Frequently asked questions

Where are your gloves manufactured?

FirstLine Gloves partners with a factory in Malaysia to produce our proprietary formulations. Most gloves are manufactured in the Pacific Rim, primarily Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and China. Because the rubber tree is indigenous to the region, Malaysia was one of the first countries to manufacture gloves. Today, Malaysia is still considered the leader in glove technology and manufacturing, producing over 70% of the world’s demand.

Why do your glove boxes have national landmarks on them?

Post 9/11, FirstLine Gloves employees decided it would be patriotic to pay tribute to our nation by utilizing national landmarks as our packaging theme.  Although we are aware that most competitor's gloves have a "sterile look and feel" to their packaging, we felt compelled to demonstrate our respect to the heroes we support.

Each box contains all FDA required information, including all FirstLine quality test standards on the back of the box, that are not found on competitors packaging.

How are gloves made?

Gloves are manufactured using a dipping process. Various lengths of dipping lines, ranging from 50-100 meters, contain thousands of formers that dip into latex or nitrile raw materials, ultimately undergoing vulcanizing and leaching processes to produce a final product.

What is double polymer coating?

A process introduced to the EMS market by FirstLine in 1998, double polymer coating is an alternative to chlorination and used to achieve a powder free product and surface finish. A glove manufactured using this technology has polymer on both the inside and outside surfaces of the glove with NO chlorination utilized in the process. Unless “no chlorination” is clearly declared, simply stating double polymer coated does not necessarily indicate that chlorination was not also used in the process. Double polymer coating / non chlorinating a glove dramatically extends the shelf life by eliminating oxidation which occurs when chlorinated gloves are exposed to heat and sun, a frequent storage occurrence in EMS applications.

Do your gloves have powder?

No, all FirstLine Gloves are powder free.

What is the difference between latex and nitrile?

Latex gloves are produced from “rubber” tapped from the Hevea Braziliensis tree and are organic in origin. Nitrile gloves are made from a synthetic polymer extruded from petroleum and are man made in origin.

Do you sell vinyl (PVC) gloves?

No, vinyl gloves are not recommended as a barrier by the CDC / NIOSH for use in a medical application where exposure is prevalent.

Do FirstLine gloves have accelerators?

Yes, we do use a minimal amount of accelerators to achieve the high tensile and elongation properties necessary for strength and durability, as well as to pass the NFPA standard, required for gloves used in an EMS application. However, our state-of-the-art leaching processes remove all residual accelerators and our gloves routinely test below detectable levels.

How is a glove's thickness measured?

A micrometer is used to measure a glove's thickness at three points; cuff, palm and fingertip. Most manufacturers refer to fingertip thickness when referring to glove thickness in general.

What is a mil?

A mil is a unit of measure, one thousandth of an inch (0.001 inch) or approximately 0.0254 millimeter, and commonly used in reporting glove thickness.

What is tensile, elongation & modulus?

Tensile is the force at break and measured in MPa or PSI. Elongation is the percentage a glove stretches beyond its original length before it breaks. Modulus is the amount of force it takes to stretch a glove and typically measured at 300% and 500% elongation.

How do you test for barrier defects?

A watertight test is performed to detect pinhole defects, the most critical defect found in gloves. A liter of water is added to a glove suspended from a mandrel, and leaks are reported as a failure. For an end user to rest assured of the quality of the glove, 3rd party independent testing should be conducted on a controlled number of pieces. Bacteriophage penetration testing, or ASTM D1671, is conducted on 5 whole gloves, according the NFPA 1999 standard. This test certifies the formulation and raw material as a barrier against pathogen penetration, not ongoing production quality for pinhole defects. It is conducted upon the addition of a glove model for NFPA certification, or every 5 years upon the revision of the NFPA 1999 standard.

What does a "low AQL" mean?

AQL is the acronym for acceptable quality level. AQL levels are used to determine the pass / fail criteria for a select sample size. The lower the AQL number, the fewer pieces that may fail to consider a lot acceptable to pass.

What is the difference between ASTM and NFPA standards?

ASTM sets the performance guidelines for an exam glove. NFPA sets performance guidelines for an exam glove in a hi-risk 1st responder application. Both standards require watertight, tensile and elongation testing. In addition, NFPA mandates that puncture, bacteriophage penetration, elongation after IPA exposure and dexterity testing be conducted. NFPA also requires that the factory be audited twice yearly and that all private labelers be ISO 9000:2001 certified, requirements not required under the ASTM standard.

What is the shelf life of your gloves?

All FirstLine latex & nitrile gloves are performance guaranteed for a five (5) year period, if proper storage parameters are adhered to according to box labeling recommendations.

Why does FirstLine offer so many sizes?

In order to minimize potential exposure, a glove must fit properly. It is not possible, especially given the introduction of nitrile gloves that do not offer the same stretch properties as latex, to acquire a proper fit with only 4 sizes, Small – XLarge. FirstLine introduced both the 2XL and 3XL sizes to the EMS market and has effectively resized the glove industry, by reducing variation and overlap between sizes that existed previously.

How come some nitrile gloves are softer than others?

First, the thicker the nitrile glove, the tougher it will feel. Many new nitrile gloves in the market are much thinner and produced ultimately for softness, not strength. FirstLine designs first for strength and durability in a hi-risk application to minimize potential exposures in the field. Soft nitrile gloves are lower in tensile strength and often can be broken with less force.

What are fillers?

Fillers are additives used to dilute raw materials and reduce cost. Filler use in manufacturing has dramatically increased in recent years due to rising raw material costs and lack of quality control implemented in offshore manufacturing. Frequently used in latex gloves, they can cause a reduction in glove strength and shelf life, as well as a loss in dexterity. Fillers used in pet food and baby food have recently received worldwide news press coverage.