Many industries rely on disposable gloves, including medicine, cleaning, cultivation, and food prep. These devices provide a barrier between the product or customer and the person doing the job — whether a doctor, a tattoo artist, or even a janitor.
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Gloves help control infection and cross-contamination, protect against chemicals, oils, and solvents, and maintain hygiene standards. Three primary materials are used to construct disposable gloves — latex, nitrile, and vinyl — and all three are available as sterile or non-sterile products.
The type of gloves you need depends on what you intend to use them for.
Typically, nitrile gloves are used in the medical industry — especially in surgery — as they offer the most substantial protection against tears and punctures. They also resist harsh chemicals without the user losing sensitivity in their hands.
Latex is also commonly used in the medical industry (as well as many other sectors); however, not everyone can use gloves made from this material due to latex allergies. Vinyl gloves don’t provide the same level of chemical resistance as nitrile or latex. However, they can be used when maintaining a hygienic barrier is essential — as in the food industry.
Since the pandemic of , the use of gloves worldwide has become increasingly widespread, and they are now used more often than ever before. But how do gloves get from a state of raw material to being ready to enrobe your hands?
If you’re buying gloves online, the terminology surrounding suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers can quickly become confusing. Working out who’s who and what roles they take on in the industry can make buying gloves easier, cheaper, and quicker in the long run.
So, who’s who, and what’s what?
Glove suppliers provide the materials that glove manufacturers use to make gloves. They are the start of the supply chain, providing the foundational materials needed to produce gloves.
However, they are not directly involved in glove manufacturing. Suppliers are essential in ensuring a steady flow of high-quality materials and are one of the most critical parts of the glove production process.
Glove suppliers are often confused with glove wholesalers, as it’s commonly thought the term “glove supplier” refers to those who supply gloves. However, they only supply the materials used to make gloves — a vital part of the glove supply chain.
Understanding the difference between suppliers and wholesalers is essential to understanding each role in turning the materials into the finished product and getting the gloves to your hands.
Glove manufacturers are the main link in the glove supply chain. Manufacturers will use glove suppliers to obtain large quantities of raw materials to make finished gloves. Manufacturers are the foundry of the industry, transforming bulk amounts of various raw materials into market-ready products.
Glove manufacturers transform raw materials such as latex, nitrile, and vinyl into the disposable gloves you are familiar with.
These businesses are entirely responsible for the glove production process, ensuring that quality, design, and functionality meet the market's demands. Unlike the suppliers that provide the raw materials, manufacturers create the final product.
The manufacturing phase involves various intricate processes depending on what type of glove is being made and what the gloves will be used for. Responsibility for quality control falls on the manufacturer to ensure the final product meets industry standards.
Manufacturers are also responsible for sterilizing gloves, so the environment in which they are made must also be sterile and up to industry standards — regardless of what the gloves will later be used for. Ensuring sterility is paramount for industries like the medical sector, where the risk of infection or cross-contamination is exceptionally high.
Glove distributors are subsequent in the chain, buying newly-made gloves in bulk from manufacturers to sell them to retailers or consumers at a marked-up price.
Distributors play a pivotal role in the distribution network, acquiring gloves for the best price possible before distributing them to retailers and consumers.
Working in specific geographical areas or with exclusive agreements, distributors typically don’t engage in the manufacturing process and instead focus on efficiently delivering the products to the market. Distributors bridge the gap between the manufacturer and the retailer or consumer, ensuring new gloves reach their destinations without delay.
Glove distributors have a much smaller selection than wholesale glove suppliers — often specializing in a specific brand or type of glove and thereby often demanding higher prices. If you need a variety of gloves and are using distributors, you might need to work with several different distributors to get all of the products you need.
Disposable gloves wholesalers purchase gloves in bulk from different manufacturers before reselling them to retailers or consumers. They often provide a range of products without any exclusivity and offer products from various manufacturers.
These wholesale glove suppliers contribute to the market by sourcing products from various manufacturers and offering a broad spectrum of choices to both retailers and consumers.
Wholesale suppliers are similar to distributors. However, they often offer a much more comprehensive range of products from multiple manufacturers. They provide products for both retailers and consumers, selling in bulk with a diverse range of inventory.
An expansive inventory means a much broader customer base, providing everything from medical-grade gloves to disposable gloves used in catering.
Wholesale disposable glove suppliers are a “one-stop shop” for all your glove supplies. They offer vinyl, nitrile, and latex gloves — both sterile and unsterile — in one location, so you can get everything you need at once and in bulk.
Wholesale is often the best way to save money for businesses or individuals who use gloves daily — or even more frequently than that. The more gloves you buy, the cheaper the end cost, and most good wholesale suppliers will offer further discounts on shipping costs when it comes to purchasing large quantities in bulk.
Due to the large scale of wholesale supply, these businesses often collaborate with manufacturers from all over the world, giving the consumer a much more comprehensive range of options — from eco-friendly materials to innovative designs, as well as specialized gloves for different industries.
More importantly, wholesale suppliers provide a streamlined service for businesses or individuals who need to make repeat or scheduled orders to ensure they always have the gloves they need to maintain business continuity.
Understanding the difference between glove suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and wholesale suppliers is essential to making informed decisions when buying gloves for personal or professional needs.
Simply put, suppliers provide raw materials, manufacturers craft the gloves, distributors bridge the gap, and wholesale suppliers offer a diverse final product range. Knowing who’s who and what’s what provides knowledge that can help you save time and money when buying gloves — especially when purchasing multiple types of gloves in bulk.
If you’re buying gloves regularly, wholesale suppliers are the best place to pick them up — especially if you require various glove types. Wholesale suppliers often offer a better price than distributors and provide a much more extensive range of products.
Whatever you need gloves for, always choose a reputable brand and source. Cheap gloves can be tempting, especially when you’re using them daily. However, it’s much more important not to cut corners and only choose a product you can rely on when it comes to hygiene and protective barriers.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Wholesale Surgical Gloves. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
Gloves sold through reputable wholesale suppliers will have gone through several quality control tests. They will be built to the highest industry standard — which is essential for the wearer's safety, especially in the medical industry.
Due to the sensitivity and hazardous nature of their work, healthcare professionals, doctors, dentists, and other medical practitioners need to use durable, disposable gloves. They need to replace gloves after each patient or procedure, to ensure their own and their patients' safety.
But medical practitioners are far from the only ones who wear disposable gloves. People in many other fields, including the industrial sector, can benefit from single-use hand protection.
To make sure that professionals in every industry can choose the right types of gloves, they are categorized and classified with varying grades, such as medical or industrial grade. There are also subtler distinctions within those grades — for example, some medical-grade gloves are suitable for surgeries, while others are considered exam-grade gloves better for non-invasive procedures.
Each grade of gloves pertains to different levels of protection against abrasion, bodily fluids, pathogens, and more. These classifications help all disposable glove users choose the right types of gloves to ensure their and their patient’s protection.
But are industrial-grade and medical gloves really that different? Let’s find out everything you need to know about medical-grade vs industrial-grade gloves.
What exactly do we mean when we say a box of gloves is medical or industrial grade?
"Medical grade" is a standard set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It's based on the acceptable quality level (AQL), which refers to the number of defects in a batch of gloves.
According to FDA guidelines, all medical gloves should have an AQL of 2.5 or less to be categorized as safe for medical and surgical procedures. When subjected to standard quality testing, no more than 2.5 pairs of gloves in a batch of 100 can have flaws like rips or pinhole leaks. This helps to minimize the risk of exposure to germs, body fluids, and other materials that could put healthcare workers at risk.
Gloves for doctors and nurses must also be powder-free. While it can be easier to put on and take off powdered gloves, the powder can also carry allergens through the air or contaminate wounds. For the safety of both patients and care providers, the FDA mandates that medical professionals should use only powder-free gloves.
Compared to medical gloves, the standards governing industrial grade gloves aren't as strict. Since there's less risk of disease transmission in non-medical settings, the FDA doesn't require that industrial gloves meet a specific AQL. However, most manufacturers ensure that their industrial grade gloves have an AQL 3-4 or better.
Industrial gloves are designed to withstand heavy tasks and tend to have high levels of cut and puncture resistance. They're often quite a bit thicker than exam gloves.
Medical and industrial-grade gloves come in many different styles and materials, some offering different levels of quality and protection.
A common alternative term for medical-grade gloves is "exam-grade gloves" or "examination gloves". Both refer to disposable gloves with an AQL of 2.5 or lower. The reason some people say "exam gloves" is to distinguish them from surgical-grade gloves.
Both surgical and examination gloves can be considered types of medical-grade gloves, but surgical gloves have some additional specifications. Single-use gloves for invasive procedures like surgery have to meet an AQL of 1.5 — an even stricter standard than exam gloves.
Surgeons also generally use sterile medical gloves that have been thoroughly disinfected and sealed in individual wrappers. This helps to minimize the risk of germs or other materials winding up in an open wound.
Another specialized type of medical-grade gloves is the kind used in chemotherapy for cancer. The medications used in these treatments are extremely toxic and often require special precautions. Doctors performing chemotherapy should use gloves that have been specifically tested and found to provide a protective barrier against these drugs.
The durability and features of industrial gloves depend on the materials used. Some are designed to be worn once and then discarded, often for use in messy tasks or those that require lots of dexterity. Here are a few different types of disposable industrial-grade gloves:
Other industrial-grade gloves are reusable rather than disposable. They're designed for longevity and durability but generally cost much more to replace. Here are some common types of reusable industrial gloves:
What kinds of scenarios and workplaces are best for industrial gloves, and which ones call for medical gloves?
At first, medical-grade gloves were designed and created for non-surgical medical applications such as physical examinations — that's why they are also called examination gloves. But their usage has expanded to encompass a wide range of other medical tasks.
Possible uses include:
Anytime you are handling biohazards or harsh chemicals in a medical setting, it is best to wear durable exam-grade gloves to protect yourself and those around you from blood-borne pathogens or chemicals. The only exception is when you need the extra protection of chemotherapy gloves or surgical gloves.
Industrial gloves are commonly used in the sanitation, janitorial, automotive, beauty, food, plumbing, chemical, industrial, and safety industries. Hence, they are also called general purpose gloves. Some tasks that might be appropriate for these gloves include:
If you are handling heavy machinery and equipment, it is best to find the right size of industrial gloves to prevent accidents at work.
As the name suggests, general purpose or industrial gloves are used for tasks that are not as delicate and sensitive as conducting surgeries or other medical procedures. Industrial-grade gloves don’t come with a USFDA certificate. They can’t be used in medical procedures.
However, medical gloves can be used for general purposes. They're often employed in non-medical industries like skincare or tattooing, where their high level of protection against infections can be important.
Picking the right gloves for the job isn't as simple as choosing medical-grade gloves or industrial gloves. It's also important to consider glove thickness. Thicker gloves offer better protection against tears and punctures, so they may be better for rough jobs. Thinner gloves allow for more flexibility, making them excellent for tasks that require delicacy and precision.
You should also consider the material you're using. Disposable gloves are most commonly made from latex, nitrile, or vinyl. The type of gloves you use will depend on the tasks and their purpose and application.
To help you choose the best medical and/or industrial gloves, here’s a comparison table of gloves based on their materials.
Glove Material Intended Use Advantages Disadvantages Latex (Natural Rubber) Incidental contactWhether you are searching for medical-grade or industrial-grade gloves, you can find them here at Gloves.com. Visit us today and browse through our top-of-the-line and high-quality gloves!
We have different types of gloves available in various colors and sizes. From latex gloves to nitrile and vinyl gloves, you can find them here! When you are ready to get your gloves, browse through our collections, select the material, choose the size, and place your order.
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