EN 511 Explained

9 December 2022

EN 511 is the European standard regulating the manufacture and sale of thermal, cold-weather and water-resistant safety gloves. Whether you're here because you're fed up of numbness, loss of sensation and tingling when working outdoors with your hands, or you're unsure what markings and ratings you need when outfitting your workforce, you're in the right place.

We've put this guide together to help break down this tricky standard into simple terms. This includes a detailed look at what each rating means, what the best gloves for you are, and how you can navigate our site to find the right pair for you and your workplace.

What Does Our Guide Cover?

Make the most of your time by using our simple navigation menu. Click any of the links below to jump right in and find exactly what you're looking for.

What Is EN 511?

EN 511 is the European Standard that makes sure thermal and cold-resistant safety gloves are safe and doing what they say they do. Glove testing is vital because it gives the user a guarantee about the amount and level of protection they're getting before making a purchase.

Testing under EN 511 is broken down into three parts which are detailed below.

Convective Cold: How good are gloves at shielding against cold air?
Contact Cold: Can I use my gloves for handling sub-zero material?
Water Permeability: How do I know if a certain pair of gloves are waterproof?


Shop Convective Cold	Shop Contact Cold	Shop Waterproof

Identifying EN 511 Markings

You can identify if a glove has been tested to EN 511 through three different methods. These are:

On the Back Of Your Gloves

The first place to look is on the back of your gloves or on the glove label. You will be able to identify EN 511 either by the logo below or by the information as shown in the below image.


The EN 511 Symbol	The Back of EN 511 Gloves

In the Product Listing

The second place to find EN 511, is in the product listing. For example, if you take a look at the Portwest A143 Gloves and scroll down, you'll see a table identifying EN 511. The table will usually look something like the one below.

Property	Resistance Level
Convective Cold Resistance	N/A
Contact Cold Resistance	Level 1
Water Permeability	N/A

In the Conformity Statement

The final place is in the conformity statement. A conformity statement can be found at the bottom of every single listing and will be supplied with your purchase. This statement is signed by a regulatory body, ensuring that your glove is certified to EN 511.

What Do EN 511 Ratings Mean?

Before we go into detail, let's outline exactly what you're looking at.

The results of the three available tests can be found in the table on each product listing on our site, on the back of your gloves or in the conformity statement supplied with each purchase. A glove will receive a rating as shown below, with the higher score meaning that it offers better resistance, and a lower score meaning that the gloves offer less protection.

Resistance Test	Rating
Convective Cold	Level 0 - 4
Contact Cold	Level 0 - 4
Water Penetration Test	Level 0 or 1

Quick EN 511 Facts

Level 0 means that the glove has failed the test
"N/A" means the glove wasn't tested to that standard
A glove can only achieve pass or a fail in the water penetration test, with "0" being a fail and "1" a pass

How Do Gloves Pass EN 511?

In order to find out which gloves suit your application, you must first understand what is involved in each of the three tests underneath EN 511. Take a look below for a break down of each of the three tests.

If you're looking for a really detailed breakdown, click here for more information.

The Convective Cold Test

How Is the Test Conducted?

This ten minute test involves the glove being placed on an electrically heated mannequin hand that measures the amount of power required to maintain a temperature between 30°C and 35°C in a controlled environmental chamber.

The chamber is cooled down to 20°C below that of the heated hand and constant air flow is applied. The assessment awards a performance level based on the amount of electrical power required to maintain this constant temperature.

Performance Level	Thermal Insulation (TR) in m2°C/W
Level 1	0.10 ITR < 0.15
Level 2	0.15 ITR < 0.22
Level 3	0.22 ITR < 0.30
Level 4	0.30 ITR

In Layman's Terms

Don't be put off by the table above. What this test is all about is finding out how good a glove is at trapping heat.

If you work in freezing cold climates where the air temperature is below freezing, we recommend looking for gloves with a high convective cold performance rating.

Some of Our Favourites

Working effectively with numb, tingly fingers is impossible. Ensure your hands are shielded from sub-zero air temperatures by taking a look at our top selling thermal insulated gloves below.

Ejendals Tegera 517 Thermal Waterproof Outdoor Work Gloves

(128)

Waterproof, windproof thermal work gloves
Ideal for work in outdoor environments
Velcro wrist strap for a secure and easy fit
Price shown is per pair of gloves

In stock now