Revised specification sheet issued for powder-free examination gloves
The council's technical note consolidates the latest ASTM and EN tolerances into a single sheet that buyers can attach to a purchase order.
A revised specification sheet for powder-free latex examination gloves has been issued to members and is now available to registered buyers. The document gathers the tolerances that matter in a tender, from palm thickness and length to residual protein and powder residue, and aligns them across ASTM D3578 and EN 455.
The revision responds to a practical problem. Buyers were writing specifications that mixed clauses from different standards, which left factories arguing over which test method governed a failing lot. The sheet fixes one method per property and notes where the two standards genuinely diverge.
Three changes are worth flagging. The tolerance on median weight for size M is now stated as plus or minus 0.3 grams rather than a simple range, water leak testing is referenced at AQL 1.5 with the sampling plan spelled out, and residual protein is expressed as micrograms per gram of glove rather than of extract.
The sheet is distributed as a printable annex that can be attached to a purchase order without rewriting the buyer's own quality agreement. Factories have been asked to confirm that their technical file matches the revised figures by the end of the quarter.
The council publishes these notes for members and registered buyers. Figures quoted in market updates are industry estimates and should be verified before a contract is priced.