Medical grade and industrial grade nitrile gloves start from the same synthetic rubber. Ours are 100% nitrile in both grades, latex-free and sold by the case, most holding 1,000. They are also powder-free, which matters in a clinic: the FDA banned powdered patient exam gloves in a final rule published December 19, 2016. The difference between the grades is who the glove has to protect, and which rules come with that.
In the US, medical grade nitrile gloves are patient examination gloves, a medical device the FDA regulates. Industrial nitrile gloves protect your hands at work and are not reviewed as medical devices. We stock five nitrile gloves in each grade, from $59.95 to $99.95 a case, so this guide picks by job instead of naming a winner.
The short answer
Buy medical grade, meaning exam grade, for any work that touches a patient or someone else's body fluids. Buy industrial grade for shops, kitchens and cleaning, where thicker gloves, diamond grip or food-contact compliance matter more. If you do both kinds of work, stock both.
Best disposable gloves for work
Our pick
We scored both grades from 1 to 10 on six points and averaged them. Medical grade lands at 7.5 and industrial grade at 7.3. That gap is too small to mean anything, because each grade wins the rows it was built for. The scores are a buyer's guide, not a lab test.
The real split is who the glove protects. Medical grade disposable gloves protect a patient as well as the wearer, and the FDA reviews them before they reach a clinic. Industrial grade protects your own hands, which is where thicker weights, diamond grip and food-contact compliant styles come in.
Pick the grade by who it protects
Medical grade wins wherever a glove touches a patient, since exam gloves are FDA-regulated medical devices. Industrial grade wins in shops, kitchens and cleaning work, with weights up to 8 mil and food-contact compliant styles.
Medical vs industrial nitrile glove spec sheet
Feature by feature
The sheet groups six points into three questions. Is the glove right for the person it touches? Will it last through the job? How does it feel, and what does a case cost? A check means the grade handles that point well, a dash means it gets by, and a cross means it is the wrong glove. The exam row follows the FDA medical glove rules. Every other row comes from our product pages. Read the Safety rows first: if a patient is involved, the exam row decides it before anything else.
On the job, thickness is where the grades part ways. Our medical nitrile runs about 3 to 5.5 mil, and our industrial nitrile runs about 3.5 to 8 mil. If you came looking for heavy duty industrial rubber gloves, that top end is what you want: our 7 and 8 mil diamond grip styles. OSHA asks employers to choose industrial safety gloves by the task, the conditions, how long they are worn and the hazards involved. Weight tells the same story as thickness: our 3.5 mil gloves weigh about 3.5 grams, and the 8 mil Orange Diamond Grip weighs about 8.6 grams.
Safety
On the job
Feel & footprint
Who each glove type is best for
Pick by the job
Start with who is on the other side of the glove. If it is a patient, someone in a dental chair or anyone whose body fluids you may touch, buy exam grade. The FDA puts it plainly: use medical gloves when your hands may touch someone else's blood or other body fluids. Exam gloves are single use: the FDA says never to wash, disinfect, reuse or share them, and to change them if they rip or tear.
If the glove only protects your own hands, industrial gloves usually fit the work better. Our industrial line goes up to 8 mil, thicker than any exam glove we stock, and three of its styles, both 3.5 mil gloves among them, meet 21 CFR 177.2600 for food contact. Shopping for industrial rubber gloves? Thick nitrile is the disposable version, a synthetic rubber with no latex. Industrial sizes run XS to XXL: the 3.5 mil gloves start at XS, the diamond grip styles start at M, and the Orange Diamond Grip goes up to XXL. See every weight in our industrial glove collection.
Choose medical grade for
- Patient exams & clinicsExam grade for any work that touches a patient or body fluids.
- Dental offices & vet clinicsOur 3 to 4 mil gloves keep a close feel for detail work.
- Heavier patient handlingBlack Heavy Duty Nitrile (Medical) steps up to 5.5 mil.
Choose industrial grade for
- Auto shops & oily workDiamond grip at 7 to 8 mil holds on when hands get oily or wet.
- Food prep & processingOur 3.5 mil blue & black industrial gloves meet 21 CFR 177.2600.
- Cleaning & maintenanceBlack hides dirt, and 5 to 8 mil weights add strength for rough jobs.
Medical & industrial nitrile glove pros & cons
Where each one falls short
Exam gloves trade toughness for feel, and our medical grade gloves are no exception. Our blue nitrile exam gloves are 3 mil with textured fingertips and a beaded cuff, at $59.95 a case. Our black nitrile exam gloves come in 4 mil, the Black Nitrile Gloves (Medical), and a 5.5 mil heavy duty weight. None of them reach the weights a mechanic wants. The FDA also lists chemotherapy gloves as their own type of medical glove, and none of ours are sold as chemo rated.
Industrial grade gives up the patient side entirely. With no FDA review behind it, it stays out of exam rooms. In return you get heavier weights, diamond grip and food-contact options. Our black industrial nitrile is 3.5 mil, meets 21 CFR 177.2600 and costs $62.95 a case. The black color hides color and dirt, which helps in auto shops, salons and hair studios.
Medical grade gloves
Pros
- Made for patient exams
- 3 mil option for fine touch
- Textured fingertips & beaded cuff
- Cases of 1,000 from $59.95
Cons
- Tops out at 5.5 mil in our line
- No diamond grip option
- No 21 CFR 177.2600 claim on our pages
Industrial nitrile gloves
Pros
- Weights from 3.5 to 8 mil
- Diamond grip for oily or wet work
- Three styles meet 21 CFR 177.2600
- Black hides grease & dirt
Cons
- Not for patient exams
- No FDA medical device review
- Thick grades cost up to $99.95 a case
Medical & industrial glove questions
What our customers ask
Short answers to what buyers ask about glove grades, with the rules from the FDA and the specs from our own product pages.
Are Medical Grade Nitrile Gloves FDA Cleared?
Patient exam gloves have to be. The FDA regulates them as Class I reserved medical devices under 21 CFR 880.6250, and they need a 510(k) premarket notification. The FDA reviews leak resistance, physical properties and biocompatibility, and 21 CFR 800.20 sets 2.5 AQL as the minimum for exam gloves in water leak tests. A medical grade label is not a clearance, so check the box for a 510(k) number or search the FDA 510(k) database.
Can Industrial Nitrile Gloves Be Used for Exams?
Not for patient exams. An exam glove is a medical device meant to prevent contamination between patient and examiner, and industrial gloves are not reviewed for that job. The FDA says to wear medical gloves whenever your hands may touch someone else's body fluids. Keep industrial nitrile for shops, kitchens and cleaning, and stock exam grade for anything with a patient on the other side. If a job only sometimes involves patients, buy exam grade for the whole team so no one grabs the wrong box.
Why Do Nitrile Exam Gloves Cost More?
Exam gloves can cost more because they carry FDA rules: a 510(k), material labeling and water leak testing to at least 2.5 AQL. Thickness moves the price more in our store: the 3 mil Blue Nitrile Gloves (Medical) are $59.95 a case of 1,000, while the 3.5 mil Blue Nitrile Gloves (Industrial) are $64.95. Compare nitrile exam gloves by mil and price per glove, not by grade alone. Some XL cases hold 900 gloves, so check the count too.
Sources: FDA: Medical Gloves · eCFR: 21 CFR 880.6250 · eCFR: 21 CFR 800.20 · eCFR: 21 CFR 177.2600 · OSHA: 29 CFR 1910.138 · FDA 510(k) database
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