Written by the PRIMEAG engineering team — 10 years fitting out electronics factories and cleanrooms. Updated 09/2026.
Summary: An electronics factory with 1,000 operators goes through 30,000–60,000 pairs of gloves a month, and most get it wrong in one of two directions: buying (expensive) carbon ESD gloves for areas that don’t need ESD, or buying ordinary PU-coated gloves for the EPA and then getting flagged at audit. This article sorts 12 glove types by process step — picking components, handling, visual inspection, cleanroom, chemicals, heat — together with the signs that the wrong glove has been chosen.
1. Four questions to ask before choosing
- Is there a resistance requirement (ESD audit)? Yes → only carbon gloves or ESD nitrile. No → ordinary PU-coated gloves are 30 % cheaper.
- What do the hands mostly do: fine picking or gripping? Fine picking → fingertip-coated (Top). Gripping, loading and stacking → palm-coated (Palm).
- Cleanroom class? ISO 5–6 → 12″ Class 100 nitrile/latex. ISO 7–8 → PU-coated is acceptable. Standard shop floor → anything goes.
- Is there oil, chemicals, heat or sharp edges? Yes → a specialist glove, not the PU-coated family.
2. Selection table by process step
| Process step | Recommended glove | Why | Often wrongly replaced by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Picking 0402–0603 components, loading reels, board rework inside the EPA | Carbon Top (10⁵–10⁸ Ω) | Sensitive fingertips, carbon yarn gives a measurable value | Ordinary Grey Top (not measurable) |
| General assembly outside the EPA, dry stores | Grey Top | Cheapest of the fingertip-coated range | Carbon Top (30 % more expensive, not needed) |
| Visual inspection, finished-goods packing, white rooms | White Top or White Palm | White shows dirt → changed at the right time | Grey (hides dirt, so dirty gloves touch product) |
| Heavy handling, stacking trays, packing cartons | Grey Palm; inside the EPA → Carbon Palm | PU on the palm grips better and lasts twice as long | Fingertip-coated (wears quickly, slippery) |
| Inspecting displays, glass, glossy housings, lenses | Super-fine gloves | No scratches, no fingerprints | Cotton (sheds lint, leaves marks) |
| ISO 5–6 cleanrooms, sensitive SMT, pharma | 12″ Class 100 nitrile | No lint, no particles, long cuff tucks under the sleeve | 9″ medical nitrile (particles, too short) |
| Wiping oil, IPA, light acetone, maintenance | 9″ black nitrile | Resists mild solvents, hides dirt | Latex (not oil-resistant) |
| Dry goods, transport, liners inside rubber gloves | Uncoated liner gloves, cotton | Cheapest, breathable | PU-coated (more than you need) |
| Mixing chemicals, cleaning tanks, heavy oil | Ansell 37-176 / AlphaTec | EN 374 — check the permeation chart for each chemical | Thin disposable nitrile (breaks through within minutes) |
| Removing boards after reflow, changing hot moulds | Aramid 300–500 °C | Withstands short contact heat | Leather gloves (scorch, stiffen) |
| Cutting sheet metal, glass, blades | Cut level 5 | HPPE, still dexterous | Thick knitted gloves (cut straight through) |
| Working in electrical panels | Class 00/0 electrical insulating gloves | Insulating ≠ anti-static | ESD gloves (conductive — dangerous) |
3. Signs the factory is buying the wrong gloves
- The whole plant uses a single glove type — which means 60 % of positions are using a glove that is either more expensive or less capable than they need.
- Carbon gloves but no wrist straps or ESD floor — the glove only conducts charge; without a path to ground it is pointless.
- PU-coated gloves in the cleanroom — pharma and optics auditors will flag them because of polyester lint.
- Gloves changed on a schedule (1 pair per day) rather than by condition — white gloves let you change at the right time and save 15–20 %.
4. Three frequently asked questions
What is Overlock, and do we need it? An overlocked cuff edge that won’t fray. Needed where components or optics are exposed; not needed on a standard shop floor.
What does 13G mean? 13 needles per inch — the standard knit density for PU-coated gloves. 15G is finer (super-fine gloves), 10G is thicker (knitted work gloves).
Can PU-coated gloves be washed and reused? Yes, 1–2 times at 40 °C, but the PU gradually stiffens; most factories use them for 1–2 shifts and then replace them, because a new pair costs less than the washing.
Send your list of positions and headcount through the contact form — PRIMEAG will draw up a glove matrix by process step and quote per carton the same day.