Work Gloves: Which Type for Which Job, and Why One Pair Isn't Enough
The UK homeowner's guide to work gloves for construction. Rigger, grip, cut-resistant, and chemical-resistant types explained. From ~£1.50 per pair.
Wet concrete has a pH above 12. That's more alkaline than bleach. It doesn't burn immediately, which is the problem. Cement slurry seeps through standard work gloves, sits against your skin for an hour, and by the evening you've got chemical burns that blister and crack. Severe cases require skin grafts. This happens every year on UK building sites because people grab whatever gloves are nearest instead of the right ones for the job.
Work gloves aren't a single product. They're four or five different products, each designed for a specific hazard. You'll need more than one type during an extension build, and the cheapest ones cost less than a pint.
What they are and when you need them
Work gloves protect your hands against mechanical hazards (cuts, abrasion, puncture, splinters) and chemical hazards (cement, solvents, adhesives). The type you need depends entirely on what you're handling.
The most common gloves on UK building sites aren't the chunky leather rigger gloves you'd expect. They're thin, coated grip gloves, usually nitrile or latex over a nylon liner. These give decent protection against rough materials while letting you pick up screws, operate a phone, and feel what you're doing. Rigger gloves still have their place for heavy, rough work, but the industry has moved on for everyday tasks.
Every pair of work gloves sold in the UK carries an EN 388 rating, a European standard for mechanical protection that remains in UK law. It looks like a string of numbers and letters printed on the cuff or label, something like "4X43C." That code tells you exactly how the glove performed in lab tests. Here's how to read it.
EN 388:2016
The five-position code on every work glove. Position 1: abrasion resistance (1-4, higher is tougher). Position 2: blade cut resistance using the Coup Test (1-5). Position 3: tear resistance (1-4). Position 4: puncture resistance (1-4). Position 5: straight-blade cut using ISO 13997 (A-F, with F being highest). An "X" means not tested. For general construction, look for at least 3/X/3/3 on the first four digits.
You don't need to memorise that. But when you're comparing two pairs of gloves at Screwfix and one says "4X43C" and the other says "2121X," you now know the first pair is dramatically more protective. The abrasion number (first digit) matters most for construction. Anything rated 3 or 4 will handle blocks, bricks, and timber without shredding in a day.
Types and when to use each one
There's no universal glove. Anyone who tells you to buy one pair of rigger gloves and use them for everything hasn't poured concrete or handled mineral wool insulation. Here are the types you'll actually encounter.
| Type | Typical price | Best for | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| PU/nitrile-coated grip gloves | £1-3/pair | General handling: timber, blocks, bricks, fixings. Everyday site work. | Minimal cut protection. Not waterproof. |
| Leather rigger gloves | £2-8/pair | Heavy rough work: loading skips, shifting rubble, handling sharp timber offcuts. | Poor dexterity. One-size-fits-all on cheap models. Hot in summer. |
| Cut-resistant gloves (Level D-F) | £5-15/pair | Handling sheet steel, lintels, cut metal edges, broken glass. | Stiffer. Overkill for timber and blockwork. |
| Chemical-resistant gauntlets (EN 374) | £3-13/pair | Concrete, mortar, cement, solvents, adhesives. Anything with a pH that'll burn. | Bulky. Reduced dexterity. Not for precision tasks. |
| Disposable nitrile (100-pack) | £13-22/box | Under-layer beneath heavier gloves. Quick dirty jobs. Painting. | Zero mechanical protection. Tear easily on rough surfaces. |
Grip gloves are your default. A nitrile-coated or PU-coated glove over a thin nylon liner gives you Level 3-4 abrasion resistance, reasonable tear protection, and enough dexterity to operate your phone's touchscreen. Nitrile coatings work with touchscreens; latex coatings don't. That matters more than you'd think when you're on site taking photos or checking measurements on your phone.
The ATG MaxiFlex Ultimate 42-874 is the benchmark. It's the most recommended construction glove across UK trade forums and specialist retailers. Level 4 abrasion resistance, micro-foam nitrile coating for grip in dry and slightly damp conditions, breathable back. Around £3 a pair. Lasts up to three times longer than standard foam nitrile coatings according to the manufacturer's testing.
For budget grip gloves, the Portwest A120 PU Palm runs from about £0.38 per pair in bulk. Level 4 abrasion. Thin, dexterous, widely used on UK sites for general handling. Buy a pack of twelve and treat them as consumables.
Rigger gloves are the traditional leather-palmed construction glove with a fabric back and a leather knuckle strip. They're tougher than grip gloves for abrasion and puncture, but you lose most of your fine motor control. Use them for loading the skip, shifting rubble, handling timber with protruding nails, or any rough manual work where dexterity doesn't matter. A basic pair from Toolstation costs £2. DeWalt premium riggers run about £7.5.
Cut-resistant gloves are what you need when handling steel lintels, metal flashing, cut sheet metal, or anything with a sharp edge that would slice through a standard grip glove. Look for ISO 13997 Level C or above (the fifth character in the EN 388 code). The TraffiGlove TG5060 offers Level 5 cut protection with Level 4 abrasion and tear, around £5 – £8 per pair. Screwfix's own-brand cut-resistant glove at Level E costs about £5.
Concrete and cement: the gloves most people get wrong
This deserves its own section because getting it wrong causes real injury.
Portland cement has a pH above 12 when wet. Standard grip gloves and rigger gloves are not designed for chemical protection. Cement slurry will soak through them and sit against your skin. Burns develop slowly over hours, often going unnoticed until the damage is done. The HSE requires EN 374-certified gloves for cement and concrete work, not just any nitrile-coated glove.
EN 374 is a separate standard from EN 388. It tests chemical permeation: how quickly a substance passes through the glove material and reaches your skin. The HSE specifically requires gloves that are "waterproof and suitable for use with high pH (alkaline) substances, marked with EN 374:2003 and tested for use with alkalis and bases (class K)."
Standard nitrile grip gloves look similar to chemical-resistant nitrile gauntlets. They're not the same thing. A grip glove has a thin nitrile coating designed for mechanical grip, not chemical barrier. It'll saturate within minutes of contact with wet concrete.
What you need: EN 374-certified nitrile or PVC gauntlets with a long cuff that extends past the wrist. The cuff must be tight-fitting or long enough that concrete can't get trapped between the glove and your skin. Trapped cement against skin is worse than no gloves at all because it holds the alkaline material in contact and you can't feel it happening.
The Showa 747 nitrile chemical gauntlet at Toolstation costs about £12. The Ejendals Tegera 10PG (PVC, safety cuff) is a specialist option recommended by multiple UK suppliers for concrete work. At the budget end, the Portwest A310 nitrile flexo grip in a 12-pack works out to about £0.41 per pair for lighter concrete contact work, though these lack the long gauntlet cuff of the Showa.
Keep a dedicated pair of EN 374 gauntlets in a sealed bag for concrete days. Don't mix them in with your general grip gloves. Label the bag. When the concrete lorry arrives, you'll be glad you can grab the right pair without hunting.
How to use them properly
Fit matters more than price. A glove that's too tight restricts blood flow and causes hand fatigue within thirty minutes. One that's too loose bunches in the palm, reduces grip, and can snag on materials. Most coated grip gloves come in sizes from S (7) to XXL (11). Measure around your palm just below the knuckles with a tape measure. That measurement in inches is your glove size.
Budget rigger gloves are often one-size-fits-all, which means they fit nobody properly. If you're going to rely on riggers for heavy work, spend the extra for a sized pair.
Layering works. The community consensus from tradespeople is that a thin disposable nitrile glove worn inside a heavier outer glove gives you warmth, an extra barrier layer, and keeps the outer glove cleaner (extending its life). In cold weather, silk liner gloves achieve the same thing. This is cheaper than buying expensive thermal gloves.
Carry two types. Keep a pair of grip gloves and a pair of rigger gloves on site at all times. Switch between them based on the task. Add chemical gauntlets for any concrete or mortar mixing days, and cut-resistant gloves for steelwork days. Having the right glove for the job isn't fussy, it's the same principle as using the right drill bit.
Replace when worn. Grip gloves at £1 – £3 per pair are consumables. When the coating wears through on the palm (you'll see the white nylon liner showing through), the glove has lost its grip and most of its abrasion resistance. Bin it. A pair lasts a few days of heavy use or a few weeks of light use.
When to take them OFF
Never wear any gloves near rotating machinery. This includes bench-mounted drills, angle grinders with exposed discs, and lathes. The HSE explicitly prohibits gloves near rotating equipment because the fabric or coating can snag and drag your hand into the machine. This applies to all glove types, even thin disposable nitrile. Bare hands only when operating or working close to rotating tools. Loose cuffs and dangling straps are the main entanglement risk.
This catches people out. You'd think gloves protect you from everything. Near a spinning disc or rotating chuck, they make things worse. A bare finger touching a spinning drill bit will get a friction burn. A glove snagging on that same bit can pull your whole hand in. The HSE's guidance is unambiguous: no gloves near rotating machinery.
For work with an SDS drill or combi drill held in your hands (not bench-mounted), gloves are fine and recommended when handling the rough materials you're drilling into. The risk is specifically with exposed rotating parts you could reach into.
What to buy
For a homeowner managing an extension, here's the practical shopping list.
Everyday grip gloves (buy first). ATG MaxiFlex Ultimate 42-874 at around £3 per pair if you want the best. Portwest A120 at under £1 per pair in bulk if you want value. Either way, buy at least five pairs. You'll go through them. Screwfix stocks their own-brand Site PU Palm at £1.48 per pair or £11.99 for a 10-pack, which is the easiest grab-and-go option.
Rigger gloves (one or two pairs). Toolstation's unbranded Canadian rigger at £2 handles skip-loading and rubble. The DeWalt premium rigger at £7.5 is noticeably better-built if you want something that lasts more than a few heavy sessions.
Chemical-resistant gauntlets (one pair, essential if concrete/mortar work is happening). Showa 747 nitrile gauntlet at £12 from Toolstation. Long cuff, EN 374 certified. Buy before the first concrete pour.
Cut-resistant gloves (one pair if handling steel lintels or metal flashing). Screwfix Site cut-resistant at about £5 Level E protection.
Total outlay for a full set: roughly £25 – £35. That covers you for the entire build with grip gloves to spare. Replace grip gloves as they wear out, about £10 – £15 over a typical 4-6 month build.
Screwfix and Toolstation both let you try gloves on in store. Do it. Five minutes checking the fit of a £3 glove saves weeks of hand fatigue from wearing the wrong size.
Handling insulation
Mineral wool (Rockwool, Knauf) deserves a mention because the glove requirement is different from what people expect. Mineral wool fibres cause mechanical skin irritation, not chemical burns. The itching and rash come from tiny glass or rock fibres embedding in skin. Standard grip gloves handle this fine. The key is to also wear long sleeves tucked into the gloves so fibres can't reach your forearms.
PIR insulation boards (Celotex, Kingspan) have sharp aluminium-foil-faced edges that'll slice bare hands. Cut-resistant gloves are overkill. Standard grip gloves are enough, but make sure the coating covers the fingertips.
Where you'll need this
Work gloves are needed across nearly every phase of an extension or renovation project:
- Skip hire and site setup - hand protection when handling rough rubble, timber with nails, and loading the skip
- Foundations and footings - protection when handling rough materials and wet concrete (EN 374 gauntlets essential here)
- Walls and blockwork - handling rough blocks, bricks, and mixing mortar
- Steels and lintels - cut-resistant gloves for sharp steel edges and heavy lifting
- Insulation - protection against mineral wool fibres and sharp PIR board edges
Gloves are the PPE item you'll replace most often during a build. Keep a stash of grip gloves on site so there's always a fresh pair available. They're cheap enough that running out is a choice, not a budget problem.