Sizing Up Your Gloves

glove size Sure, you could pull on Grandma Tessie's old mittens if you're just going for a walk in the park (just don't rip them off the old dear's hands). But if you're on the job in the freezing cold, or working with machinery, chemicals or delicate cargo, you want to make sure you've got the right size for you.

If your gloves are too small, they can obviously be uncomfortable, might irritate your skin and could contribute to hand fatigue. Too tight can interfere with your dexterity. Not only that, but if the material stretches too much during use (or even when you pull the gloves on and off), it may rip or tear more easily. And then you're without protection and need to pony up the bucks for more hand gear.

On the other side of the coin, if you end up with gloves that are too large, you'll get less cold protection. Safety can be compromised because they could get caught on moving parts of machinery or snagged on jagged edges. In fact, a glove that's too loose could be pulled off your hand, or, worse, even end up pulling your hand into moving machinery. (Take a deep breath, we had to say that.)

So "how do I get the correct glove size?" you ask. Measuring you hand would be a great first step. For that, you need:

a measuring tape
a hand
one other body part

Use your dominant hand (if you write with your right, use your right, if you write . . .well, you figure it out). Put the end of the tape (we prefer the one with the lower number!) in the middle of the widest part of the back of your hand near your knuckles. Wind the tape around your palm until it meets the starting point.. You may need to hold the end of the tape in place for a second--we use the "chin method." You, of course, may hire an assistant. Make a loose fist (with the dominant hand, of course--are you with us or what?). Voila! Where the tape meets is YOUR SIZE! So if the measurement is 8 inches, say, your size is an "8."

Now many gloves don't list exact sizes, so here's some help on that:

Women’s Sizes     Men’s Sizes
S=61/2                 S=71/2–8
M=7                 M=81/2–9
L=71/2                 L=91/2–10
XL=8                 XL=101/2–11

If your measurement is in the "Border Zone" (like 81/4 inches for a guy), go for the slightly larger size.

Now give Tessie back her gloves.

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Sizing Up Your Gloves

Sizing Up Your Gloves