Welding gloves and clothing
The label with the standard number tells you more than the look or the price. Below: what the EN ISO 11611, EN 12477, EN 388 and EN 407 markings mean — and what must never be worn to weld at all.
Short answer
- Clothing — EN ISO 11611, class 1 or 2 depending on how much spatter there is.
- Gloves — EN 12477, type A for MMA and MAG, type B for TIG.
- Footwear — EN ISO 20345, class S3 with an HRO outsole and a closed upper.
- Helmet — EN 175 for the shell, EN 379 for the filter, shade number matched to the current.
The standards and their markings
| Standard | What it covers | Marking |
|---|---|---|
| EN ISO 11611 | Protective clothing for welding | class 1 / class 2 |
| EN ISO 11612 | Clothing against heat and flame | A B C D E F |
| EN 388 | Gloves — mechanical risks | abcd |
| EN 407 | Gloves — thermal risks | abcdef |
| EN ISO 20345 | Safety footwear | S1 · S2 · S3 · HRO |
| EN 175 · EN 379 | Eye and face protection for welding | DIN 9–13 |
Class 1 or class 2
EN ISO 11611 splits clothing into two classes by how much spatter and radiant heat it has to withstand. Class 1 is enough where spatter is light: TIG, thin sheet, currents up to roughly a hundred amps. Class 2 is for MMA and MAG at higher currents, for positional work, and anywhere spatter flies upwards and down your collar.
A practical test: if you find burnt pinholes on the sleeves at the end of a shift, the class was too low — or the garment is simply worn out. The fabric loses its protective properties after years of washing, and burnt holes do not grow back.
Gloves: type A or type B
EN 12477 is the standard written specifically for welding gloves and it distinguishes two types. Type A — more heat resistance at the cost of feel, for covered electrodes and semi-automatic work. Type B — more dexterity at the cost of protection, for TIG, where the filler rod is fed with the fingers.
The same glove carries two further markings. The four digits of EN 388 describe mechanical risks: abrasion, cut, tear, puncture. The six digits of EN 407 describe thermal risks, and for a welder the last two count most: resistance to small splashes and to large quantities of molten metal.
Skin soaked with sweat or water conducts. Welding in damp conditions, lying down or in confined spaces, that is one of the real routes to a shock — which is why gloves are not used wet, and why work in such conditions carries the extra measures set out under electrical safety.
What must never be worn
Synthetics underneath. Polyester and nylon do not burn — they melt. The melt sticks to the skin and the burn goes deeper than the spatter alone would take it. Underwear for welding is cotton or wool, and that includes socks.
Oily clothing. Oil and grease on a garment are fuel. The same jacket that shrugs off spatter when clean will catch fire once stained.
Pockets and turn-ups facing upwards. Spatter finds every open pocket and rolled-up sleeve, and stays there. Trousers go over the boot, never tucked into it.
Exposed laces and ankles. That is where most foot burns come from: a drop finds its way inside the boot and there is no way to fish it out wearing gloves.
The rest of the kit
Eye protection and choosing the shade — the welding helmet and the DIN shade calculator. The respiratory protection that clothing cannot replace — masks and powered air. The whole kit in one place — personal protective equipment.
Frequently asked questions
Will ordinary workwear do for welding?
No. Welding clothing has to meet EN ISO 11611 — the point is that the fabric must not sustain a flame and that spatter must not lodge in it. Plain cotton overalls burn, and polyester melts and sticks to the skin; a burn from molten synthetic heals worse than one from the spatter itself.
What is the difference between a type A and a type B glove?
Heat resistance against feel. EN 12477 splits welding gloves into type A — thicker, for MMA and MAG where there is more spatter — and type B, thinner and more sensitive, for TIG, where the filler is fed with the fingers. Type B on covered electrodes means burnt hands; type A on TIG means filler on the floor.
What do the digits on a glove mean?
The four digits under the hammer pictogram are EN 388: abrasion, cut, tear and puncture — higher is better, usually on a 0–4 or 0–5 scale. The six digits under the flame are EN 407: burning behaviour, contact heat, convective heat, radiant heat, small splashes and large quantities of molten metal. For a welder the last two matter most.
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