EN 388 is a European standard that was designed to assess the performance on abrasion resistance, tear resistance, puncture resistance and cut resistance. . For cut resistance, the numerical ratings of 1 through 5 are decided by the number of cycles a rotating blade applied to the tested fabric needed to cut though the material. More rotations needed means a higher numerical cut resistance rating is given to the glove.
EN 388 Mechanical Ratings:
Rating Level 0 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Abrasion Resistance (Cycles) < 100 ≥ 100 ≥ 500 ≥ 2000 ≥ 8000 -
Cut Resistance (Cycles) < 1.2 ≥ 1.2 ≥ 2.5 ≥ 5.0 ≥ 10.0 ≥ 20.0
Tear Resistance (Newtons) < 10 ≥ 10 ≥ 25 ≥ 50 ≥ 75 -
Puncture Resistance < 20 ≥ 20 ≥ 60 ≥ 100 ≥ 150 -