A theatre sister in Colombo can tell you which glove sizes run out first. The purchase order rarely reflects it. Sizes get ordered in equal lots, the middle sizes vanish within weeks, and boxes of 5.5 and 9 sit in the store until they near expiry. Getting the size chart and the size mix right is cheaper than any discount on the price per pair.
Surgical gloves come in half sizes from 5.5 to 9, and the number on the pouch is close to the hand's palm circumference in inches. Here is the size chart, what cuff length and palm thickness mean on a spec sheet, and how a hospital in Sri Lanka works out how many boxes of each size to order.
For the full specification, packing and MOQ, see our sterile latex surgical gloves product page. This guide is for procurement officers at private and state hospitals in Sri Lanka, and for the importers who supply them, who need a clear surgical gloves size chart and a way to turn theatre usage into an order that does not leave gaps on the shelf.
Sterile surgical gloves are sized in half steps from 5.5 to 9. The size number is roughly the circumference of the hand in inches, measured around the palm at the knuckles with the thumb left out. So a hand that measures about 7 inches (178 mm) usually fits a size 7. The table converts each size to millimetres and lists the length and thickness of our gloves, which are the same across the size range.
| Glove size | Approx. palm circumference | Cuff length (our gloves) | Palm thickness (our gloves) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 | 5.5 in (about 140 mm) | 285 mm minimum, beaded cuff | 0.18 to 0.22 mm (double wall) |
| 6.0 | 6 in (about 152 mm) | 285 mm minimum, beaded cuff | 0.18 to 0.22 mm (double wall) |
| 6.5 | 6.5 in (about 165 mm) | 285 mm minimum, beaded cuff | 0.18 to 0.22 mm (double wall) |
| 7.0 | 7 in (about 178 mm) | 285 mm minimum, beaded cuff | 0.18 to 0.22 mm (double wall) |
| 7.5 | 7.5 in (about 191 mm) | 285 mm minimum, beaded cuff | 0.18 to 0.22 mm (double wall) |
| 8.0 | 8 in (about 203 mm) | 285 mm minimum, beaded cuff | 0.18 to 0.22 mm (double wall) |
| 8.5 | 8.5 in (about 216 mm) | 285 mm minimum, beaded cuff | 0.18 to 0.22 mm (double wall) |
| 9.0 | 9 in (about 229 mm) | 285 mm minimum, beaded cuff | 0.18 to 0.22 mm (double wall) |
The circumference figures are a fitting guide, not the test the factory runs. The glove standards (EN 455-2, ASTM D3577 and ISO 10282) set the size by palm width and a minimum overall length, with a tolerance for each size. When you compare suppliers, ask for the measured palm width and length per size from a current batch and check them against the table in the standard named on the quotation. A size 7 from one factory and a size 7 from another should both sit inside that tolerance; if one is noticeably narrower, your surgeons will notice before you do.
Measure the circumference of the dominant hand around the palm, just below the knuckles and without the thumb, and round to the nearest half inch: that number is the glove size. If someone falls between two sizes, a fitting trial with both sizes settles it. For a hospital, the better answer is your own issue records, because they show which sizes theatre staff actually take.
A glove that is too small tires the hand during a long case and stretches the film thinner over the knuckles. One that is too large leaves loose material at the fingertips, which costs grip and tactile feel when handling fine sutures or tying knots. Many surgeons also double-glove for orthopaedic and trauma work, and some go half a size up on one of the two pairs, so a size that looks slow-moving on paper can be in steady demand as an underglove.
For the standards behind these numbers, our low-protein latex surgical gloves and ASTM D3577 / EN 455 guide goes through each test and what a certificate of analysis should show.
Before you sign off a new supplier, put one pair of each size from their samples and one pair from your current stock side by side, palm down on a ruler. Measure the palm width and the length from the middle fingertip to the cuff edge. Ten minutes with a ruler shows whether "size 7" means the same thing in both boxes, and it gives your theatre team something concrete to comment on during the trial.
Order by usage, not in equal lots. Pull twelve months of glove issues from the theatre store, broken down by size, and convert each size into boxes. Our gloves are packed one pair per sterile peel pouch, 50 pairs per box and 400 pairs (8 boxes) per master carton, so round each size up to whole boxes and, where you can, to whole cartons. Then check the extremes: sizes 5.5, 8.5 and 9 tend to move slowly, so make sure the quantity you order will be used well within the 5-year shelf life.
| Step | What to do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Usage by size | Twelve months of theatre store issues, per size | Shows the real size curve, including double-gloving |
| 2. Convert to boxes | Pairs per size divided by 50, rounded up | Matches the way the gloves are packed and shipped |
| 3. Round to cartons | Group boxes into cartons of 8 (400 pairs) | Full cartons stack better and are easier to count on arrival |
| 4. Check the slow sizes | Compare order quantity with usage before expiry | Avoids writing off sizes 5.5 and 9 at the end of shelf life |
| 5. Split the MOQ | Ask in the quotation how the MOQ can be split across sizes | Our minimum order is 50,000 pairs (1,000 boxes, 125 cartons) |
Glove prices move with latex and freight costs, so request a current quotation for each order and compare suppliers on the same grade (powdered or powder-free), the same thickness method, the same packing and the same Incoterm to Colombo. Our current lead time is 14 to 20 days from order confirmation, before transit.
Nobody thanks you for a glove that fits. Get the size curve wrong, though, and you hear about it from every theatre by the second week.
Medical devices brought into Sri Lanka come under the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA), and state hospital supply runs through the Ministry of Health's Medical Supplies Division, with the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation handling much of the purchasing. Private hospitals in Colombo, Kandy and Galle usually buy through local surgical gloves distributors who hold the registration. Requirements and timelines change, so verify current guidance with the NMRA or your registration agent before you quote a tender or place a first order.
Whoever holds the registration will usually need the manufacturer's documents for the file. For our surgical gloves these include ISO 13485 and CE MDR documentation, test reports against EN 455 and ASTM D3577, the lot certificate of analysis with AQL and protein results, and label artwork showing size, lot number, sterilisation method and expiry. A surgical gloves supplier for Sri Lanka should be able to send these before the first shipment, not after it.
Latex surgical gloves are declared under HS 4015.11 (surgical gloves of vulcanised rubber). Confirm the full national sub-heading and any duty or levy with your customs broker, because tariff lines change. Sea freight from India reaches the Port of Colombo on a short sailing, which lets a distributor reorder slow sizes in smaller lots instead of holding a year of stock. Keep the gloves in a cool, dry store away from direct sun once they land: latex ages faster in heat.
Pre-donned sterile natural latex surgical gloves with curved anatomical fingers, micro-textured anti-slip finish, beaded cuff, available in powdered and powder-free polymer coated grades. Container consignments dispatched from Port Mundra & Port Nhava Sheva, with certificates and test reports shared with every quotation.
Sterile surgical gloves come in half sizes from 5.5 to 9: 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5 and 9. The size number is roughly the hand's circumference in inches around the palm, without the thumb.
Wrap a tape measure around your dominant hand just below the knuckles, leaving the thumb out, and round to the nearest half inch. That figure is your glove size; if you are between two sizes, try both.
The middle sizes, 6.5 to 7.5, are usually the fastest movers in a theatre store, but it varies by team and by double-gloving habits. Base orders on your own twelve months of issues per size rather than a general rule.
Latex surgical gloves fall under HS 4015.11, surgical gloves of vulcanised rubber. Examination gloves sit under a different 4015 sub-heading, so confirm the national tariff line with your customs broker for each product.
Our gloves measure 0.18 to 0.22 mm at the palm, double wall. Other suppliers may quote single-wall thickness, which is about half, so check the method before comparing spec sheets.
Compare protein content in latex surgical gloves under EN 455 and ASTM D3577. Chemical leaching, allergy prevention, and European hospital sourcing.
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