Thermal degradation is the deterioration of the glove in contact with heat: an alteration of its physical properties (eg softening, hardening, etc.).
The heat degradation resistance performance rating of a glove measures the exposure temperature at which a glove will show no significant heat degradation. When a glove is tested in accordance with the International Organization for Standardization ISO 17493:2000, the heat degradation resistance is classified as shown below:
| Level | Highest temperature (°C) where no charring, ignition, melting, dripping, separation or shrinkage in excess of 5% is observed |
|---|---|
| 0 | < 100 |
| 1 | 100 |
| 2 | 180 |
| 3 | 260 |
| 4 | 340 |
The higher the reported temperatures, the greater the heat degradation resistance.
The American National Standards Institute / International Safety Equipment Association (ANSI/ISEA) 105-2016 American National Standard for Hand Protection Classification is the latest revision of a voluntary consensus standard first published in 1999, and revised in 2005, 2011 and 2016.
This standard addresses the classification and testing of hand protection for specific performance properties related to chemical and industrial applications. It provides, or refers to, appropriate test methods and provides pass/fail criteria used by manufacturers to classify their products. End users can use this information to review the documentation received from their supplier to help verify the gloves they are considering meet their needs.