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Medical consumables use several sizing systems that have little in common: gauge (G) for needles and IV cannulas, CH or Fr for catheters and tubes, USP for sutures, letters and numbers for gloves, and units per milliliter for insulin syringes. Some scales run backwards, and the same color does not always mean the same thing. This glossary brings them together, with catalog examples and links to the detailed guides.
The third column causes most ordering mistakes: some scales grow with thickness, others run the other way.
| System | Where you find it | How it grows | Catalog example |
|---|---|---|---|
| G (gauge) | Needles, IV cannulas, butterflies, pen needles | backwards higher G, thinner needle | 21G = 0.80 mm |
| CH or Fr | Urinary, feeding and suction catheters, rectal tubes | forwards higher CH, thicker tube | CH 12 = 4.0 mm |
| USP | Sutures | backwards more zeros, thinner thread | 3-0 = 0.20–0.249 mm |
| XS–XL and 5.5–9 | Examination and surgical gloves | by product the match varies | 7.5 = M on PRIMA surgical gloves |
| Units per ml (U-100) | Insulin syringes | forwards the volume tells you how many units fit | 0.5 ml = 50 units |
| Stopper color | Blood collection tubes | the additive not the size | lavender = EDTA |
The gauge (G) shows how thick the needle is, and it runs backwards: the higher the number, the thinner the needle. Next to the gauge, the box shows the length in inches and, in brackets, the diameter and length in millimeters. The green needle in the catalog, for example, is labeled 21G 1½″, that is 0.80 × 38 mm.
The hub color follows ISO 6009:2016, which sets a color code for single-use hypodermic needles with diameters from 0.18 mm (34G) to 3.4 mm (10G). The same standard states that the color does not relieve you of checking the marked size. These are the colors and dimensions of the needles in the catalog:
Note that 20G and 30G both have a yellow hub, so color alone does not tell a thick needle from a very thin one. Length has nothing to do with color either: the catalog has the 20G needle in both 38 mm and 70 mm. Inches on the box convert like this:
| On the box | In millimeters | Catalog example |
|---|---|---|
| ½″ | 13 mm | 30G, 0.30 × 13 mm |
| ⅝″ | 16 mm | 26G, 0.45 × 16 mm |
| ¾″ | 19 mm | 25G, 0.50 × 19 mm |
| 1″ | 25 mm | 23G, 0.60 × 25 mm, the needle on 2 ml syringes |
| 1¼″ | 32 mm | 22G, 0.70 × 32 mm, the needle on 5 ml syringes |
| 1½″ | 38 mm | 21G, 0.80 × 38 mm |
How to read a needle label in full and which syringe suits each procedure is covered in the guide Medical Syringes and Needles.
IV cannulas also use the gauge, but they have a different color code from needles, and the millimeters on their pack refer to the plastic catheter that stays in the vein, not to the steel needle. That is why, at the same G, neither the colors nor the diameters match:
| Gauge | IV cannula (catalog) | Hypodermic needle | Butterfly or blood collection needle |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14G | orange, 2.1 × 45 mm | – | – |
| 16G | gray, 1.7 × 45 mm | – | – |
| 18G | green, 1.3 × 45 mm | pink, 1.20 mm | pink (blood collection needle) |
| 20G | pink, 1.1 × 32 mm | yellow, 0.90 mm | yellow (butterfly) |
| 21G | – | green, 0.80 mm | green (butterfly and blood collection needle) |
| 22G | blue, 0.9 × 25 mm | black, 0.70 mm | black (butterfly and blood collection needle) |
| 24G | yellow, 0.7 × 19 mm | purple, 0.55 mm | – |
| 25G | – | orange, 0.50 mm | orange (butterfly) |
| 26G | violet, 0.6 × 19 mm | brown, 0.45 mm | – |
A dash means the size is not in the catalog for that type of product.
Flow rates for each gauge, catheter materials and what to check on the pack are explained in the guide IV cannulas: color codes, gauge sizes and flow rates. All sizes are in the infusion sets, IV cannulas and scalp vein sets category.
For catheters and tubes, the size is given in CH (Charrière) or Fr (French), two names for the same scale. Here the number grows with thickness: one CH is a third of a millimeter of diameter, so CH 12 is 4 mm and CH 6 is 2 mm. Length is not part of the size and is given separately, for example 40 cm on the Nelaton catheter.
| Size | Diameter | Connector color on catalog tubes that state it |
|---|---|---|
| CH 6 | 2.0 mm | light green (suction catheters) |
| CH 8 | 2.7 mm | blue |
| CH 10 | 3.3 mm | black |
| CH 12 | 4.0 mm | white |
| CH 14 | 4.7 mm | dark green |
| CH 16 | 5.3 mm | orange |
| CH 18 | 6.0 mm | red |
| CH 20 | 6.7 mm | yellow |
| CH 22 | 7.3 mm | purple |
The colors and outer diameters in the table are the ones stated on the product sheets of the suction catheters, feeding tubes, Tiemann catheters and Faucher stomach tubes in the catalog. Do not treat them as a rule for every product: on the rectal tube in the catalog, CH 22 is blue, not purple. The reliable size is still the CH printed on the pack.
| Catalog product | Length | Sizes |
|---|---|---|
| Nelaton urethral catheter | 40 cm | CH 6–24 |
| Two-way Foley catheter for children | 40 cm | CH 6–10 |
| PRIMA Tiemann urology catheter, two-way | 40 cm | CH 12–22 |
| Feeding tubes | 50 cm | CH 4–18 |
| Suction catheters with valve | 50 cm | CH 6–22 |
| Faucher stomach tube | depth marks at 45–75 cm | CH 10–32 |
| PRIMA rectal tube | 30 cm | CH 18–30 |
When a catheter is sized directly in millimeters, multiply by 3 to get the approximate CH: 2.6 mm is about CH 8. Urinary catheters are in the Foley, Nelaton and Tiemann urinary catheters category, and feeding and suction tubes in feeding and suction tubes.
Sutures carry two notations. The USP system (United States Pharmacopeia) is the most widely used: 0 is the base size, and thinner threads get more and more zeros, so 4-0 is thinner than 3-0. The European Pharmacopoeia uses the metric number, which gives the diameter in tenths of a millimeter and makes no distinction between natural and synthetic sutures.
| USP | Metric (EP) | Thread diameter |
|---|---|---|
| 7-0 | 0.5 | 0.050–0.069 mm |
| 6-0 | 0.7 | 0.070–0.099 mm |
| 5-0 | 1 | 0.10–0.149 mm |
| 4-0 | 1.5 | 0.15–0.199 mm |
| 3-0 | 2 | 0.20–0.249 mm |
| 2-0 | 3 | 0.30–0.349 mm |
| 0 | 3.5 | 0.35–0.399 mm |
| 1 | 4 | 0.40–0.499 mm |
| 2 | 5 | 0.50–0.599 mm |
| 3 and 4 | 6 | 0.60–0.699 mm |
Conversion as given in the suture glossary published by B. Braun.
For absorbable and non-absorbable sutures and needle types, read the guide Surgical sutures: USP sizes and needle types; all sutures are in the surgical sutures category.
Examination gloves come in letter sizes. In the catalog, sizes run from XS to XL depending on the model: PRIMA powder-free latex gloves come in XS–XL, the black and pink nitrile gloves in XS–L, and Abena Classic nitrile gloves in S–XL. Sterile surgical gloves come in number sizes: PRIMA powder-free from 6 to 8.5, PRIMA lightly powdered from 6.5 to 8.5, and Abena GloveOn Hamilton from 5.5 to 9.
The product sheets of the two types of PRIMA surgical gloves also give the match with letter sizes, and it is not the same:
| Size | PRIMA powder-free | PRIMA lightly powdered |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | XS | – |
| 6.5 | S | XS |
| 7 | S-M | S |
| 7.5 | M | M |
| 8 | M-L | L |
| 8.5 | L | XL |
If you switch from one model to another, compare the size chart of each. How to measure your hand and which material to choose is covered in the guide Latex, Nitrile or Vinyl Examination Gloves.
On blood collection tubes, the stopper color shows the additive in the tube and, therefore, the test the sample is for. The order in which you fill the tubes in a multi-tube draw follows CLSI document GP41, as reproduced by BD: blood cultures first, then the citrate tube, the serum tubes, the heparin tube, the EDTA tube and, last, the fluoride tube for glucose. BD notes that you always follow your facility's protocol.
| Stopper | Additive | For | Inversions after filling (BD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| blue | sodium citrate | coagulation tests | 3–4 |
| red or yellow | no additive or clot activator; the yellow one also has a separator gel | serum: biochemistry, immunology | 5 for plastic tubes |
| green | heparin (lithium heparin in the catalog) | heparinized plasma | 8–10 |
| lavender | EDTA (K3 EDTA in the catalog) | hematology | 8–10 |
| black | sodium citrate, 1:4 ratio | ESR | – |
| gray | sodium fluoride | glucose; not in the catalog | 8–10 |
Tube volumes, microtainers and the mistakes that spoil a sample are covered in the guide Blood collection tubes: cap colors, additives and the order of draw, and the tubes, needles and holders are in the blood collection category.
Insulin syringes are graduated in units. With U-100 insulin, one milliliter contains 100 units, and the syringe must be marked for the same concentration as the insulin:
| Syringe | Units (U-100) | In the catalog |
|---|---|---|
| 0.3 ml | 30 units | not at present |
| 0.5 ml | 50 units | yes fixed 30G needle |
| 1 ml | 100 units | yes fixed 29G or 27G needle, detachable 29G, 25G or 23G needle, or no needle |
The international FITTER recommendations of 2016 consider the shortest needles, 4 mm on pens and 6 mm on syringes, safe, effective and less painful; the catalog currently has 29G × 12 mm pen needles, and the right length is set by the doctor. Veterinary insulin at 40 units/ml needs U-40 syringes, not U-100. All the details are in the guide Insulin Syringes and Pen Needles, and the products in the insulin syringes category.
Hypodermic needles from 18G to 30G, IV cannulas, catheters from CH 4 to CH 32, USP sutures, examination and surgical gloves and insulin syringes, in the Prima Shop catalog.
G stands for gauge and shows the thickness. The scale runs backwards: a higher number means a thinner needle. In the catalog, the 18G needle is 1.20 mm and the 30G needle is 0.30 mm.
One CH (or Fr) is a third of a millimeter of diameter, so CH 14 is about 4.7 mm. The product sheets of the catheters in the catalog state the same value for the outer diameter.
IV cannulas and hypodermic needles use different color codes, and the millimeters on a cannula pack refer to the plastic catheter. That is why you order by gauge and dimensions in millimeters, not by color.
4-0. In the USP system, the more zeros, the thinner the thread: 3-0 is 0.20–0.249 mm and 4-0 is 0.15–0.199 mm.
With U-100 insulin, 50 units, because one milliliter contains 100 units. A 0.3 ml syringe holds 30 units and a 1 ml syringe 100.
Not necessarily. Even on two types of PRIMA surgical gloves, size 6.5 is labeled S on one and XS on the other. Compare the size chart of each product before you order.
Diferența dintre recipientul de coprocultură simplu și cel cu mediu de transport (gel), cum recoltezi scaunul cu spatula, urina în urocultor și exudatul faringian, plus cum păstrezi probele până la laborator.
What vacutainer cap colors mean, which additive each tube holds, the order of draw under CLSI GP41 and EFLM, how many inversions each tube needs and what to check on the label.
The IV cannula color code from 14G to 26G, outer diameter and length in mm, the flow rates manufacturers declare, why cannula colors differ from needle colors and what to check on the pack.
The recommendations on the home page help you find the right products for your practice, clinic or business faster.
