Nitrile vs latex gloves

We scored both materials from 1 to 10 on six points and averaged them. Nitrile lands at 8.0 and latex at 5.7. Nitrile takes four rounds: allergy risk, barrier strength, oils and grease, and gasoline and diesel. Latex keeps two: stretch and a renewable source. The scores are a buyer's guide, not a lab result. We weighted them toward what decides a glove order, which is who wears it, what it touches and how long it stays on.

Are nitrile and latex gloves the same? Not when you buy for a team. ACAAI advises that when a health care worker is sensitive to latex, their co-workers should switch to synthetic gloves too. One allergy changes the order for everyone, because gloves touch co-workers, patients and customers as well as the wearer.

This sheet scores nitrile vs latex gloves in three groups: safety, the job and feel. A check means the material handles that point well, a dash means it gets by, and a cross means it struggles. The oil and fuel rows come from the glove chart in OSHA's PPE guide, and the failure rates come from a 2002 study of 5,510 exam gloves. Half the gloves went through a stress routine, and all were water-tested to FDA standards. After adjusting for brand and stress, latex gloves were about 3 times more likely to fail than nitrile (odds ratio 3.2).

Start with the allergy row. The ACAAI latex reaction overview explains that a latex glove allergy usually develops after many exposures, so the people who wear gloves all day carry the most risk. It also notes that hospitals using only non-latex and low-protein latex gloves saw dramatic declines in new cases. ACAAI adds that people with hay fever or certain food allergies, such as banana, avocado or kiwi, are at higher risk too. For most buyers comparing latex vs nitrile gloves, that row settles it.

The nitrile gloves vs latex choice gets simple once you know who the gloves will touch and what they will touch. OSHA asks employers to choose hand protection for the task, the conditions, how long the gloves are worn and the hazards involved. For clinics, dental offices and vet practices, start with our medical glove collection. Those are the rooms where a glove touches patients who may not know they are allergic. Tattoo studios and salons wipe down with alcohol all day, and OSHA's chart rates both materials very good on ethyl alcohol, so that job comes down to allergy risk and fit. Acetone is the exception: OSHA's chart rates latex very good on it and nitrile poor. For nail work or long acetone contact, check the chemical's SDS and choose a thicker nitrile or a chemical-rated glove, since OSHA notes that thicker glove material gives greater chemical resistance.

Latex free gloves are what we recommend when one box serves a whole crew, because nobody has to ask who is allergic. If oils or fuels are part of the work, go heavier: our Orange Diamond Grip weighs 8.6 grams, about 8 mil. You can shop latex free gloves by job, size and thickness. Sizes run XS to XXL depending on the style, and some XL cases hold 900 gloves instead of 1,000.

Stretch is what you give up. A nitrile glove fits snugly and flexes, but it never feels quite as elastic as latex. It starts in a factory, not on a rubber tree, and that is what keeps nitrile gloves latex free. Our blue exam grade nitrile is a thin 3 mil glove with textured fingertips, for the close touch people miss when they leave latex. Weight adds cost: that glove is $59.95 a case, and the 8 mil Orange Diamond Grip is $99.95.

Latex gives up more. Powder free latex gloves solve part of the problem, since ACAAI ties some severe reactions to latex proteins carried into the air by glove powder, and the FDA banned powdered patient exam gloves in a final rule published December 19, 2016. The proteins are still in the glove itself, so a powder-free latex glove is still latex. OSHA's guide makes the same point: latex gloves have caused allergic reactions in some people and may not suit every employee.