Source: “Industrial Safety & Health News”, 9/97
| Fabric: | Natural rubber |
| Advantages: | Low cost, good physical properties, dexterity |
| Disadvantages: | Poor vs. oils, grease, organics. Frequently imported; may be poor quality |
| Uses: | bases, alcohols, dilute water solutions; fair vs. aldehydes, ketones |
| Fabric: | Natural rubber blends |
| Advantages: | Low cost, dexterity, better chemical resistance than natural rubber vs. some chemicals |
| Disadvantages: | Physical properties frequently inferior to natural rubber |
| Uses: | Same as natural rubber |
| Fabric: | Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) |
| Advantages: | Low cost, very good physical properties, medium chemical resistance |
| Disadvantages: | Plasticizers can be stripped; frequently imported; may be poor quality |
| Uses: | Strong acids and bases, salts, other water solutions, alcohols |
| Fabric: | Neoprene |
| Advantages: | Medium cost, medium chemical resistance, medium physical properties |
| Disadvantages: | NA |
| Uses: | Oxidizing acids, anilines, phenol, glycol, ethers |
| Fabric: | Nitrile |
| Advantages: | Low cost, excellent physical properties, dexterity |
| Disadvantages: | Poor vs. benzene, methylene chloride, trichlorethylene, many ketones |
| Uses: | Oils, greases, aliphatic chemicals, xylene, perchloroethylene, trichloroethane; fair vs. toluene |
| Fabric: | Butyl |
| Advantages: | Specialty glove, polar organics |
| Disadvantages: | Expensive, poor vs. hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents |
| Uses: | Glycol ethers, ketones, esters |
| Fabric: | Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) |
| Advantages: | Specialty glove, resists a very broad range of organics, good physical properties |
| Disadvantages: | Very expensive, water sensitive, poor vs. light alcohols |
| Uses: | Aliphatics, aromatics, chlorinated solvents, ketones (except acetone), esters, ethers |
| Fabric: | Fluoroelastomer (Viton) |
| Advantages: | Specialty glove, organic solvents |
| Disadvantages: | Extremely expensive, poor physical properties, poor vs. some ketones, esters, amines |
| Uses: | Aromatics, chlorinated solvents, also aliphatics and alcohols |
| Fabric: | Norfoil (Silver Shield) |
| Advantages: | Excellent Chemical resistance |
| Disadvantages: | Poor fit, easily punctures, poor grip, stiff |
| Uses: | Use for hazmat work |