Impact Resistant Gloves

ANSI/ISEA 138 Levels 1–3 · TPR Knuckle & Finger Armour · Cut + Impact Combinations · EN 388 "P" Mark

Which impact resistant gloves should you buy in 2026?

Short answer: For general back-of-hand protection the Ergodyne ProFlex 925FX is the reference — a standard TPR layout without the bulk that makes people take gloves off. If pinch points and sharp edges come with the impact hazard, the HexArmor Chrome SLT 4073 pairs cut protection with the armour. Wet work is covered by the ProFlex 925WP and cold work by the 7521 thermal. Ratings below come from each manufacturer's listing.

Editor's pick: the ProFlex 925FX — impact gloves only work when they are worn, and this is the pair we see abandoned least often for bulk and heat.

Affiliate disclosure: WC Safety is an independent review site. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. We do not sell products directly, and no brand paid for placement.

Our methodology: how this collection was curated

The screen here is about keeping three standards apart. We record the ANSI/ISEA 138 impact level where the manufacturer states one, the ANSI/ISEA 105 cut level separately, and we never let one stand in for the other — a glove covered in TPR is not automatically cut-rated, and a high cut score says nothing about impact. We check whether TPR actually covers the fingers and thumb rather than the knuckles alone, since the back of the hand is not where most impact injuries land. We note dexterity and coating because a glove taken off is a glove providing nothing. Ratings we cannot trace to the maker's documentation are excluded, and we do not restate force figures as our own.

Impact Resistant Gloves (2026)

Hand injuries are among the most common serious injuries on any site, and the back-of-hand impacts that cause them — a wrench slipping, a pipe swinging, a hand caught between a load and a rail — are exactly what ordinary work gloves ignore. Impact gloves add molded thermoplastic rubber over the knuckles, fingers, and thumb to spread and absorb that energy. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.138 requires hand protection appropriate to the hazard without naming a rating, so the specification is yours to get right. This collection inside our hand protection hub covers TPR designs from MCR Safety, Ergodyne, and Mechanix Wear.

What this collection covers

• Ergodyne ProFlex 925FX — the everyday standard; balanced dexterity and coverage.
• ProFlex 925WP and 7521 thermal — wet and cold conditions.
• Mechanix M-Pact — the best-known TPR layout, mechanic-oriented.
• MCR Predator and ForceFlex — the largest family here.
• MCR CutPro impact and the 48406 welding impact — including sizes down to small.

Different hazard? Cut alone belongs in cut resistant gloves, tool vibration in anti-vibration gloves, and the trade-specific ranges are mechanics, welding, leather, and winter.

Impact glove comparison

How to choose impact resistant work gloves

What does an ANSI/ISEA 138 level actually tell you?

It is the North American impact standard — published through ANSI — and it classifies gloves at Level 1, 2, or 3 — Level 3 transmitting the least force. The test drops a striker onto the knuckle and finger zones and measures the force that gets through, which means the rating describes energy attenuation from a blow, not resistance to being crushed or pinched. Read the level off the manufacturer's listing rather than assuming it from how much rubber you can see; coverage area and level are different things. Our reference explainer ANSI/ISEA 138 explained covers the test in detail, and the 2019 standard guide covers its introduction.

Impact and cut are different ratings — do not assume one from the other

This is the mistake that costs people fingers. ANSI/ISEA 138 rates impact; ANSI/ISEA 105 rates cut on an A1 to A9 scale. They are independent. A glove can carry Level 3 impact armour over a shell with almost no cut resistance, or be A9 cut-rated with no impact protection at all. If your task has both hazards — rigging, glass handling, demolition — you need a glove that states both ratings, which is what the impact and cut resistant gloves in this collection provide. The cut vs impact comparison works the distinction through, and the cut level selector handles the A-scale side.

And vibration is a third standard again

Anti-vibration gloves are tested to ISO 10819 and use padding designed to damp sustained tool vibration — a different mechanism aimed at a different injury, hand-arm vibration syndrome, which develops over months rather than in an instant. TPR armour does nothing for it, and an anti-vibration glove does little against a swinging pipe. If your hazard is a grinder or breaker running for hours, go to anti-vibration gloves instead.

Will the TPR make them too bulky to work in?

It is the real trade, and it decides whether high impact gloves get worn past the first hour. Modern designs segment the rubber into small articulated pads over the knuckles rather than one solid plate, which preserves grip and finger travel. Check two things before committing a crew: whether the armour extends over the fingers and thumb — where a large share of impact injuries actually occur, not the knuckles — and whether the palm coating still lets someone pick up a bolt. A Level 3 glove that comes off to do fiddly work has a real-world protection level of zero.

Regulatory context: three standards, one glove

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.138 requires employers to select hand protection based on an assessment of the hazards present, an assessment itself mandated by 29 CFR 1910.132 — it does not mandate a specific rating, which puts the burden of picking the right scale on you. Three scales matter here and they do not overlap: ANSI/ISEA 138 for impact (Levels 1–3), ANSI/ISEA 105 for cut (A1–A9) along with abrasion and puncture, and ISO 10819 for vibration reduction. European-marked gloves add a fourth reference point: EN 388:2016 carries an optional "P" at the end of its marking string to indicate the glove passed impact testing — a pass or fail, not a graded level like ANSI 138. Our EN 388 explainer decodes the full string. If a listing shows TPR but names no standard, treat it as unrated: the armour may still help, but nothing has been measured.

What pairs with impact gloves

The work that justifies impact armour usually brings other hazards with it. Rigging and demolition add eye protection and head protection; oil and gas and heavy mechanical work often add chemical resistant gloves for specific tasks, which are a separate pair rather than a feature of these. For model-by-model picks see our best impact-resistant gloves guide.

Total cost of ownership

Impact gloves cost several times a basic work glove and last longer than the price gap suggests, because the TPR protects the shell underneath from the abrasion that usually ends a glove's life. The failure mode is different too: the shell wears through at the palm or the fingertips go before the armour does, so inspect the palm rather than the back. Two habits control the real cost. Size properly — a loose impact glove shifts on impact and puts the armour somewhere other than where the blow lands — and replace after any strike heavy enough to deform a TPR pad, since compressed rubber does not recover its rated performance.

Impact resistant gloves FAQ

What does an impact rating mean on these gloves?

Under ANSI/ISEA 138 the glove is classified Level 1, 2, or 3 based on how much force is transmitted through the knuckle and finger zones when a striker is dropped on them — Level 3 transmits the least. It describes energy attenuation from a blow, nothing else.

Do impact gloves also protect against cuts?

Only if they carry a separate cut rating. ANSI/ISEA 138 (impact) and ANSI/ISEA 105 (cut, A1–A9) are independent scales, and TPR armour on the back of the hand says nothing about the shell's cut resistance. Check for both ratings if you face both hazards.

Are impact gloves crush proof?

No, and it is an important distinction. No glove is crush-proof. ANSI/ISEA 138 measures force transmitted from a dropped striker, not resistance to a hand caught in a press or under a load. Crush hazards are controlled by guarding, procedure, and keeping hands out of the line of force — never by glove selection.

What is the difference between impact gloves and anti-vibration gloves?

Different standards for different injuries. Impact gloves (ANSI/ISEA 138) absorb a sudden blow. Anti-vibration gloves (ISO 10819) damp sustained tool vibration to reduce hand-arm vibration syndrome, which builds over months. Neither substitutes for the other.

Are anti-vibration or impact gloves required by OSHA?

OSHA 1910.138 requires hand protection appropriate to the assessed hazard but does not mandate a specific rating or product type. Selecting the right standard for your hazard is the employer's responsibility.

Will the TPR knuckle guards make the gloves bulky?

Some, but modern designs segment the rubber into articulated pads rather than one plate, which preserves grip and finger movement. Bulk that stops precise work is self-defeating — a glove removed for fiddly tasks protects nothing.

Does the armour need to cover the fingers, or are knuckles enough?

Fingers and thumbs take a large share of impact injuries, so knuckle-only coverage leaves a real gap. Check the coverage map on the listing rather than judging by the look of the back of the hand.

What is the "P" on an EN 388 marking?

An optional final character indicating the glove passed EN 388 impact testing. It is pass or fail, unlike the graded Levels 1–3 of ANSI/ISEA 138, so a "P" tells you impact was tested but not how well it performed.

Can I get impact protection in waterproof or insulated gloves?

Yes — the ProFlex 925WP is waterproof and the 7521 is thermal, both with TPR armour. Confirm the impact rating separately, since adding a membrane or liner does not change it.

How do I know if a glove is actually rated or just has rubber on it?

Look for a named standard and level on the manufacturer's listing. Plenty of gloves carry decorative or lightly protective TPR with no testing behind it. Unrated armour may still help, but nothing about it has been measured.

When should I replace impact gloves?

After any strike heavy enough to deform or split a TPR pad, since compressed rubber does not return to its rated performance, and whenever the shell wears through at the palm or fingertips — which usually happens before the armour fails.

Do impact gloves come in small sizes?

Yes — the MCR CutPro impact range includes small, and sizing matters more here than on a plain work glove. A loose glove shifts on impact and puts the armour somewhere other than where the blow lands.

Why trust WC Safety on hand protection?

WC Safety reviews workplace PPE full-time as an independent affiliate site — we do not sell products, hold no inventory, and accept no paid placements. In this category the common failure is letting one rating imply another, and we do not: impact, cut, and vibration are three standards measuring three different things, and we report each only where the manufacturer states it. We also say plainly what these gloves cannot do — nothing here is crush-proof. Standards above trace to ANSI/ISEA 138, ANSI/ISEA 105, ISO 10819, EN 388, and OSHA 29 CFR 1910.138. Reviewed by Steven Eaton, WC Safety editor. Last reviewed: July 2026.