Superior Glove Works Ltd.

Work Gloves 101 » Dyneema® 101

What is Dyneema®?

Dyneema® is the worlds strongest fibre, and is 15 times stronger than quality steel on an equal weight basis. To be fair though, keep in mind this material is so light it floats, so the qualifier, " on a equal weight basis " is an important one. That said, this material is still amazingly strong. As a downside for some applications, like welding gloves or handling hot parts, Dyneema® has a low melt temperature of 145°C. An upside for food handling applications is it is impervious to bleach and thus gloves made with Dyneema® can be laundered and sterilized easily. Abrasion resistance of Dyneema® is also higher than Aramid fibres like Kevlar®, and important consideration if material handling of rough parts is part of the job description in the workplace. Dyneema® has a slippery feel and this in part helps it's cut resistance, because a blade tends to slide over the surface. However this slippery feel is not good for grip, and thus almost all gloves made with Dyneema® you will see on the market, have a grip Coating or grip enhancing surface added to the palm. Normally this means the gloves are dipped in Polyurethane or Nitrile rubber.