Geneva (July 21, 2025) – SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, has published SafeGuardS 091.25 to highlight the release of GB 45188-2024, China’s new mandatory standard for welder protective gloves.
Issued under Announcement No. 31 of 2024 by the National Standardization Administration, GB 45188-2024 titled “Hand Protection – Protective Gloves for Welders” sets out technical specifications, testing methods, marking requirements and manufacturer obligations. It applies to gloves intended for manual metal welding, gas cutting and similar operations.
The standard defines two glove types:
– Type A: with high thermal protection
– Type B: with lower thermal protection
Key requirements include:
– Material innocuousness per GB 42298-2022
– Minimum glove lengths by size
– Mechanical protection: minimum performance levels for abrasion, tear, puncture and cut resistance
– Thermal protection: compliance with burning behavior, heat resistance and molten metal splash performance
– Electrical safety: vertical resistance > 1 × 10⁵ Ω for arc welding applications
– Dexterity: at least level 1 performance, based on a pin test
– Marking: on gloves and the smallest unit of retail packaging
– Manufacturer information: instructions and technical data must be supplied
The new stanard does not apply to gloves designed for specialized welding environments such as underwater welding or automated systems.
SGS publishes SafeGuardS to help stakeholders stay informed of important regulatory changes. SafeGuardS 091.25 outlines the scope and compliance obligations of GB 45188-2024 for businesses placing welding gloves on the Chinese market.
Stakeholders are encouraged to review SafeGuardS 091.25 for full details.
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For further information contact:
Dr. Min Zhu
Senior Director
Technical Services & Operations, US & Canada
Tel: +19734611230
Website: www.sgs.com/softlines
LinkedIn: SGS Connectivity & Products
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