FR treated cotton suit
Class 1typical rating
- Best for
- Light TIG and MIG, bench work, long shifts
- Strength
- Far more comfortable and breathable. People keep it on
- Watch out for
- Not enough for heavy spatter or overhead work
EN ISO 11611
Welding Suits, and Why the Process Decides the Class
Class 1 or Class 2 is not a quality decision and it is not a budget decision. It is set by what your welders actually do. Stick welding and plasma cutting throw spatter that a Class 1 garment was never tested against.
This page matches the class to the process, so the order fits the workshop. As a welding PPE supplier we deliver across all seven emirates from Ajman, from a minimum of 25 pieces.
What the classes are tested to
Four numbers behind welding PPE
15
Molten metal drops a Class 1 garment must withstand
25
Molten metal drops required at Class 2
16 s
Radiant heat transfer index, Class 2 minimum
0
Synthetic fibres that belong next to the skin
Class 1 is tested to a radiant heat transfer index of at least 7 seconds against 16 at Class 2. The gap between the two classes is wider than the single digit difference in the label suggests.
The decision that matters
Class 1 and Class 2 are chosen by process, not preference
The standard itself links the two classes to welding techniques, which means this is not a judgement call. Find your process in the table and the class is already decided for you.
| Class | Drops | RHTI | Typical processes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | 15 | 7 s | Gas welding, TIG, low current MIG, micro plasma, brazing, spot welding |
| Class 2 | 25 | 16 s | MMA stick welding, MAG with CO2 or mixed gas, high current MIG, self shielded flux cored, plasma cutting, gouging, oxygen cutting, thermal spraying |
Scroll the table sideways on a phone.
Specify to the worst case, not the average
Most workshops in the UAE run mixed processes. Someone is on TIG at the bench while someone else is gouging a weld out on the floor, and the same jacket moves between them across a month.
Averaging that out gives you Class 1 garments on Class 2 work. Specify to the heaviest process anyone does, or split the issue properly and label it, which is harder to administer but cheaper than the alternative.
Position matters as much as process
Overhead welding changes the answer on its own. Spatter that falls onto a horizontal surface rolls off. Spatter that lands on a shoulder or a forearm from above sits there, and sitting there is exactly what the drop test measures.
Anyone welding overhead or in a confined position should be on Class 2 and a leather front, regardless of what the process table alone would suggest.
Choosing the garment
Three ways to dress a welder, and what each costs you
Protection and comfort pull against each other here more than anywhere else in PPE. A welding PPE supplier who only offers one of these three has not thought about your shift.
Leather fronted jacket
Class 2front and sleeves
- Best for
- Stick, MAG, gouging, plasma cutting, overhead work
- Strength
- Leather resists penetration and radiant heat better than anything
- Watch out for
- Heavy and hot. A back panel in FR cotton helps a great deal
Full leather suit
Class 2head to ankle
- Best for
- Heavy fabrication, foundry adjacent work, sustained overhead
- Strength
- The highest protection available in a garment
- Watch out for
- Heat retention. In a UAE summer this needs rotation and breaks
Placeholder. List the classes, leather types, weights and size range actually held in stock here, or delete this block. Nothing that cannot be evidenced should be published.
The mistake that causes the worst injuries
The T-shirt underneath is part of the welding PPE
This is the one that catches people out, because the outer garment is specified correctly and nobody looks at what is worn beneath it.
Why synthetics are the problem
Polyester and nylon do not burn away the way cotton does. They melt, and molten synthetic sticks to skin and keeps burning into it. The injury is deeper and far harder to treat than a flame burn from a natural fibre.
So the rule is simple and it has no exceptions. Nothing synthetic goes next to the skin on hot work. Not the T-shirt, not the underwear, not the socks, not a polyester base layer bought for comfort.
What to issue instead
Natural fibre or FR base layers, in cotton or a certified FR knit. Issue them with the suit rather than leaving it to the worker, because a welder who buys his own T-shirts will buy whatever is cheapest, and whatever is cheapest is polyester.
It is the smallest line on a welding PPE order and the one most likely to decide how bad an incident gets. If you supply nothing else from this page, supply this.
The same applies to a cooling vest. A standard cooling vest is a synthetic garment. Do not put one under or over welding kit unless it has been specified for hot work, because most have not been.
Make and finish
Five details that decide whether a welding jacket lasts
- Aramid thread, not polyester. Ordinary thread melts long before the fabric fails, so the garment comes apart at the seams while the panels are still sound. Kevlar or another aramid thread is the single best indicator of a properly built welding jacket.
- Flaps over every fastening. Exposed metal studs and zips conduct heat and catch spatter. A covering flap over the closure is not decoration.
- No external pockets facing up. An open pocket on the chest is a spatter trap. Pockets should face down or be covered, which is why good welding jackets look plainer than ordinary workwear.
- Cuffs that close. An open sleeve lets spatter travel up the forearm. Adjustable cuffs that seal over the gauntlet, never under it, are what stops that.
- A collar that stands. Neck burns from reflected spatter are common and avoidable. A high standing collar costs almost nothing and is the part welders mention first when they like a jacket.
All five are visible on a sample in under a minute. None of them shows in a product photograph, which is why we send a sample before a first order.
Gauntlets sit alongside this and carry their own standard, with a distinction between heavier gloves for stick and MAG work and thinner ones that keep the dexterity TIG needs. Say which processes you run and the glove choice follows from the same answer that set your garment class.
Head protection follows the same logic and is where hot works orders most often fall short. An industrial helmet carries an optional molten metal splash mark, and a helmet without that mark has not been tested for it. Check the marking rather than assuming, which is covered in more detail on our safety helmets page.
Branding
Putting a company name on hot works kit
Branding welding garments is more restricted than branding ordinary workwear, and for good reason. A print film is plastic. Plastic on a garment designed to meet molten metal is the same mistake as a polyester T-shirt underneath, just on the outside.
So no heat transfer, no vinyl and no plastic based print anywhere on the garment. Embroidery with aramid thread is the correct route, kept away from the chest and shoulder areas that take direct spatter. A back panel or a sleeve below the elbow is usually the right placement.
If a supplier offers to put a standard printed logo on a welding jacket, that tells you something useful about the supplier. The same rule governs flame resistant garments generally, which is covered on our industrial coverall page.
Embroidery runs on our own machines in Ajman, including with aramid thread where the garment requires it.
Before you order
When welding suits are not what you need
EN ISO 11611 covers welding and allied processes. These five sit outside it, and a welding garment is the wrong answer to all of them.
- Electric arc flash. A completely different hazard with its own ratings. A welding jacket is not arc flash protection and must never be issued as if it were. Start at the construction uniform and coverall side for that conversation.
- General site work with occasional hot work. If someone welds for twenty minutes a week, a dedicated suit will live in a locker. A proper FR coverall plus a leather apron and sleeves for those twenty minutes is more likely to actually be worn.
- Chemical or molten chemical splash. Different standard, different garment. Leather is not the answer here.
- Cutting and grinding only. Sparks from a grinder are not molten metal drops. Specify for impact and eye protection first, and do not overbuy the garment.
- Hot environments without a flame source. That is a heat stress problem, not a welding problem, and the money belongs in cooling and scheduling instead.
Ordering
Four things to tell us, and the class picks itself
Name the processes
TIG, MIG, stick, MAG, gouging, plasma. The heaviest one on the list sets the class.
Say whether anyone welds overhead
It changes the answer on its own, whatever the process table says.
Tell us what they wear underneath
If it is polyester today, add base layers to the order. This matters more than the jacket.
Quantity and size split
Minimum 25 pieces. Leather runs smaller over a base layer, so size up.
Questions
What workshops ask before ordering welding suits
What is the difference between EN ISO 11611 Class 1 and Class 2?
Class 1 is tested against 15 molten metal drops and a radiant heat transfer index of at least 7 seconds. Class 2 is tested against 25 drops and at least 16 seconds. The standard links those classes to welding techniques, so the choice is set by process rather than preference. Class 1 suits gas welding, TIG, low current MIG, micro plasma and brazing. Class 2 is required for stick welding, MAG with CO2 or mixed gas, high current MIG, self shielded flux cored wire, plasma cutting, gouging and oxygen cutting.
Can a welder wear a normal T-shirt under a welding jacket?
Only a natural fibre or certified FR one. Polyester and nylon melt rather than burning away, and molten synthetic adheres to skin and keeps burning into it, which produces a deeper injury that is much harder to treat. Nothing synthetic should be worn next to the skin on hot work, including underwear and socks. Issue base layers with the suit rather than leaving the choice to the worker.
Is leather better than flame resistant cotton for welding?
For heavy spatter, radiant heat and overhead work, yes. Leather resists penetration and radiant heat better than any fabric, which is why leather fronted jackets dominate stick and gouging work. The trade is weight and heat retention, which matter a great deal in a UAE summer. For light TIG and bench work, FR treated cotton is more comfortable, more breathable and more likely to stay on through a full shift.
Why does welding kit need aramid stitching?
Because ordinary polyester thread melts long before the fabric or leather fails. The garment then comes apart at the seams while the panels themselves are still sound. Aramid thread such as Kevlar survives the same exposure the garment is rated for, and its presence is one of the clearest indicators of a properly built welding jacket.
Can a company logo be printed on a welding jacket?
Not with a plastic based method. Heat transfer, vinyl and standard prints all put a plastic film on a garment designed to meet molten metal, which is the same error as a polyester base layer, only on the outside. Embroidery with aramid thread is the correct route, placed away from the chest and shoulders that take direct spatter. A back panel or a sleeve below the elbow usually works.
Send us the process list, not the garment you had in mind
Name what your welders actually run and whether anyone works overhead. That decides the class, and from there the quote is straightforward. Minimum order 25 pieces, delivered anywhere in the seven emirates.