AQL value of gloves – explanation of the Acceptable Quality Level

The AQL value is a quality characteristic that can be used to make a statement about the quality of products where it is not possible to test every manufactured specimen of a total quantity, as the respective specimen would be destroyed or at least damaged during testing. In the case of a quality inspection of all copies, the manufacturer would have nothing left to sell. Instead, only a random sample of the manufactured products is tested and the untested samples from the total quantity of these products are assigned a corresponding AQL value, provided the test was passed. The Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) is therefore a statistical quality determination procedure.

Cleanroom gloves are also among the products that are destroyed during an inspection. This is why only random samples of AQL-tested cleanroom gloves, for example many nitrile gloves and latex gloves, are tested and an AQL value is assigned to the remaining samples of the total quantity. The lower the AQL value, the higher the quality of the product. An AQL value of 0.65 is therefore better than one of 1.0.

The AQL value is determined using two tables. The first table is used to define the so-called code letter. The first step is to determine the total quantity – also known as the batch size – from which a sample is to be taken. As a rule, the total quantity is identical to a batch.

The test level must then be determined on the basis of the existing standards for the manufacture of the respective product, whereby there are different levels here. At the top level, you have to choose between the “Special test level” and the “General test level”. Below this is a level at which you can choose from various subclasses. The intersection of the lot size and the selected subclass of the specified test level then results in a code letter between A and R. The ISO 2859-1:1999 standard is used in particular for testing cleanroom gloves. The AQL value is now determined with the help of a second table, whereby the previously determined code letter in the second table makes a statement about the size of the sample to be tested. In addition, the second table states how many parts of a sample may be defective in order to fulfill a certain AQL value by specifying an acceptance number and a rejection number.

If the rejection number is reached, the product does not have the required AQL value and the entire batch cannot be sold. Up to the acceptance number, however, the lot size tested corresponds to the quality of the corresponding AQL value and can be sold.

In some cases, certain standards require a specific AQL value. For medical gloves, for example, the EN 455 Part 1 standard requires an AQL value of 1.5 for the leak test using the water retention test, in which the water permeability through microporous holes in the glove material is tested. In contrast to the air test, this test method is a test method that destroys the product during the test.

In the case of gloves for personal protective equipment (PPE), testing is based on the standard DIN EN ISO 374-2:2020-04, which specifies a test method for the resistance to penetration of gloves that protect against hazardous chemicals or microorganisms.

You can buy many cleanroom gloves with AQL values between 0.65 and 1.5 in the abovo online store.

The following cleanroom gloves have an AQL value of 0.65:

• Gloves Shield Scientific SHIELDskin Orange Nitrile 260
• Shield Scientific gloves SHIELDskin Orange Nitrile 300

• Nitrile glove Shield Scientific ecoSHIELD Eco Nitrile PF 250
• Gloves SHIELDskin Chem Neo Nitrile 300

• Gloves SHIELDskin Xtreme Sterile White Nitrile 400 DI+
• Gloves SHIELDskin Xtreme Sterile White Nitrile 330 DI+

The following cleanroom glove has an AQL value of 1.0:

• Neoprene gloves TouchNTuff 73-701, Ansell

The following cleanroom gloves have an AQL value of 1.5:

• Gloves Nitrile White 300 DI++ SHIELDskin Xtreme

• Nitrile gloves SHIELDskin Xtreme White Nitrile 400 DI+
• Nitrile gloves SHIELDskin Xtreme White Nitrile 300 DI
• Gloves SHIELDskin Orange Xtreme Nitrile 300 DI
• Nitrile gloves CELOS Glove 1.10
• Nitrile gloves PUREZERO HG3 (sterile)
• Nitrile gloves PUREZERO HG3
• Latex gloves SHIELDskin Xtreme Bright Latex 300 DI+

Manufacturers of cleanroom gloves or medical gloves usually state the AQL value in the product data sheet. Ideally, the AQL value can also be found on the packaging of the gloves or on glove dispensers.

If you have any questions about the AQL value, our experts from the abovo online store will be happy to answer them. You can contact us by email or phone with your questions about cleanroom gloves or the AQL value:

• E-mail: info@abovo.ch
• Phone: +41 32 552 44 44