Nitrile vs PU vs Latex: Choosing a Glove Coating
All three families dip the same knitted liners. They differ in grip character, oil behaviour, wear life and cost — and each owns work the others do badly.
Nitrile: the oil-tolerant all-rounder
Nitrile does not swell in oils and greases, abrades well, and comes in smooth, micro-foam and sandy finishes for wet-to-dry grip tuning. It is the default for industrial programmes and the coating family most of this range is built on.
PU: the dexterity coating
Polyurethane dips thinnest, giving the best tactile feel and the lowest coating cost. It is a dry-work coating: oil and heavy abrasion shorten its life. For assembly, inspection and clean handling it is usually the right answer.
Latex: the grip coating
Natural latex — crinkle or foam finish — grips wet and dry surfaces better than either rival and costs less than nitrile. Its limits are oil (which degrades it) and latex sensitivity. This range carries a full latex line: crinkle general-purpose models, foam-latex comfort models and latex palms on cut liners — it is a working family here, not an afterthought.
Related lines
Short answers
Which coating lasts longest?
In abrasive dry work, nitrile usually outlasts PU; latex crinkle wears well but loses to oil. Match the coating to the contaminant, not to a league table.
Which is cheapest?
PU on coating cost, latex close behind, nitrile typically highest of the three — but liner and construction move total price more than coating does.
Put the guide to work
Send your task and hazard list. The reply maps it to models with printed, report-backed specifications.