General purpose gloves provide protection against various injuries depending on the construction of the glove. Basic cotton woven styles and jersey fabrics are offered in various weights (uniform industry standard of weighting fabrics by the yard). String knits offer seamless construction and are manufactured on knitting machines in various gauges which refers to the number of rows of stitches per inch. General purpose gloves are constructed with fibers such as 100% cotton for absorbency and warmth, while cotton/poly blends are a bit more comfortable and durable, and resist shrinkage when laundered. Nylon gloves are low-linting knit gloves with exceptional fit, dexterity and tactile sensitivity, with minimal shrinkage. Various coatings such as natural rubber, nitrile, foam-nitrile and polyurethane can be applied to base liners to enhance resistance to abrasion, snags, cuts and punctures, The coatings also increase wear and provide improved grip.

General purpose coated gloves are produced on seamless string knit and seamless thin gauge nylon liners that enhance comfort, dexterity, tactile and sensitivity, and fit, or durable cut-and-sewn jersey or interlock liners. Gloves are palm coated, ¾ dipped or fully coated to offer added protection to the back of the hand. The coatings help prevent glove "blow out", improve grip, and offer varying degrees of resistance to abrasion, snags, cuts and punctures for a longer wear life. Coatings include: natural rubber, nitrile, foam-nitrile and polyurethane.