WITH WINTER APPROACHING, WHAT ARE OUTDOOR WORKERS SUPPOSED TO MAKE OF TEMPERATURE RATINGS?
St. Paul, MN. (SEPTEMBER 26, 2025) — With winter closing in, employers and workers face a familiar problem: picking gear from a sea of products that all claim to be "warm." But what do temperature ratings on thermal workwear really mean?
Ergodyne is leaning into transparency to answer that question as it announces third-party tested temperature ratings on its full line of thermal jackets and bibs.
The safety work gear leader's temperature-rated jackets and bibs are now organized into three categories, making it easier for workers and safety pros to quickly zero in on the right gear for the conditions they’re facing:
WARM (above 0°F): For moderate cold and active work.
WARMER (-19°F to 0°F): For frigid temps and longer exposure.
WARMEST (-20°F to -60°F): For extreme cold storage and sub-zero jobs.
More importantly, the company is being clear about what those ratings are—and aren’t.
“Temperature ratings are a guide,” said Claudia Weber, Product Manager at Ergodyne. “What they’re not is a guarantee of how warm you’ll feel on the job. That depends on a comfort equation we talk about a lot: insulation + activity + time. The gear is one part of the puzzle, but how hard you’re working and how long you’re out there play just as big of a role.”
Ergodyne’s push to demystify temperature ratings is part of its broader mission to bring transparency and trust into PPE.
“By putting our data out there—and explaining the nuance behind it—we're helping safety pros make faster, more confident buying decisions and ensure workers are wearing the right protection for the job," explained Ergodyne President Greg Schrab. "Without clear, standardized benchmarks, workers are left to guess whether their gear can truly protect them from the conditions they face."
By combining tested ratings with a clear definition of what they are, Ergodyne is giving crews both the data and the context to stay safe, comfortable and focused.
For more information on Ergodyne's temperature-rated thermal bibs and jackets, visit ergodyne.com.