Motorcycle Gloves CE Ratings Explained

This is an overview of what the symbols on the CE tag inside motorcycle gloves mean and the process used to determine the ratings. 

Here's some of the information you'll find on the tag inside CE rated motorcycle gloves:

1.  A motorcycle icon
2. The number 1 or 2
3. KP (if indicated) shows the glove’s knuckle protection has passed an impact test
4. Designation of the test they've passed (EN13594:2015 on this example.) 

There are six mandatory elements that a glove must go through to achieve a rating.

Test 1: Cuff length

Level 1 requires the cuff be at least 15mm

Level 2 requires a minimum length of 50mm.

Test 2: Restraint

The glove is placed on a dummy wrist, a cylindrical base with a mushroom-shaped top that is placed inside the glove. One end of a clamp is attached to index and pinky fingers and the other end is attached to the base of the cylinder (wrist). 

The clamps are pulled away from each other, to try and pull the glove off the dummy hand.

Level 1 test they’re pulled apart with 27 Newtons (6.07 lbs) of force.

Level 2 they're pulled apart with 52N (11.7lbs).

For both levels the gloves need to stay firmly on the dummy hand for 30 seconds to pass.

Test 3: Tear strength

Three parts of the glove are tested: 

1. the palm and fingers on the palm side
2. the cuff and the back of the glove (including the back side of the fingers) 
3. the fourchettes (part of the glove that sit in between your fingers).

Samples are clamped into the jaws of a tensile tester. The jaws are separated at a constant force to check the material holds up to the strain.

Level 1 The palm and palm side of the fingers must withstand 25 N (5.6lbs) of force, the cuff, back of the hand and the back side of the fingers must survive 18 N (4.04lbs), and the fourchettes must also hold up at 18 N of force.

Level 2, The palm/palm side of fingers should withstand 35 N (7.86lbs), the cuff, back of the hand and sides of the fingers should withstand 30 N (6.74lbs), and the fourchettes should hold up at 25 N(5.6lbs) of force.

Test 4: Seam strength

A sample of the glove is clamped into two jaws of a tensile tester, with the seam in the middle and the edges of the sample hanging down off the sides of the tester.

The machine pulls the two jaws away from each other and the force applied at the time the seam breaks is recorded. This is repeated three times for each seam on the glove. The seam strength is calculated by dividing the recorded force at the time of failure by the length of the seam.

Level 1 The main seams (which hold the glove together) need to survive 6 Newtons per millimeter (N/mm), and the fourchettes 4 N/mm.

Level 2 The main seams must survive 10 N/mm of force, and the fourchettes 7 N/mm.

Test 5: Impact abrasion resistance

A sample of the glove is attached to a holder and dropped from a pre-determined height onto a moving belt of abrasive material. Testers record the time it takes to make a hole in the material. The test is repeated across four samples.

Level 1 Each sample must last at least three seconds before holing and the mean average time across all four samples can’t be less than four seconds.

Level 2 Each sample must last at least six seconds, with the mean average at eight seconds or more.

Test 6: (KP) Impact protection of knuckles:

The test for impact is optional for gloves aiming to be certified at Level 1, but mandatory for gloves submitted for Level 2 testing.

A sample of the glove is placed on the dome of an anvil, and a 2.5kg(5.5lb) striker hits the sample with 5 joules (J) (44.25lbs) of force. The force transmitted through the protector is recorded. The test is carried out four times.

Level 1 A single strike cannot transmit more than 9 kilonewtons (kN)(2023lbs) and the mean force over all four samples can’t exceed 7 kN (1574lbs).

Level 2 A single force can’t be more than 4 kN (899lbs), and the mean must stay below 4 kN.

Samples are inspected after each test and if there are any tears or holes in the surrounding leather it is considered an immediate fail.