Sterile or non-sterile swabs: gauze or non-woven, plies and when to use each

The swab may be the simplest consumable in a practice, but ordering it correctly involves three decisions: sterile or non-sterile, gauze or non-woven, and how thick, meaning how many layers. This guide explains what the word “sterile” on the label guarantees, how cotton gauze differs from PPSB non-woven, how to read plies, layers and threads per cm², when you need an X-ray detectable thread and what to check on the packaging.

Sterile and non-sterile: the real difference

A sterile swab has been sterilized by the manufacturer and packed in packaging that keeps it sterile until it is opened. Regulation (EU) 2017/745 requires the label to state the sterile condition and the sterilization method, and the sterile packaging to show, among other things, the month and year of manufacture, the use-by date and a reference to the instructions in case the packaging is damaged or opened by mistake. The sheet for the 40 × 60 cm PRIMA PPSB swab says it plainly: the product is sterile as long as the packaging is not damaged.

That is where the practical packaging rule comes from. Swabs left in an opened pouch are no longer protected by the sterile packaging, so choose the pack size by how many swabs you use per procedure: the catalog ranges from a single swab per pouch to boxes of 32 pouches with 2 swabs each.

Non-sterile swabs usually come in packs of 100, without a sterile barrier: they are made of the same materials, without the sterility guarantee.

When to use each type

Which swab is used for a given task is set by the unit’s protocol. The basic rule and the usual allocation:

Gauze or non-woven

Gauze swabs are woven from cotton; the PRIMA ones are 100% cotton with the edges folded inwards, and the sheet for the sterile ones states that they leave no lint. Non-woven swabs (PPSB, polypropylene spunbond) are made of pressed rather than woven fibers. Their product sheets in the catalog state that they shed less lint and leave fewer fibers in the wound on removal than woven material, and that the compact structure can be cut without fraying.

The catalog also has sterile absorbent cellulose swabs (Abena), from 10 × 10 to 20 × 40 cm, and large sterile PPSB swabs of 40 × 60 and 60 × 80 cm for covering large areas.

Gauze and non-woven swabs, sterile and non-sterile

PRIMA Sterile Gauze Swabs, 10x10cm, 50 Pieces

PRIMA Sterile Gauze Swabs, 10x10cm, 50 Pieces

(0)

in stock

2⁴¹Lei

excl. VAT: 1,99 Lei

PRIMA Sterile Gauze Swabs, 5x5 cm, 12-Ply, 100 pcs

PRIMA Sterile Gauze Swabs, 5x5 cm, 12-Ply, 100 pcs

(0)

in stock

30⁸⁶Lei

excl. VAT: 25,50 Lei

PRIMA Non-Sterile Gauze Swabs, 8-Ply, 10x10 cm, 100 pcs

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PRIMA Non-Sterile Gauze Swabs, 8-Ply, 10x10 cm, 100 pcs

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in stock

16⁹³Lei

excl. VAT: 13,99 Lei

PRIMA PPSB Sterile Gauze Swabs, 4-Ply, 5x5 cm, 100 pcs

PRIMA PPSB Sterile Gauze Swabs, 4-Ply, 5x5 cm, 100 pcs

(0)

in stock

11⁵⁰Lei

excl. VAT: 9,50 Lei

PRIMA Non-Sterile PPSB Gauze Swabs, 4-Ply, 5x5 cm, 100 pcs

Promoted i

PRIMA Non-Sterile PPSB Gauze Swabs, 4-Ply, 5x5 cm, 100 pcs

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in stock

2⁹⁰Lei

excl. VAT: 2,40 Lei

Sterile Non-Woven Gauze Swabs, 10x10 cm, 10 pcs

Sterile Non-Woven Gauze Swabs, 10x10 cm, 10 pcs

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in stock

3³⁹Lei

excl. VAT: 2,80 Lei

Plies, layers, threads per cm²: how to read the label

• Size: 5 × 5, 7.5 × 7.5, 10 × 10 or 10 × 20 cm are the usual formats.
• Plies or layers show how many times the material is folded, so how thick the swab is. PRIMA non-sterile gauze swabs have 8 plies; the sterile 5 × 5 cm ones have 12 layers; a large 40 × 40 cm swab has 100 layers.
• Threads per cm² describe how dense the gauze weave is: PRIMA sheets state 17 threads per cm² for the non-sterile swabs and 13 for some sterile ones. For the non-sterile gauze swabs, the PRIMA sheets also give the breaking strength: at least 50–60 N.
• Weight in g/m² describes non-woven material: the PRIMA sterile non-woven swabs are 30 g/m² and folded in 4 layers.

X-ray detectable swabs

X-ray detectable swabs have a radiopaque thread woven in that shows on an X-ray, so a swab left in the surgical field can be located. The catalog has sterile 10 × 10 cm X-ray swabs with 12 layers, 5 × 5 cm versions and non-sterile 45 × 45 cm abdominal swabs. The PRIMA X-ray swab sheet states that the thread contains 60% barium sulphate and describes it as strong and flexible, and the swabs as sterile, single use and with folded edges.

Impregnated swabs and swabs for dental practices and salons

The same product family includes impregnated swabs, for example with 10% povidone-iodine or with burn gel. They are a separate category with their own indications, stated on each product sheet, and are not compared by the criteria above. At the other end, the non-sterile 5 × 5 cm non-woven swabs also appear in the catalog under dentistry, salon supplies and veterinary.

How to work out consumption and keep stock

1. Count the procedures. For each type of task, multiply the number of procedures per month by the number of swabs used in one. For example, 15 dressings a day with 2 sterile swabs each, over 22 working days, means 660 swabs, or 330 pouches of 2.
2. Round up to the pack. For sterile swabs, count in pouches, because an opened pouch cannot be kept; for non-sterile ones, in packs of 100.
3. Check the storage conditions. Regulation (EU) 2017/745 requires the label to state any special storage conditions; keep swabs in their original packaging, under the conditions on the label.
4. Use the batch that expires first. The expiry date is printed on the sterile packaging, at least as year and month.

Two common mix-ups

• Assuming every X-ray swab is sterile. In the catalog, the 45 × 45 cm abdominal swabs with radiopaque thread are non-sterile; read the sterile status on the packaging rather than inferring it from the type of swab.
• Comparing different offers. Two packs of 10 × 10 cm swabs may differ in number of layers, weave density or material; compare only products with the same characteristics.

What to check on the packaging and the data sheet

• Material: 100% cotton, non-woven (and which fiber), cellulose.
• Size in cm and the number of layers or plies.
• Density or weight: threads per cm² for gauze, g/m² for non-woven.
• Sterile or non-sterile; for sterile swabs, the sterilization method, usually a symbol such as “STERILE EO” (ethylene oxide) or “STERILE R” (irradiation).
• Lot and expiry date, at least year and month, plus the single-use and “do not use if package is damaged” symbols.
• Quantity: pieces per pouch and pouches per box for sterile swabs, pieces per pack for non-sterile ones.
• X-ray thread, if you need it.
• CE mark. Gauze swabs that act as a barrier or absorb exudate are normally class I medical devices under the European classification guidance MDCG 2021-24. On sterile ones, the CE mark is accompanied by the notified body number; on non-sterile class I swabs, as a rule, it is not.

To cover both situations you usually need two types: non-sterile 8-ply gauze swabs, for example the 10 × 10 cm ones, 100 per pack, and sterile swabs in pouches, such as the 10 × 10 cm gauze ones, in the quantity you use per procedure. The rest of the range, including bandages, is in the gauze swabs, gauze rolls and bandages category.

Frequently asked questions