Best Disposable Gloves for Big Hands

As someone with big hands, you know that gloves are definitely not one-size-fits-all. For you, gloves can be a frustrating and uncomfortable experience. 

Here’s the thing: gloves shouldn’t be tight and uncomfortable. Certainly not disposable gloves, where the irritation of donning and shedding a new glove reminds you of the discomfort all over again. Your gloves should be a tool to keep you comfortable and safe. 

It’s all about buying the right gloves for your hands. Here’s how to buy the best gloves for big hands, and what makes the best disposable gloves for people with larger hands.

Challenges When Finding Hand Protection

Unfortunately, if you have big hands, you’re all too familiar with the challenge of finding a decent pair of gloves. 

Most of the time, gloves are too uncomfortably tight. This restricts your dexterity and range of motion within the glove, which can seriously impact your ability to work. 

And if you find gloves that are the right size, you may run into challenges with finger length. Depending on the length difference between your index and middle finger, it may even make the difference in going up or down a size. 

How to Find the Right Fit

First, it helps to find the right fit. Since you have large hands, this will be more involved than simply estimating your size. 

To do this, start by using the universal measurement for glove sizing. Get a soft tape measure (you can also use string and a ruler if you don’t have one). Wrap the tape measure around the widest part of your hand (excluding your thumb). 

The result, in inches, is your glove size. This is usually between 6 and 9 but will be higher for people with large hands. If you’re between two sizes, glove makers usually recommend rounding down to the lower one, though this can make the gloves uncomfortable for people with larger hands. 

Finding Glove Lengths

Since you have larger hands than many people, it’s also important to find the right glove length. You can do this by measuring the length of your hand and checking the length of your index finger. 

Glove makers base length on the middle finger measurement, so start there. To do this, simply measure the distance from the base of your palm to the tip of your middle finger. From there, take a look at a U.S.-based sizing chart to translate your finger length into a glove size. 

However, while glove length is based on the middle finger, glove makers assume that the index finger is an average amount shorter than the middle finger. This isn’t always the case, and it can lead to an awkward fit. 

With large hands, if your index finger is shorter than your middle finger by half an inch, you should go down a glove size. Otherwise, use the measurement from your middle finger. 

What’s Most Important in Glove Sizing

While glove width is the standard measurement for glove sizing, your glove length may actually be more important, especially if your hands are heavy and muscular. In that case, choosing gloves based on width may push you up a size and leave you with gloves that are too long in the fingers. 

If you’re concerned with manual dexterity and grip, it’s more important to avoid excess material in the fingertips. That means you should choose gloves based on finger length, not hand width. 

Features of the Best Disposable Gloves

For individuals with large hands, there’s an art to buying disposable gloves. In general, you should look at three things: stretchy fit, loose cuff, and material. 

Stretchy Fit

If you have heavy hands or fingers with a larger diameter, you may be tempted to size up your gloves for comfort. Here’s the thing: size isn’t actually what’s important, and it’s not what will make disposable gloves comfortable. 

What makes gloves comfortable is their stretch. 

If you opt for a larger size, you’ll get a glove that’s too loose through the fingers and doesn’t provide the dexterity you need. But if you opt for a stretchy glove, it does a much better job accommodating larger fingers without excess material getting in the way of manual dexterity. 

For this reason, it’s important to look at the stretchiness of the material and the design of the glove you buy. If the material is stretchy, you may get a better fit without needing to size up. 

Loose Cuff

Unfortunately, if you have larger hands, putting on and taking off disposable gloves is usually the least comfortable part of the whole process. To that end, you have to pay attention to how the glove is designed--specifically, the cuff. 

You should always use a disposable glove with a looser cuff, as this makes it much easier to put on and take off your disposable gloves correctly. Plus, it will make it much easier for the cuff to slide over your hand, which will make the fit more comfortable as you pull the glove on. 

The Best Disposable Glove Material for Big Hands

Because stretchiness is critical to comfortable disposable gloves for big hands, you should always reach for a stretchier material. The best candidate on that front is latex, which is designed to stretch over the hand and fit closely. Nitrile isn’t as flexible as latex, and vinyl isn’t designed to stretch much at all. 

If you’re allergic to latex or can’t wear latex in your work setting due to allergy concerns, your next best option is a neoprene glove, which can stretch five to six times its original length. 

Shop for the Best Disposable Gloves at Any Size

Disposable gloves should be comfortable for your whole team, no matter what size gloves you need to get the job done right. That’s why we stock a huge variety of gloves that thousands of happy customers across the country rely on, from individuals to corporations to major government agencies.