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This page explains what governing bodies, standards bodies and researchers publish. It is not a substitute for lessons from a qualified coach, for a qualified armourer's checks or for medical advice.
What the rules require, not what gear prevents
This page reports each body's requirement with its date. It does not say any glove or protector is homologated, certified, safe or legal, and does not present either as preventing injury. The competition's rules and the officials decide what may be worn.
Gloves
FIE rules by weapon (Material Rules, August 2026)
| Weapon | Glove rule |
|---|---|
| All three weapons | The gauntlet covers about half the sword-arm forearm, so the opponent's blade cannot enter the sleeve; no hole in the hand of the glove, even for the bodywire; the closure runs from mid-wrist toward the thumb (m.25.6). A glove that fixes the hand position must allow one position only, with the extended thumb tip within 2 cm of the inside of the guard (m.4.6) |
| Foil | May be slightly padded (m.26) |
| Epee | The general rule above; no epee-specific glove article was recorded |
| Sabre | 800N protection on the areas shown in the rule's diagram, seams at least 200N, cuff 350N; the gauntlet covered in conductive material down below the wrist bone; the FIE quality label inside, with the year of manufacture and stating 800N (m.33.1). The conductive material is turned into the gauntlet at least 5 cm (m.33.2) |
In the August 2026 FIE text the sabre cuff is the only place a 350 N figure appears. The 350 N clothing levels used in club fencing come from EN 13567 and national rules, not from the FIE.
Why sabre has its own glove
The FIE's SEMI and Medical Commission minutes of July 2014 record that a new sabre glove design followed several severe accidents in which unbroken sabre blades penetrated. The Medical Commission did not support the SEMI's proposed design, saying it departed from its original specification and that seam strength was inadequate, and the minutes add that gloves from later production batches had tested below the standard. The current m.33.1 sets the seam figure at 200N.
National glove rules
- USA Fencing (Athlete Handbook 2026-2027, 2.17.1): 800 N gloves are required at sabre at every level of competition, local, divisional, regional and national. The USA rulebook (October 2026) reproduces m.33.1. A USA Fencing news article whose title says the 800N sabre glove became mandatory at all sanctioned tournaments from 1 October 2015 was found, but its text could not be opened, so that start date is unconfirmed.
- British Fencing (Equipment by Activity, 2 October 2026): any fencing glove at foil and epee; at sabre, a glove with the FIE 800N label for general training and BF competition. Its guidance for FIE and European Fencing Confederation events (13 March 2026) requires an FIE CEN Level 2 glove at sabre and says gloves with repaired holes fail weapon control. The markings page (13 March 2026) recommends CEN Level 1 (350N) gloves for metal club fencing. Domestic Variations (6 December 2023) set no required closure direction at domestic events.
- British Fencing Safety Guidelines (23rd edition, 1.6; British Fencing lists a 24th edition, Board approved in September 2026, which could not be read, so the section numbers on this page are from the 23rd): no opening or hole in the hand of the glove, even for the bodywire; the rules do not prohibit a glove on the unarmed hand.
Chest protectors
FIE rule (Material Rules, August 2026, m.25.4.c)
- At all three weapons, a breast or chest protector of metal or rigid material is compulsory for women and optional for men.
- At foil it must be worn under the protective plastron, and its whole outer face covered with a soft material such as EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate) 4 mm thick with a density of 22 kg/m3, carrying the SEMI technical mark at the centre of the upper edge.
As recorded for this site, the soft-cover requirement in m.25.4.c is stated for foil. British Fencing's guidance for FIE and EFC events (13 March 2026) says foil chest guards for men and women must have an FIE-approved soft layer and be worn under the plastron.
National rules and a British Fencing disagreement
- USA Fencing (Athlete Handbook 2026-2027, 2.17.1): women must wear chest or breast protectors, and men may wear chest protection under the jacket. At foil the protector goes under the plastron with the 4 mm EVA cover and SEMI mark; older rigid protectors to which the soft material has been added must be inspected and marked at equipment check.
- British Fencing Safety Guidelines (23rd edition, 1.5): rigid chest protection is compulsory for anyone with female breasts and recommended for girls from age ten, or from the onset of puberty if earlier. Domestic Variations (6 December 2023) require FIE-standard chest protectors, with the FIE-approved soft layer, at Cadet, Junior, U23 and Senior ranking events, with the British Youth Championships exempt.
- Disagreement: British Fencing's Domestic Variations page (6 December 2023) says a chest protector is mandatory for women's foil and optional for men's foil, while its Equipment by Activity page (2 October 2026) says one is compulsory for anyone with female breasts in every activity it lists. The FIE text makes it compulsory for women at all weapons.
- Fencing SA (South Australia, page undated): a soft chest protector at foil compulsory at its Open-A events from 1 July 2025, and chest protection for males required at epee in its U9 to U13 and Schools events.
- Canada: Fencing Ontario reported on 5 April 2018 that the Canadian federation's competition committee intended to require FIE-type soft chest-plate overlays from the 2018-2019 season. No current Fencing Canada equipment document was found to confirm the present rule.
What must be worn during lessons: rules still settling
- FIE Technical Rules (December 2024 edition, t.20): at official FIE competitions, a person giving a lesson wears at least a fencing master's plastron, a glove and a conforming mask, and a fencer taking a lesson at least a mask and a glove.
- FIE Rules Commission (Istanbul, July 2025): favoured a Great Britain proposal (Proposal 43) that anyone taking a lesson wear at least a mask, glove, chest protector, a top covering torso and shoulders, and shorts reaching to within 10 cm of the knee or lower. That is the Commission's opinion before Congress.
- FIE Congress, Manama, 22 November 2025: the FIE's published record of decisions shows t.20.2 amended so that a fencer taking a lesson at an official FIE competition wears at least a mask, a glove, a chest protector, a top covering the torso and shoulders and shorts reaching to within 10 cm of the knee; Technical Rules amendments apply from 1 January 2026 unless another date is stated. That wording was read from the document's tracked changes, not from a clean 2026 edition of the Technical Rules.
- British Fencing (Equipment by Activity, 2 October 2026) says that from 1 January 2026 FIE rules require women to wear chest protectors for lessons at FIE competitions and camps, and that this does not apply to BF-regulated activities. This is British Fencing's statement; the nearest FIE text found is the 2025 Congress amendment above, which words the requirement for anyone taking a lesson, not only women, and no such rule was found in the Material Rules.
- USA Fencing (Rules for Competition, October 2026, t.20.2): anyone taking a lesson on a competition site wears at least a mask, glove and chest protector. The Athlete Handbook 2026-2027 says fencers and coaches must wear mask and glove in drills, lessons, warm-ups, camps and clinics at sanctioned tournaments, for safety and insurance purposes.
Sources
- FIE, Rules for Competitions, Book 3, Material Rules (edition dated August 2026), m.4.6, m.25.4.c, m.25.6, m.26, m.33
- FIE SEMI Commission minutes, Lausanne, 5 and 6 July 2014
- FIE, Technical Rules (December 2024 edition, copy published by the German Fencing Federation), t.20
- FIE Rules Commission report, Istanbul, July 2025
- FIE, 2025 Congress held in Manama on 22 November 2025: Decisions
- USA Fencing, Rules for Competition (October 2026), t.20.2
- USA Fencing, Athlete Handbook 2026-2027, 2.17.1
- USA Fencing news, 800N sabre glove mandatory from 1 October 2015 (article title only)
- British Fencing, FIE and EFC equipment rules (updated 13 March 2026)
- British Fencing, Equipment by Activity: Safety Guidelines (updated 2 October 2026)
- British Fencing, Domestic Variations from FIE Rules (updated 6 December 2023)
- British Fencing, CE, CEN and FIE Markings on Fencing Equipment (as at 13 March 2026)
- British Fencing, Safety Guidelines, 23rd edition (approved 25 June 2026)
- British Fencing, Safety policies and guidelines page (updated 2 October 2026)
- Fencing SA (South Australia), competition equipment requirements
- Fencing Ontario, notice on equipment standards (5 April 2018)