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Get trained
This page explains the principles. It is not a substitute for instruction from a racing school or a sanctioning body's driver education program, and it does not replace the rules and tech requirements of the event you enter.
These four items are certified separately from the suit, each with its own label. Buy them to the same rules as the suit: what your events accept, then the label, then the fit at the edges. Everything below is as of October 2026.
Step 1: find out what your events require
- FIA International Sporting Calendar events. Appendix L 2026 (Chapter III, Article 2) requires drivers to wear gloves, shoes, socks, a balaclava and long underwear homologated to FIA 8856-2000 or 8856-2018, along with overalls. Gloves are optional for co-drivers. Some named championships already require 8856-2018 only; see suits and underwear.
- SCCA Race Experience requires gloves of leather or an accepted fire-resistant material with no holes, fire-resistant socks, and leather or nonflammable shoes covering at least the instep. Drivers with beards or moustaches need a fire-resistant balaclava (double-layer recommended) or a fire-resistant helmet skirt, and any hair under the helmet must be covered.
- Other clubs and series set their own requirements. Check the rules of the event you enter.
Step 2: read the label and its date
| Label | What the sources say about validity |
|---|---|
| SFI 3.3 (Driver Accessories) | No recertification period on the SFI Foundation's specifications page. JEGS's 2024 NHRA-focused list also shows no expiration. |
| FIA 8856-2018 | Valid until the date on the item's own FIA label (Technical List 74). The 8856-2018 standard (Article 8) sets that end at ten years after the year of manufacture; read the year on the label. |
| FIA 8856-2000, label used from 1 January 2016 | Accepted at FIA events outside the 8856-2018-only championships through 31 December 2028; removed from 1 January 2029 (Appendix L 2026). |
| FIA 8856-2000 gloves, shoes and balaclavas, label used before 1 January 2016 | Not valid after 31 December 2023. Socks are excepted from this cutoff (Technical List 27). |
No SFI recertification period is not the same as "good forever". Your event can set its own rules, and Demon Tweeks notes that dirt, sweat, fuel, oil and washing all wear racewear down. SFI 3.3 items also carry a number after the spec: a JEGS product listing describes a 3.3/1 glove as single-layer and a 3.3/5 glove as double-layer, but we could not confirm from SFI what the number means for gloves and shoes. Technical List 27 says the newer 8856-2000 glove label comes with an FIA hologram inside the cuff.
Step 3: check the edges
Appendix L 2026 requires the neck, wrists and ankles to be covered by at least two layers of safety equipment at all times, and the balaclava and top underwear to overlap by at least 3 cm round the neck (8 cm at the front). The FIA 8856-2018 standard sets matching minimums:
- glove cuffs at least 80 mm long;
- socks at least 250 mm high;
- shoes that cover the whole foot and ankle, with soles that resist hydrocarbons.
The standard also sets minimum heat transmission values: 11 for gloves (8 for the palm), rising to 13 and 9.5 for new glove homologations from 1 January 2023; 11 for shoes; and 5 for socks and balaclavas. Appendix L adds that Formula 1 gloves must carry a homologation number of 23 or higher, meaning they were made to the 2023 requirement.
Our picks by item
Racing gloves
Look for an SFI 3.3 or FIA 8856 label, whichever your event accepts, and check that the cuff overlaps your suit sleeve. At FIA events the cuff must be at least 80 mm under 8856-2018. Retire any glove with a hole: SCCA Race Experience requires gloves with no holes.
Best for: Every car racing driver
Racing shoes
FIA 8856-2018 shoes must cover the whole foot and ankle with hydrocarbon-resistant soles. SCCA Race Experience asks for leather or nonflammable shoes covering at least the instep. Check the label and your event's rules.
Best for: Every car racing driver
Fire-resistant socks
Required by SCCA Race Experience and, under FIA homologation, at FIA events, where 8856-2018 socks must be at least 250 mm high. Appendix L also requires two layers of safety equipment at the ankles at all times.
Best for: Every car racing driver
Fire-resistant balaclavas
Required at FIA events, and by SCCA Race Experience for drivers with facial hair unless a fire-resistant helmet skirt is used. SCCA recommends double-layer and requires any hair under the helmet to be covered. Under Appendix L it must overlap the top underwear at the neck.
Best for: FIA events, and drivers with beards or moustaches
Karting is a different standard
Karting gloves and shoes are covered by FIA 8877-2022, which targets abrasion, contact heat and tearing rather than flame, and says its garments are valid for five years after the year of manufacture. See choosing karting gear.
Before every event
Glove and shoe rules vary by event and change over time, and there is no single expiry rule across labels. Before every event, check the current rules of the event you are entering and the label on each item. Our gear expiry checker shows the published rule for each label.
Sources
- SFI Foundation, specifications
- JEGS, 2024 SFI-rated parts: how long until they need replaced or recertified
- JEGS, racing gloves SFI 3.3/5 product listing
- FIA 8856-2018, protective clothing for automobile drivers (PDF, 11.06.2024 text)
- FIA Safety Department note FIASDH-25-012, 8856-2018 update (19 December 2025)
- FIA Appendix L to the International Sporting Code, 2026 (published June 2026)
- FIA Technical List 27, approved clothing to 8856-2000 (27.01.2026)
- FIA Technical List 74, approved clothing to 8856-2018 (16.09.2022)
- Demon Tweeks, racewear FIA standards 2022 guide (December 2025)
- SCCA Race Experience, driver safety gear
- FIA 8877-2022, protective clothing for karting competitors (PDF)