Best Gloves for Warehouse Work: Picking, Packing, Loading and Freezers

The best gloves for warehouse work depend on the task: a thin PU coated knit for picking and packing, a cut-resistant nitrile glove for steel strapping and metal parts, and a foam latex or string knit latex glove for wet or rough loading. One glove rarely covers a whole building. Freezer work needs an insulated glove. Kiwi doesn't make one, so the freezer section below covers what to look for from other makers.

What OSHA expects when you choose warehouse gloves

OSHA's hand protection rule, 29 CFR 1910.138, requires employers to select hand protection when hands are exposed to hazards such as cuts, lacerations, abrasions, punctures, chemical burns, thermal burns and harmful temperature extremes. Paragraph (b) says the choice should rest on the glove's performance "relative to the task(s) to be performed, conditions present, duration of use, and the hazards and potential hazards identified."

That wording points straight at a task-by-task approach. A picker scanning totes and a dock worker cutting steel banding have different hazards in the same building, and one glove bought for both usually fails one of them.

Order picking gloves: grip, feel and a working touchscreen

Pickers need fingertip feel and a glove they won't pull off to use a scanner. A thin polyurethane coating gives the most bare-hand feel of the common coatings. Kiwi's DexLock is an ultra-thin polyurethane dispersion (PUD) coating, and our PUD gloves add Synapse touchscreen fingertips, so handhelds and tablets work with gloves on. By the four-hundredth scan of a shift, that's the difference between gloves staying on and gloves sitting in a back pocket.

The grey PUD palm coated grip glove is ANSI/ISEA 105 Level A1 and EN 388 4142A, on a seamless nylon/spandex knit with an open back for airflow. The cuff color tells you the size at a glance: green is medium, red is large. That makes restocking a glove station quick.

A1 is the low end of the cut scale. ISEA's examples for A1 to A3 include material handling, packaging and warehouse work, so it fits general picking. It is not the glove for sharp metal.

Gloves for handling boxes and cartons

Corrugated edges wear through bare skin and cause paper cuts, and smooth cartons slide in a dry hand. A coated palm fixes both. For packing stations and light cartons, the same PUD glove used for picking works well and saves stocking another style.

Heavier or damp cartons are a different job. Foam latex has a textured, breathable coating that grips well when surfaces are wet. Our foam latex palm coated glove is EN 388 2131X, with no ANSI/ISEA 105 cut rating.

Box cutters and case breaking

Cut-resistant gloves reduce the risk of cuts. They are not cut-proof, and Kiwi's instructions say they're not for powered or serrated blades. If your hazard assessment flags utility knife cuts during case breaking, a higher cut level such as A4 is the step up.

Stretch film, strapping and banding

Stretch wrap is mostly a grip and feel task. Film is tacky, the roll needs control, and a thin PU palm handles it well.

Steel strapping is not. Cut ends are sharp, and banding under tension can spring when it's cut. ISEA's examples for A4 and A5 include metal fabrication and handling, the closest match for cutting and pulling steel bands. Our A4 nitrile palm coated glove is ANSI/ISEA 105 Level A4, EN 388 4X43D and EN 407 X1XXXX, on a polyethylene blend knit with Synapse fingertips.

Pallet, dock and wet loading work

Pallet and dock work is rough on gloves. Broken deck boards, splintered stringers and loads that get dragged more than lifted chew through thin coatings fast. A heavier string knit with a latex palm is the usual answer for general grip here. Our double latex palm coated string knit carries a second layer of latex on the palm and lists resistance to abrasion and oils. It's unrated, so where the assessment calls for a cut or puncture level, use a rated glove instead.

Wet loading shows up on a dock plate wet with rain or a trailer floor tracked with slush. Foam latex is the coating to reach for, because it keeps grip when surfaces are wet. Keep in mind that natural rubber latex can cause allergic reactions in some people. Anyone with a known latex allergy should get a nitrile or PU coated glove.

Metal parts and oily stock

Bins of stamped brackets, oiled bar stock and greasy returns combine two hazards: edges and oil. Nitrile resists oils and greases, and the A4 nitrile glove covers the edge side. Replace gloves that get saturated with oil or fuel. Washing won't restore them.

Oil resistance is not chemical protection. Kiwi gloves carry no EN 374 chemical rating, so if leaking containers or chemical spills are part of returns processing, stock a chemical-rated glove for that station.

Freezer and cold storage gloves: what to look for

Kiwi does not sell insulated freezer gloves, and our knit gloves aren't insulated. Don't send them into a freezer as cold protection. OSHA lists harmful temperature extremes among the hand hazards employers have to address, so cold storage needs its own glove. When you shop for one, look for:

• An insulated lining from a maker who states the cold conditions the glove is intended for.
• A grip coating that stays flexible in the cold, so pickers can still handle cases.
• Touchscreen fingertips if your cold-room staff use handhelds.
• A water-resistant shell or coating, because frost on cases turns to water on warm hands.

NIOSH's cold stress guidance recommends carrying extra gloves and other spare clothing. A dry spare pair at the freezer door is cheap insurance. One more point: the EN 407 X1XXXX on our PUD and nitrile gloves is contact heat level 1 only. It says nothing about cold.

Warehouse gloves by task

Our warehouse and logistics collection groups these gloves with the hi-vis and boots dock crews use. For the cut scale itself, see the ANSI/ISEA 105 cut level guide, and for coating differences in more depth, nitrile vs latex vs PU coated gloves.

Glove station checklist for warehouse leads

• List every task by area: picking, packing, strapping, dock, returns, cold storage.
• Write down the hazard for each task and whether your assessment sets a cut level.
• Match one glove type per hazard group, not one glove for the building.
• Ask about latex allergies before stocking latex coated gloves.
• For the PUD gloves, sort sizes by cuff color (green is medium, red is large) so staff can grab the right size fast.
• Pull gloves with cuts, punctures, thinning or peeling coating, or failed seams.
• Replace oil-saturated gloves rather than washing them.
• Keep gloved hands clear of rotating or moving machinery, such as conveyors, where a glove can be caught.
• Source insulated gloves separately for freezer and cooler work.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best gloves for order picking?

Thin PU coated knit gloves are the usual choice for order picking because they give close to bare-hand feel. Touchscreen fingertips let pickers use scanners without taking gloves off. Kiwi's DexLock PUD gloves are ANSI/ISEA 105 Level A1 with Synapse touchscreen fingertips.

Do warehouse workers need cut-resistant gloves?

It depends on the task and your hazard assessment. General picking and packing often fit the A1 to A3 range ISEA lists for warehouse work. Cutting steel banding, handling sheet metal or breaking cases with a knife may call for A4 or higher.

What gloves are best for handling boxes?

A coated knit glove is the standard choice for handling boxes, because the coating grips smooth cartons and protects against corrugated edges. PU suits light, dry cartons. Foam latex suits heavier or damp cartons where wet grip matters.

Can regular work gloves be used in a freezer?

Uncoated or thin coated knit gloves aren't insulated and shouldn't be relied on for cold storage. Use an insulated glove made for cold conditions, and keep a dry spare pair nearby. Kiwi does not make freezer gloves.

Supplying gloves to a warehouse team

A distribution center often ends up stocking three or four glove styles in several sizes. Send us the mix through the request a quote form and we'll price it as one order. Dealers and distributors serving warehouse accounts can set up wholesale through sales@kiwiworkwear.com.

Use this as a starting point, not as legal advice. Your own hazard assessment, along with state and site rules, has the last word on what each task needs.