A worker peels off a pair of PU Coated Gloves at the end of a shift and catches a faint, almost sweetish chemical smell. Most people shrug it off. Few know that smell can be a signature of Dimethylformamide, or DMF, a solvent used in manufacturing some protective hand gloves. It's not something that shows up on the box. It's not something most buyers ask about. And that's exactly the gap this blog is here to close.
What is DMF and Why Does it Show Up in PU Gloves?
DMF is an inexpensive industrial solvent that serves as an aid in bonding polyurethane to the fabric lining of the hazard protection glove during the process of coating. However, the problem with DMF is that it does not always completely evaporate after the drying and curing process. Residual amounts of it may be present in the final product, and this is referred to by safety professionals as residual DMF.
This becomes particularly relevant for procurement agents looking to purchase industrial safety hand gloves on a large-scale basis. The employee wearing the glove for 8 hours per day, 5 or 6 days a week, is much more exposed to the residual solvent than the consumer buying one pair of industrial safety equipments from the shelf.
How are PU Coated Gloves Actually Made?
Understanding the DMF question starts with the manufacturing process itself:
- Liner knitting: A seamless liner, usually nylon or polyester, is knitted to the target size and gauge of the industrial safety hand gloves.
- Dip coating: The liner is dipped into a polyurethane solution. In solvent-based production, DMF acts as the carrier that lets the PU penetrate the fabric and cure into a flexible coating.
- Washing and curing: The coated industrial safety hand glove passes through heat treatment and washing cycles designed to strip out leftover solvent before the product reaches packaging.
The third stage is where quality separates. A manufacturer that under-invests in washing and curing time ships this industrial safety equipment with meaningfully higher residual DMF than one that follows a rigorous process. This is precisely why sourcing from a manufacturer with visible process controls, rather than an unbranded supplier, is not a minor detail for anyone buying hazard protection gloves at scale.
What Risks Does Residual DMF Actually Pose?
The health implications of DMF are not just theoretical. Prolonged and high exposure at work has been shown to cause skin sensitisation, contact dermatitis, and even damage to the liver when the conditions are extremely severe, such as those found in industrial exposure cases. The user of the PU hazard protection glove will have less exposure to DMF than the factory worker who works with the raw DMF, but not none.
Some of the health symptoms caused by excess DMF include:
- Repeated skin irritation that can be mistaken for latex allergy
- Ammonia or chemical odour in unopened gloves
- Contact dermatitis that occurs whenever you use the same pair of gloves
Irritation that does not get better with frequent washing and moisturizing of hands
The last symptom usually throws off a lot of safety officers. Irritation is often mistaken for latex allergy when the problem actually comes from the composition of the gloves themselves.
How Is DMF Risk Regulated, and What Should Buyers Check?
Here's where the picture gets more layered. In the EU, REACH 1907/2006 legally requires manufacturers to disclose DMF content above 0.1% (1,000 ppm) in the finished industrial safety hand glove, and EN ISO 21420:2020 sets that 1,000 ppm figure as the working ceiling for CE-marked gloves. India doesn't yet have a standalone BIS standard that sets a DMF threshold specifically for PU Coated Gloves. What Indian manufacturers and buyers rely on instead is the EN framework, since it remains the most rigorously tested benchmark available for this glove category.
| Standard / Framework | What It Covers | Relevance for Buyers |
| EN ISO 21420:2020 | General glove requirements; DMF ceiling of under 1,000 ppm | Confirms a maximum safe residual level |
| EN388:2016+A1:2018 | Mechanical hazard resistance (abrasion, cut, tear) | What most Indian PU gloves, including Mallcom's, are certified against |
| REACH 1907/2006 | Mandatory disclosure of DMF content above 0.1% | Forces transparency from the manufacturer |
| Factories Act, 1948 / DGFASLI guidance | Workplace exposure and occupational safety in India | Governs employer responsibility for industrial safety equipment on the floor |
For anyone buying PU Coated Gloves for a factory floor or warehouse, a short checklist helps:
- Ask if the gloves are solvent-based or water-based. Water-based PU eliminates DMF from the process entirely.
- Check for EN 388 or equivalent mechanical certification. This confirms the glove has been tested, not just marketed.
- Smell test on arrival. A strong ammonia-like odour straight out of packaging is a warning sign, not a "new product" smell.
- Buy from a manufacturer with a visible process, not an unbranded reseller. Traceable manufacturing means traceable quality control.
Mallcom's PU range is certified to EN388:2016+A1:2018, giving buyers a documented mechanical safety baseline alongside the coating itself.
Making the Safer Choice
The presence of residual DMF does not warrant discarding PU Coated Gloves. The presence of residual DMF should rather make us smarter buyers. The chemistry of such hazard protection gloves has been thoroughly researched, manufacturing procedures for minimising risks are known, and standards for holding responsible manufacturers accountable have been laid down, although not in India, but in Europe.
For the safety officer or procurement department, it is not the avoidance of industrial safety equipment with PU coating which constitutes a safeguard. It is rather the correct questions which one should pose before buying such Protective Hand Gloves. And that is, how they have been manufactured and tested, and is there any proof from the manufacturer for such testing?
FAQs
Q. Is DMF in PU-Coated Gloves Dangerous for Regular Users?
The amount of DMF that remains in gloves after manufacture is quite small and thus poses minimal harm to consumers. However, the danger is more for those people working directly in the glove-making factory, since their exposure is likely to be more intensive than that of the consumers.
Q. How Can I Tell if My Gloves Have High DMF Content?
A powerful smell like ammonia directly from the packet is a common symptom of this problem. Apart from smelling the gloves, it would be wise to inquire about the type of gloves from the supplier; whether solvent- or water-based, along with the EN 388 certification details.
Q. Are All PU Coated Gloves Made Using DMF?
No. Many modern manufacturers now offer water-based PU coating options that skip DMF entirely during production. These alternatives typically maintain the same grip, dexterity, and durability as solvent-based coatings, making them a viable option for buyers who want to eliminate the concern.
Q. Does India have a BIS Standard Limiting DMF in PU Gloves?
Not yet as a dedicated standard. Indian PU glove manufacturers, including Mallcom, currently rely on EN certification such as EN388:2016+A1:2018 for mechanical safety, alongside internal manufacturing controls to manage residual DMF, since India's BIS framework hasn't published a standalone DMF threshold for this glove category.
