Protective yarn and fabric, chosen by hazard
Six industry groups, six different hazard profiles. For each one: what the hazard is, which standards the material has to support, which fibre system we recommend, where the weight sits, and where the certification belongs.
Selection follows the hazard, not the product
A yarn or a fabric does not carry one fixed set of standards. The same fibre can be the right answer for one hazard and beside the point for the next. Meta-aramid (aramid 1313) resists long-term heat and flame, but it neither conducts nor dissipates static on its own. Para-aramid (aramid 1414) adds high strength and cut resistance on top of inherent flame resistance. Modacrylic is inherently flame resistant, but its performance tracks the blend ratio and the weight of the cloth. HPPE (UHMWPE) is the strongest cut performer we spin, and it melts, so it never goes into a flame, heat or arc duty. That is why this page is laid out by hazard.
Each entry below is judged one of three ways.
Inherent to the fibre — the property is in the polymer itself, so it holds however many times the cloth is washed. It is a material fact, not a test result.
Applies, grade confirmed by test — the standard covers this kind of material, but the grade depends on weight, blend ratio, construction and finishing, so it is never assumed from the fibre and is only quoted from the test report for the exact construction.
Not applicable at this level — the standard covers a finished article rather than the material we supply, or the material cannot meet its premise at all. Either way the claim belongs somewhere else, and we do not make it.
One boundary runs across the whole page. We make yarn and fabric: intermediate materials. Under Regulation (EU) 2016/425 personal protective equipment is assessed at the finished-product level, so where a standard covers a garment, a glove or a whole ensemble, the certification is issued to the maker of that article. We supply the material test data it needs.
Behind all six industries sit two certifications.
- OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 Textiles tested for harmful substances Certified — Product Class II Covers yarn and woven or knitted fabric in the certified fibre list; coated or laminated cloth, nonwoven and felt, and made-up articles such as gloves and sleeves sit outside the current scope.
- ISO 9001:2015 Quality management system Certified System-level: it covers how the plant is run, not the performance of any one product.
Test reports and certificate copies are available from our sales team on request.
On the chemical side, two REACH obligations apply to textiles and are handled per article: information transfer on candidate-list substances above 0.1% by weight under Article 33, and the restriction on azo dyes that release any of the 22 aromatic amines for textiles that touch the skin. The RoHS directive covers electrical and electronic equipment, not textiles, so the reports we hold are customer-requested tests on aramid yarn samples rather than a legal obligation. CPSIA does not apply: our products are industrial protection, not products for children.
Flash fire and static, not a hot surface
The hazard is an ignited hydrocarbon vapour: a short, intense flash fire, plus the static discharge that can set it off. That is a different problem from radiant heat coming off a furnace, so selection starts with flame spread and arc rating rather than with thickness.
Static-dissipative behaviour is not a property of the base fibre. Meta-aramid (aramid 1313) neither conducts nor dissipates static on its own, so a static-dissipative cloth needs a conductive component in the blend — and it is that version which goes for electrostatic testing.
Standards the material has to support here. Where a grade is involved, it is quoted from the test report for the exact blend and weight.
- EN ISO 14116:2015 Limited flame spread, materials Applies to this material class. The flame-spread index depends on blend ratio and weight, so it comes from the test report, never from the fibre name.
- EN ISO 15025:2016 Limited flame spread, test method Test-method level, run on fabric; a yarn is checked as a woven coupon.
- ASTM D6413/D6413M-22 Vertical flame test, textiles Applies at material level — afterflame, afterglow and char length.
- ASTM F1506-22 Flame resistant textile materials A material-level performance specification for flame-resistant textile materials. It is not a garment certificate.
- ASTM F1959 / F1959M Arc rating of materials Applies at material level — arc rating (ATPV / EBT) of the material.
- EN 1149-1 Electrostatic properties, antistatic versions Only for the versions built with a conductive component. Plain aramid cloth is not static-dissipative.
NFPA 2112 covers fabric and garment, but the label requires third-party certification, so our material is an input to a certification held by the garment manufacturer. The same applies to garment-level standards named in this industry, EN ISO 11612 among them: the certification is issued to the garment maker, and we supply the material data behind it.
| Recommended fibre system | Meta-aramid (aramid 1313) woven, plain or ripstop, with a conductive component for the static-dissipative versions. Modacrylic blends where cotton-blend comfort and cost weigh more than the highest heat codes. Para-aramid (aramid 1414) where mechanical strength is wanted as well. |
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| Weight | No fixed band is quoted — the grade rises with weight and blend ratio, so the band follows the construction sent for testing. In this industry the heavier woven cloths carry the higher heat codes, while hoods and liners are low-weight knits and therefore sit at the lower grades. |
| Typical end uses | Flash-fire coveralls and workwear shells for petrochemical plants, drilling sites, terminals and tank farms; static-dissipative liners worn underneath; knit hoods, balaclavas and glove liners; sleeves for the same hazard. |
An electric arc is a rating, not a yes or no
An arc flash delivers its incident energy in a fraction of a second. A material is not arc-rated as a pass or a fail: it carries a rating in cal/cm², and the clothing an employer selects has to cover the energy of the task in hand. So the useful thing a yarn and fabric supplier can hand over is the material rating itself, measured under a defined test.
Two test methods are used for that rating and they are effectively the same test — EN IEC 61482-1-1 in Europe and ASTM F1959 in the US — differing mainly in the washing pre-treatment. Arc-rated workwear in the US is very often built on modacrylic blends rather than pure aramid, because the blend reaches a given rating at a lighter, more comfortable weight.
Standards the material has to support here. The rating always comes from the test report for the exact construction.
- ASTM F1959 / F1959M Arc rating of materials Applies at material level — this is where the arc rating (ATPV / EBT) is measured.
- EN IEC 61482-1-1:2019 Electric arc rating, material Applies at material level, and is effectively the same test as ASTM F1959; the difference is mainly the washing pre-treatment.
- ASTM F1506-22 Flame resistant textile materials A material-level specification that sets the arc-rating requirement for the material. It does not rate a garment.
- ASTM D6413/D6413M-22 Vertical flame test, textiles Applies at material level — the wash cycles the specification calls for are part of the test.
- EN ISO 14116:2015 Limited flame spread, materials Applies to this material class; the index depends on blend ratio and weight and comes from the test report.
- EN ISO 15025:2016 Limited flame spread, test method Test-method level, run on the fabric.
- EN 1149-1 Electrostatic properties, antistatic versions Only for antistatic versions carrying a conductive component.
EN 61482-2 is the garment standard: it rates a finished garment either by open arc (ATPV / EBT) or by box test (Class 1 / 2), and it belongs to the maker of that garment. NFPA 70E is a work-practice standard for the employer rather than a product standard, so we make no product claim against it.
| Recommended fibre system | Modacrylic blends with a conductive component for the mainstream arc-rated workwear cloth, where comfort at a given rating matters. Meta-aramid (aramid 1313) and para-aramid (aramid 1414) woven where long-term heat resistance or mechanical strength is wanted as well. |
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| Weight | No fixed band is quoted — the rating scales with weight and blend ratio, so the band follows the construction sent for testing: heavier woven cloth for the higher ratings, lighter knit for liners. |
| Typical end uses | Arc-rated workwear shells and coveralls for switching, substation and overhead line work; antistatic liners worn under arc-rated clothing; knit sleeves, hoods and glove liners for the same task. |
Molten metal splash and welding spatter
Here the hazard is molten metal and hot contact rather than a flash fire. Aluminium splash is harder on a cloth than steel splash, and welding adds spatter and radiant heat on top. Codes for convective heat, radiant heat, aluminium splash, iron splash and contact heat are what separate one cloth from another, and a heavier construction is what buys the higher codes.
This is also where an aluminised assembly earns its place: an aluminium surface layer lifts radiant-heat performance, but the assembly has to be tested as a whole, because a base-fabric result cannot be carried over to a coated or laminated version. Modacrylic blends behave differently under molten splash, so "it is a flame-resistant fibre" is not a reason to assume a welding duty will suit it.
Standards the material has to support here. Codes, classes and grades come from the test report for the exact construction.
- EN ISO 11611:2015 Welding and allied processes The welding garment standard, Class 1 or Class 2. Its scope explicitly includes hoods, aprons, sleeves and gaiters, so a protective sleeve is a legitimate product for it.
- EN ISO 11612:2015 Heat and flame protective clothing Heat and flame protective clothing outside welding and firefighting. Fabric is tested to a code set: A1/A2 surface or edge spread plus B convective, C radiant, D aluminium splash, E iron splash, F contact heat. Garment-level, so the certification sits with the garment maker.
- EN ISO 14116:2015 Limited flame spread, materials Applies to this material class; the index comes from the test report.
- EN ISO 15025:2016 Limited flame spread, test method Test-method level, run on the fabric.
- ASTM D6413/D6413M-22 Vertical flame test, textiles Applies at material level.
- ASTM F2700 Heat transmission on flame exposure Applies at material level — heat transmission through a material on flame exposure, often reported for an assembly.
- EN 407:2020 Thermal risks, gloves and arm protection Thermal risks, explicitly covering gloves and arm protection. It applies to the made-up arm protection, not to the roll of cloth.
- EN 343 Water penetration and breathability For coated and laminated constructions only: water penetration and breathability are judged on the assembly, from the hydrostatic head of the whole construction.
Every coated or laminated construction is tested as a complete assembly, so the report has to be for your construction. Coatings also carry the highest chemical risk of anything we make: a coating or membrane is judged as its own article under REACH, and plasticisers in a soft coating are the usual finding, so a coating supplier’s safety data sheet and SVHC statement are obtained before a coated construction is quoted. A coating can also interrupt a conductive path, so an antistatic assembly is re-tested as a whole.
| Recommended fibre system | Para-aramid (aramid 1414) heavy woven for the highest splash and contact-heat demands; meta-aramid (aramid 1313) where contact heat is lower; aluminised laminates on an aramid substrate where radiant heat dominates. All inherently flame resistant and non-melting. |
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| Weight | No fixed band is quoted — this is the heaviest work we do, because the molten-metal and high radiant-heat codes are bought with weight, and a coated or laminated assembly is judged only as a whole. |
| Typical end uses | Welding jackets, trousers, sleeves and gaiters; foundry, smelter and casting aprons; aluminised radiant-heat cloth for furnace, ladle and hot-roll work; aramid gloves and arm protection. |
A complete ensemble, plus a route in for knit hoods
Structural firefighting puts flame, radiant heat, hot surfaces, water and steam on the same garment, and that garment is certified as a complete ensemble. The ensemble certification belongs to the garment maker: the shells, linings, hoods and knit liners we supply are inputs to it.
There is one favourable route in for knits. Under NFPA 2112, hood, balaclava, shroud and glove fabrics are exempt from the instrumented manikin test, which lowers the entry bar for an inherently flame-resistant knit. Knitted fabric also carries its own requirement inside EN ISO 14116 — burst strength — so the structure, and not only the fibre, is part of what gets tested.
Standards the material has to support here. Indexes come from the test report for the exact knit or weave.
- EN ISO 14116:2015 Limited flame spread, materials Applies to this material class and is the natural entry for a knit: the standard carries a knitted burst-strength requirement as well as the flame-spread index.
- EN ISO 15025:2016 Limited flame spread, test method Test-method level, run on the fabric, Procedure A or B.
- EN ISO 13997 Cut resistance, TDM test method Applies at material level — cut resistance as an N-value, which is the figure that matters for liners.
- ASTM D6413/D6413M-22 Vertical flame test, textiles Applies at material level, including after the wash cycles the US standard specifies.
The ensemble standards are EN 469 in Europe and NFPA 1970 in the US, and both are issued to the garment maker. Aramid felt and nonwoven belong here as lining and insulating materials: a felt reaches a protective standard only as a component of the assembly, never as the outer layer. One limit to state plainly — our OEKO-TEX certificates cover yarn and woven or knitted fabric, so nonwoven and felt, and made-up articles such as hoods and gloves, sit outside the current scope and would be certified separately.
| Recommended fibre system | Meta-aramid (aramid 1313) and para-aramid (aramid 1414) knit for hoods, balaclavas and liners; meta-aramid woven as a turnout outer shell; aramid felt and nonwoven for the thermal barrier layer. All inherently flame resistant and non-melting. |
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| Weight | No fixed band is quoted — a knit is a low-weight structure, so it normally reaches only the lower convective and radiant codes, while the shell weights needed for a turnout outer are set by the ensemble test. The band follows the construction sent for testing. |
| Typical end uses | Turnout gear outer shells; thermal and moisture barrier linings; particulate and flash hoods for structural and wildland crews; knit glove liners; station-wear knits and sleeves. |
Cut protection is a different purchase from heat protection
The dominant hazard is a blade or an edge: cuts, punctures and impact. This is the one family where a material can be extremely strong and still not be flame resistant at all. HPPE (UHMWPE) is the highest cut performer we spin, and it melts, so it does not belong anywhere a flame, heat or arc requirement is in force. The selection therefore splits at the first question — cut only, or cut plus heat.
Cut only puts the whole conversation on one number: cut resistance measured by the TDM method and reported in newtons, which is also the basis of the American level system. Cut plus heat moves the base to para-aramid (aramid 1414) or an aramid-based composite, because para-aramid is inherently flame resistant and does not melt.
Standards the material has to support here. Levels and grades are issued on the finished article, not on the cloth.
- EN ISO 13997 Cut resistance, TDM test method Applies at material level and to the finished article — the cut resistance N-value, and the common language between the European and US cut systems.
- EN 388:2016+A1:2018 Mechanical risks, protective gloves The protective glove standard, whose mechanical set includes the puncture test. A grade is written to the finished glove, so on the cloth we supply there is no grade to report.
- ANSI/ISEA 105-2024 Hand and arm protection, cut levels Hand and arm protection classification, cut levels A1 to A9, on the same TDM test. Levels are issued on the finished article.
- ANSI/ISEA 138-2019 Glove impact protection Impact protection for gloves, levels 1 to 3, and only for a version built with a back-of-hand impact layer.
- EN ISO 14116:2015 Limited flame spread, materials For the aramid-based versions only: applies to this material class, index from the test report. HPPE versions are not sent for it.
- ASTM D6413/D6413M-22 Vertical flame test, textiles Applies at material level for the aramid-based versions, where flame spread matters as well as cut.
Two boundaries are worth stating on this industry rather than leaving to the datasheet. First, cut is not stab: a knife or spike rating is a property of the finished protective article, and we do not report one on the cloth. Second, HPPE does not meet the premise of any flame, heat or arc standard, so we do not offer it for those duties — it is a cut material and is specified as one. Where a sleeve is needed, a mechanical grade written against the glove standard is a known mismatch, so we report the ISO 13997 newton value and leave the article grade with the maker of the finished goods.
| Recommended fibre system | HPPE (UHMWPE), white or spun-dyed, on its own or combined with glass fibre or steel wire for the higher cut levels — mechanical protection only. Para-aramid (aramid 1414) and aramid composites where cut protection also has to survive heat. |
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| Weight | No fixed band is quoted — cut resistance rises with the amount of high-strength fibre in the structure, so the band follows the level the finished article has to reach. |
| Typical end uses | Cut-resistant gloves and liners, and protective sleeves, for blade, glass, wire and sheet-metal risk; aramid composite layers for the roles where heat is present as well. |
Mechanical wear: cut, abrasion, puncture and impact
Handling work — glass, sheet metal, assembly, maintenance, logistics — is mostly a mechanical problem: cuts, abrasion, punctures and knocks. The fibre system is chosen for the mechanical level the user needs, and a heat-resistant version is chosen separately for the smaller number of tasks where hot contact is added.
The usual layout is a cut-resistant liner under a grip or coated glove, with a sleeve over the forearm where the same risk reaches up the arm. Sleeves have two standards of their own: EN ISO 11611 covers sleeves and gaiters explicitly, and EN 407 covers arm protection explicitly, so a protective sleeve does not have to be described through the glove standards at all.
Standards the material has to support here. Levels, classes and grades are issued on the finished article.
- EN ISO 13997 Cut resistance, TDM test method Applies at material level and to the finished article — the cut resistance N-value.
- EN 388:2016+A1:2018 Mechanical risks, protective gloves The protective glove standard. A grade is written to the finished glove, so we supply the material data rather than a grade.
- ANSI/ISEA 105-2024 Hand and arm protection, cut levels Hand and arm protection classification, cut levels A1 to A9, on the same TDM test. Levels belong to the finished article.
- ANSI/ISEA 138-2019 Glove impact protection Impact protection for gloves, levels 1 to 3, on the impact versions only.
- EN ISO 11611:2015 Welding and allied processes The welding garment standard, and the scope explicitly includes sleeves and gaiters, so a protective sleeve is a legitimate product for it. Class from the test report.
- EN 407:2020 Thermal risks, gloves and arm protection Thermal risks for gloves and arm protection — the right standard for a heat-resistant sleeve. Level from the test report.
- EN ISO 14116:2015 Limited flame spread, materials Applies to this material class for the flame-resistant liners and sleeves; the index comes from the test report.
- ASTM D6413/D6413M-22 Vertical flame test, textiles Applies at material level for the flame-resistant versions.
EN 388 is written for protective gloves, so reporting a sleeve against it is a known mismatch: for sleeves we report the ISO 13997 newton value, and the article grade stays with the maker of the finished product. There is also a stand-down on flame-resistant liners, particularly in the US, where a liner sold as an accessory reaches the standards only as a component of the article it goes into.
| Recommended fibre system | HPPE (UHMWPE) liners for cut-only duties; para-aramid (aramid 1414) and aramid blends where cut protection has to cope with heat as well; meta-aramid (aramid 1313) knits and modacrylic blends for flame-resistant liners and sleeves. |
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| Weight | No fixed band is quoted — abrasion and cut life rise with the weight of the structure, so the band follows the level the finished article has to reach. A knit liner is a low-weight structure, which is why a knit usually sits at the lower heat codes. |
| Typical end uses | Cut-resistant liners and sleeves for glass and sheet-metal handling, assembly, automotive, warehousing and maintenance; coated gloves for grip and fluid resistance; flame-resistant liners and sleeves worn under workwear. |
Let’s talk about your fabric requirements
Tell us the application, the required weight and the standard you need to meet. Our technical team will come back with a matching fabric, the spec sheet and a quotation.