Thickness is measured at a place
Glove thickness is the single-wall thickness of the glove film. US spec sheets usually give it in mil — a thousandth of an inch — or in millimetres. An inch is exactly 25.4 mm, so 1 mil = 0.0254 mm [1]. Useful anchors: 0.05 mm is about 2.0 mil, 0.08 mm about 3.1 mil, and 0.10 mm about 3.9 mil.
Manufacturers measure thickness at specific locations, usually the fingertip and the palm and sometimes the cuff. The fingertip is usually the thickest point and the figure brands lead with [2]. A “4 mil” claim with no location tells you little, so compare fingertip with fingertip and palm with palm.
Read the value type
Spec sheets state thickness in different ways: as a minimum (“finger min 0.10 mm”), a typical value, a nominal value with a tolerance (“0.08 ± 0.02 mm”), or a range (“4–6 mil at fingertips”) [3]. A minimum and a typical value aren’t comparable. The measured value also depends on the instrument: ASTM’s method for measuring rubber dimensions notes that the pressure of the measuring foot significantly affects thickness readings on soft materials [4].
Weight is grams per glove
Weight is the mass of one glove, usually for size M. It reflects all the material in the glove — its length, its size and how the film is distributed — so two gloves with the same fingertip thickness can weigh different amounts. One manufacturer describes its 16-inch glove as more than twice the weight of its 12-inch glove [5]. There’s no valid formula that turns grams into mil. A listing that calls a weight “equivalent to” a thickness is mixing two different properties.
What the standard sets — and doesn’t
As quoted in manufacturers’ FDA 510(k) summaries, the ASTM specification for nitrile exam gloves (D6319) sets a minimum single-wall thickness of 0.05 mm, about 2 mil, at the palm and finger. The specification for vinyl exam gloves (D5250) sets 0.08 mm, about 3.1 mil [6]. So a 3-mil and a 6-mil nitrile glove can both “meet ASTM D6319”. Thickness differences between products are product choices, not grades. FDA’s glove guidance also advises against puffery such as “extra thick” and favors stated measurements [7].
Thicker isn’t the same as tested
Protection against specific hazards is tested separately. Chemotherapy-drug resistance, for example, is tested under ASTM D6978, and FDA-cleared chemotherapy-tested gloves include products built to the 0.05 mm minimum [8]. Check the test and its results, not the thickness.
How GTDI shows thickness
Every listing shows thickness at each location the manufacturer states, the value type, both units and the date of the source document. If the manufacturer doesn’t state a location, the listing says “location not stated”. We don’t publish weight-to-thickness conversions, and we don’t use words like “extra thick”.
This guide is general information. Product choices for clinical tasks belong to your facility.
Sources
- NIST, “SI Units — Length” (undated page; accessed Oct 4, 2026). https://www.nist.gov/pml/owm/si-units-length
- Halyard Health, PURPLE NITRILE exam gloves product page; Kossan, iNtouch SS35 product page (finger, palm and cuff values; undated pages, accessed Oct 4, 2026).
- HARPS Global, sempermed safe datasheet (08/2026); Hartalega NGX catalog (undated, accessed Oct 4, 2026); Dynarex Safe-Touch nitrile sell sheet (revision R260612-1, accessed Oct 4, 2026).
- ASTM D3767-03(2020), Rubber — Measurement of Dimensions (store page updated Feb 24, 2020; scope summary).
- Halyard Health, PURPLE NITRILE product page (MAX vs XTRA weight statement; undated page, accessed Oct 4, 2026).
- FDA-hosted 510(k) summaries K222813 (cleared Mar 16, 2023) and K254285 (cleared Jul 20, 2026) for nitrile; K252505 (cleared Aug 28, 2025), K221980 (cleared Feb 6, 2023) and K230046 (cleared Mar 25, 2023) for vinyl — values as quoted by manufacturers under ASTM D6319-19 and D5250-19.
- FDA, Medical Glove Guidance Manual (Jan 2008).
- FDA-hosted 510(k) summary K254285, chemotherapy-tested nitrile gloves (cleared Jul 20, 2026).