The Best Disposable Latex Gloves

Latex gloves can be bought to fit your exact applications:

• 1 – 3 mil – Light Duty
• 3 – 6 mil – Medium Duty
• 6 – 10 mil – Heavy Duty

It was found that nitrile rubber is more tear and chemical resistant than latex, but the difference may not be noticeable if used carefully. The most common reason gloves tear is from stretching when donning, as the glove may catch on a nail or abrasive surface and tear. But this can be avoided by thinking about putting the glove on mindfully.

Compared with other disposable glove materials such as vinyl, nitrile, or chloroprene, latex is the most comfortable as it naturally conforms to the user’s hand. Vinyl gloves are a latex alternative that is less expensive and most useful for single-use tasks. 

Nitrile is the highest quality latex substitute and is one of the best disposable glove materials judged by puncture resistance and tactile sensitivity. It offers the best protection against most chemicals. 

You may contact our product experts anytime with questions or concerns.

Powder or Powder-Free Gloves?

Powdered gloves have been banned in hospitals and medical applications because of the potential for irritation regardless of whether or not you have sensitive skin. So no medical-grade latex glove contains any powder. Most people find powder helpful in putting the glove on but later can become irritating on long shifts.

However, for those that like powdered gloves, there are food-safe industrial-grade latex gloves for this purpose. Both thoroughly and lightly powdered disposable latex gloves are available at Harmony.

Latex gloves are more expensive than vinyl but can be more cost-effective than nitrile, especially when buying from Harmony. Our industrial-grade latex gloves can be more than 50% cheaper than nitrile without affecting your ability to complete your task. Vinyl is a synthetic material like nitrile but costs more than 50% less and can be utilized in jobs requiring puncture resistance, like food preparation. 

Obviously,, if you are allergic to latex, this guide isn’t that useful! We don’t want you to be irritated with a glove, so we recommend nitrile rubber gloves for those with latex allergies. Many people also like chloroprene gloves because of their comfort, which rivals latex.

We recommend vinyl gloves if you have tried nitrile before but found it too expensive. We have tested dozens of disposable glove materials and found vinyl most useful for single-use tasks such as putting a glove on to inject a vaccine. Vinyl also benefits food preparation, commercial kitchens, and essential medical exams.

Nitrile is the new gold standard in disposable gloves, and its price point reflects such. There are many uses for nitrile gloves, including home use, gardening, and essential medical work. For a synthetic material, it feels natural! Besides the comfortable fit, many professionals use nitrile for both larger and smaller hands and find they fit a wide variety of hand sizes.

There is no use buying a glove that doesn’t fit you. You can filter for the size in stock if you need to shop by size. Latex, vinyl, and disposable nitrile gloves come in sizes from extra small to double extra large. The average hand size in the United States is medium, with most men finding a large comfortable.

If you don’t know your hand size, grab a cloth tape measure and pull it around the broadest part of your palm. You can measure one side and double the figure if you don’t have a tape measure. The table below is a guideline; ssomemanufacturers’ fit may vary.