How do I choose the right workwear?
We supply clothing for virtually all types of professions. From all‑round clothing for service staff and the construction industry to specialized garments for, for example, the food industry — or for those who work in firefighting and rescue.
Here is a list of the most common materials and their special properties. You can also see which approvals cover what.
Materials:
Acrylic
Aside from polyester and polyamide, another widely used synthetic fiber is acrylic. Acrylic closely resembles the other two synthetic fibers but is most often used in knitted products such as hats and gloves.
- Comfortable and extra durable
- Lightweight
- High colorfastness
- Doesn't tend to shrink
Cotton
Cotton is a natural fiber with good wear resistance that expands when wet. The advantage of cotton is that it is often experienced as soft and comfortable against the skin. Cotton fibers withstand high wash temperatures, which are also required to get them clean.
- Soft and comfortable to wear
- Withstands high wash temperatures
CoolMax®
A polyester fiber material. Each fiber has four "channels" that have a larger surface area than an ordinary round fiber. This increases the fabric's ability to wick moisture away from the body to the fabric's outer surface.
Cordura®
A very durable polyamide material from DuPont®. Tear- and abrasion-resistant.
Merino wool
Wool is a natural fiber composed of the protein keratin. Thanks to the fiber's crimp, wool contains a lot of air, which creates good insulating properties and high elasticity. Wool fibers have good absorbency, but unlike cotton, they can absorb about one third of their weight without feeling wet. Today, wool is finished during production and does not shrink when washed.
- Good insulating properties and high elasticity
- Good absorbency
Polyamide
Polyamide is the strongest of the synthetic fibers — and stronger than polyester relative to its weight. Besides strength, there are many similarities between polyamide and polyester, but colorfastness is somewhat lower for polyamide. On the other hand, it is better at absorbing moisture. The fiber has poorer chemical resistance and melts when exposed to fire.
- Comfortable and the strongest of the synthetic fibers
- Lightweight
- Medium colorfastness
- Doesn't tend to shrink
- Good moisture absorption
Polyester
Polyester is a synthetic fiber which, compared with cotton, is extra durable. This means that the material weight can be lower while still retaining durability. The fiber also has high colorfastness. Polyester also has other advantages, such as low absorbency and a tendency not to shrink. By blending polyester and cotton, you can get a material that is both very comfortable and durable. Additionally, polyester is acid‑resistant and can therefore be advantageously used in clothing for, for example, ambulance personnel who at accident scenes may be exposed to battery acid. Polyester melts when exposed to fire.
- Comfortable and extra durable
- Lightweight
- High colorfastness
- Doesn't tend to shrink
- Acid-resistant
- Low absorbency
Special system designations
ZIP-IN makes it easy to maintain a comfortable temperature and always be properly dressed. The modular system allows you to easily transform your product. For example, combine the shell jacket with a warmer lining. There is a wide range of options with the ZIP-IN-System.
Certifications
EN 340: 2004 - Protective clothing — general requirements.
EN 342 / AC:2008 - Protective clothing for cold and temperatures below -5°C — e.g. insulating garments intended for use in cold stores/freezers. Requirements for garments under this standard include: thermal insulation tested on a moving thermal manikin, air permeability/wind resistance and water vapor resistance or "breathability".
EN 343 - Protective clothing against the effects of rain and other precipitation (e.g. rain, snowflakes), fog and moisture. The optimal level of water protection and wind protection supports the human body's thermoregulation process. Water protection – class (X = 1, 2, 3) and breathability – class (Y = 1, 2, 3).
EN 469 - Protective clothing for firefighters for firefighting, rescue operations and incidents. The pictogram indicates the garment's performance in protecting the wearer when working in smoke-filled environments.
EN 471 - High-visibility protective clothing. Visibility garments consist of fluorescent material together with reflective material. There are requirements for color, luminance factor, colorfastness, fabric strength properties, placement of reflective tape and the reflective properties of the tape. It is divided into 3 classes: 1 – 2 – 3, where class 3 has the highest visibility. Area requirements for the fluorescent material and for the reflective material determine the class:
- Class 1: 0,14 m2 fluorescent material and 0,10 m2 reflective material
- Class 2: 0,50 m2 fluorescent material and 0,13 m2 reflective material
- Class 3: 0,80 m2 fluorescent material and 0,20 m2 reflective material
In addition, the reflective material is available in two classes, of which reflective class 2 is the best and is recommended. All high-visibility garments are labeled with a pictogram where the top number indicates the visibility class and the bottom number the reflective class.
Certifications
DS / EN ISO 14116 - Must protect the wearer from short-term flames and fire so that the garment does not ignite, although a hole may occur. Therefore, if the outer garment is only approved at index 1, the wearer must always have something flame-retardant underneath, at minimum index 2. Previously, EN533 only addressed testing of the material itself; now EN 14116 requires testing of the entire PPE product, including: tensile strength, tear strength, seam strength and a guarantee of flame-retardant properties after repeated washing. The same three indices as in the old standard apply; index 3 is the highest achievable.
EN ISO 11612 : 2008 - Protective clothing against heat and flames, intended for industrial workers exposed to fire and heat, e.g. on an offshore drilling platform. The clothing must protect the wearer from open flames, radiant heat, contact heat and small molten metal droplets. There are five criteria for classification of clothing according to this standard: limited flame spread (A), heat transfer (B), radiant heat (C), protection against molten aluminium (D) and protection against molten iron (E), or a combination of these. In addition to classification codes A to E, the clothing's performance is categorized into levels 1 to 5. The higher the performance, the greater the corresponding protective effect. Our flame-protective workwear thereby provides the wearer with a high level of safety when working with fire and heat.
EN 1149 - Protective clothing with electrostatic and antistatic properties that protects against sudden discharges of electrostatic energy. It is used where there is a risk that static sparks can ignite flammable substances such as gas or oil.
EN 10732-2 - Protective clothing against radioactive contamination.
EN 14126 - Protective clothing against infectious agents.
EN ISO 11611 : 2007 (EN 470-1 + A1 : 1998) - Protective clothing intended to protect the wearer from welding and small molten metal splashes as well as short-term contact with flames and ultraviolet radiation.
Measurement chart and size guide - workwear
Use our general sizing chart to find your clothing size
