How Rubber Latex is Harvested and Processed Rubber latex is harvested from the Hevea Brasiliensis tree using a steel tapping knife. Tapping is done at early dawn and the latex, collected in cups, harvested several hours later and preserved with ammonia. Because of its high water content, about 70%, the latex is concentrated and purified by centrifugation to a 60% strength latex concentrate. This is the raw material for the manufacture of latex gloves. How Rubber Gloves are Manufactured, Tested and Packed Rubber gloves are made in large numbers using ceramic formers suspended on a continuous chain dipping firstly into a tank of coagulant solution and then into a tank of latex mixed with vulcanizing chemicals. The coagulated latex film on the formers are leached in hot water to remove water soluble matters before the gloves are dried in the hot air oven. The dried and cured gloves are leached again to remove latex protein and then powdered and dried. The finished gloves are then stripped using air jets. Gloves are tested for air and water leaks, for visual defects and for compliance to physical measurements for each glove size. They are also tested for tensile strength and elongation before and after aging to ensure they can withstand storage. All gloves are packed in standard boxes of 100s or some other size if a customer requests for it. Before shipment, they are sampled and tested again for water leak compliance.                           How to Select a Good Gloves Since the primary function of a glove is to protect the wearer from contamination, the most important feature is its watertightness. The second most important feature is good and consistent fit. This means for every size, in each box, and over different shipments, the fit must be consistently good and comfortable. The third important feature of a good glove is its claimed protein and powder contents. Since a low protein is important for reduced sensitization to latex protein, this is important to users who are sensitive. A low powder level helps in reducing aerosolization but may compromise the ease of donning. Other useful considerations are color, feel, appearance, smell and packing. Overall, you should be pleased with the glove you wear. Since no two glove brands are the same it is good if you stay with the brand that suits your needs best.