How Anti-Slash Clothing Is Tested

Do the clothing really protect against blade cut?

Not only does our anti-slash clothing protect you against blade cut but some of our clothing even protects you against abrasion, tear and puncture.

Have your products been tested?

Yes. Our products are tested in accordance with EN388:2003.

What is EN388:2003?

EN388: 2003 is a European standard that assesses the performance of fabrics of layers of fabric for their ability to resist heavy rubbing, cutting by a blade or sharp object, tearing and puncture by a pointed object.

What properties are your products tested against?

Each of our products are tested against some of the 4 properties that include blade cut, abrasion, tear and puncture. Each testing procedure includes separate testing for each of these properties.

How are they tested?

EN388, 6.1 – Abrasion resistance

This test is carried put using a Martindale tester in which a rubbing head covered with a standard abrasive material is moved in a circular motion.

EN388, 6.2 – Blade cut resistance

This test involves a circular blade being moved across the material whilst spinning in the opposite direction. As soon as the blade penetrates the material the amount of penetration it has taken is noted and the mean of 5 such tests is given as the result.

EN388, 6.3 – Tear resistance

This test involves the material being clamped in the jaws of a strength testing machine. The jaws are moved apart at constant speed and the force needed to tear the material is measured.

EN388, 6.4 – Puncture resistance

This test uses a standard, rounded point which is pushed through the material at a fixed speed and the force required for the point to penetrate through the material is measured.

What happens once they are tested?

They are then awarded a performance level in accordance to each test result. For example a material with abrasion resistance between 100-500 cycles would be awarded level 1. There are performance levels 1-5 with Level 5 being the strongest. Please note that only the blade cut test can achieve up to level 5 in performance.

What protection level do your products have?

Please see below table of the different products we have and up to what level of protection it will give. For example if you was looking for gloves with strong protection levels then the Rhino gloves have the highest protection level of 5.