ISO 21420:2020

Overview

ISO 21420:2020 - Protective gloves - General requirements and test methods is the ISO reference standard that sets out the general design, construction, innocuousness, comfort and marking requirements for all protective gloves. It applies to hand protectors such as mittens, pot holders, arm protectors and gloves permanently incorporated in containment enclosures. ISO 21420:2020 is a baseline standard and does not itself specify protective properties (e.g., cut, chemical or heat resistance); it is intended to be used in combination with relevant specific standards.

Key topics and technical requirements

ISO 21420 defines general requirements and test methods for glove safety, including:

• Design and construction: gloves must allow the wearer to perform tasks normally while providing appropriate protection; construction and seam strength must not significantly degrade overall performance. Reusable multilayer gloves must be doffable without layer separation.
• Innocuousness (material safety): materials shall not release substances known to be toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, allergenic, corrosive or irritating under foreseeable use.
• Specified material limits and tests:
  • Chromium(VI) in leather: < 3.0 mg/kg (test ISO 17075‑1 / ISO 17075‑2).
  • Nickel release from metals in prolonged skin contact: < 0.5 µg/cm²/week (EN 1811+A1:2015).
  • pH of glove materials: between 3.5 and 9.5 (ISO 4045 for leather; ISO 3071 for other materials).
  • Azo colorants releasing restricted aromatic amines: must be undetectable (ISO 14362‑1, ISO 17234‑1).
  • Dimethylformamide (DMFa) in PU-containing gloves: ≤ 1 000 mg/kg (EN 16778).
  • Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in rubber/plastic contacting skin: ≤ 1 mg/kg (ISO/TS 16190).
• Testing protocol notes: tests are performed on unused gloves unless care/cleaning instructions require pre/post cleaning testing. Annexes cover sampling, uncertainty of measurement, sizes and hand measurement, pictograms, environmental aspects and known allergenic substances.

Practical applications and intended users

ISO 21420 is used by:

• Glove manufacturers for product design, material selection and labelling.
• Test laboratories to apply consistent general test procedures before assessing protective performance with specific hazard standards.
• Procurement and safety managers to specify glove ergonomics, innocuousness and labelling requirements in tenders and purchases.
• Regulatory bodies and certification bodies as the foundational reference when assessing overall glove safety and consumer information.

Use cases include product development, conformity assessment, supplier qualification, workplace PPE selection and specifications in tenders.

Related standards (examples referenced)

ISO 21420 is intended to be used alongside specific protective-glove standards. Examples referenced in the standard include:

• ISO 17075‑1 / ISO 17075‑2 (Chromium VI in leather)
• EN 1811+A1:2015 (nickel release)
• ISO 3071 / ISO 4045 (pH testing)
• ISO 14362‑1, ISO 17234‑1 (azo colorants)
• EN 16778 (DMFa test for PU)
• ISO/TS 16190 (PAH determination)

For manufacturers and PPE specialists, ISO 21420 provides the essential general requirements and test-method framework to ensure gloves are safe, comfortable and properly marked before applying hazard-specific performance standards.