf	Welding duty; no temp stated
Silicone palm	Ironclad HEATWORX	No temp stated
Para-aramid	Wells Lamont industrial	Heat & flame fiber; no temp stated
Cut-rated contact-heat knits	Ergodyne 7042 / 7070	ANSI A4–A7 cut; no temp stated

Welding-specific leathers are compared in the welding glove guide.

One catalog conflict is disclosed rather than smoothed: two records carry the same Ergodyne model number 7042 with different stated cut levels (A4 on one, A5 on the other) — verify the printed rating on the pair you receive. And the general rule stands: a glove without a stated temperature rating gets treated as unrated, whatever its fibers suggest.

Our methodology

The construction claims above are quoted from the six member listings; the missing numbers are named too — zero listings state a °F limit or EN 407 code, so this page refuses to invent one and routes rating-critical work to manufacturer sheets. The prior page’s disposable-glove FAQ described none of these products; replaced. Hand-protection rules come from OSHA 29 CFR 1910.138 and rating context from NIOSH skin/hand exposure guidance. We do not test gloves and hold no safety certification.

Why trust this page

WC Safety is an independent review site with no products of its own — nothing here is stocked, warehoused or shipped by us. Purchase links go to Amazon and earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you; no manufacturer pays for placement, which is why this page quotes only the ratings each listing states and names the gaps where a listing states none.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do EN 407 ratings on heat gloves mean?

EN 407 scores six heat hazards — flammability, contact heat, convective, radiant, small and large molten-metal splash — each 1–4. A glove marked 4231XX tells you exactly what it survives. None of the six listings here state an EN 407 code, which is itself the key buying fact.

How hot can these gloves actually handle?

Honestly: NOT STATED. No listing on this shelf publishes a contact-temperature limit, so treat each as unrated until you pull the manufacturer’s data sheet — and never take fiber names as numbers.

What is an aluminized glove for?

Radiant heat — the mirror-finish backing reflects it before it soaks the insulation, which is why foundry and heavy welding gloves go aluminized. The SpecxArmor entry here is that shape, over a kevlar shell.

Kevlar vs para-aramid — what is the difference?

None in chemistry — Kevlar is a branded para-aramid. Both char rather than melt and resist flame; the Wells Lamont listing states the generic fiber, the SpecxArmor the brand.

What does a silicone palm add?

Grip on hot, smooth parts — silicone keeps tack where leather glazes. The Ironclad HEATWORX states it for exactly that pull-it-out-of-the-fixture duty.

Can I weld in these?

The SpecxArmor states welding duty. For stick and MIG at volume, the dedicated welding-glove shelf carries the split-leather patterns; TIG wants thin goatskin for feel. Match the process, not the adjective.

Why do cut-rated gloves sit on a heat shelf?

Because hot work and sharp work overlap — the Ergodyne entries state ANSI A4–A7 cut with contact-heat construction for handling hot stampings and castings. Their cut numbers are stated; their heat numbers are not, and the page treats them accordingly.

What about molten metal splash?

Only a stated EN 407 molten-metal score belongs near that hazard, and nothing on this shelf states one — foundry pour work needs gloves specified from manufacturer data, not category adjectives.

Do heat gloves expire?

They fail by wear: crushed insulation, cracked aluminization, glazed palms. Inspect before hot work the way you would inspect a lifting sling — the failure mode is a burn.

Are oven mitts a substitute for industrial heat gloves?

No — mitts sacrifice grip and dexterity and carry kitchen-grade expectations. Industrial hot work needs five-finger control and known limits.

How should heat resistant gloves fit?

Looser than work gloves — an air gap is insulation, and a quick doff matters if heat soaks through. Gauntlet cuffs cover the wrist gap where sparks land.

What does OSHA require for hot-work hand protection?

1910.138’s hazard-appropriate rule again — for thermal burns that means gloves whose rated limits meet the measured task temperatures, which is precisely why unrated listings get flagged here instead of praised.

Related Safety Gear & Guides

Standards & references
Selection guidance on this page is mapped to these primary sources:

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.138 — Hand Protection

Cited for reference only. Standards text is not a substitute for a written program, a hazard assessment, or evaluation by a qualified safety professional.

Researched and written by Steven Eaton, editor of WC Safety. Steven holds no safety certification and does not test products; this page compares what manufacturers publish, with the gaps in that record marked. Last reviewed July 2026.

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