What clinic supplies cost in the UK
These are the lowest, typical and highest prices we found at UK suppliers in November 2026 for seven consumables every clinic orders, compared like for like.
| PRODUCT | LOWEST | TYPICAL | HIGHEST | SPREAD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrile exam gloves, powder-freebox of 100 | £2.45 | £4.10 | £11.00+ | 4.5× |
| Gauze swabs, 7.5 × 7.5 cm, 4-ply, non-sterilepack of 200 | £1.75 | £3.46 | £19.10+ | 10.9× |
| Syringes, 1 ml Luer slipbox of 100 | £4.80 | £10.49 | £19.99+ | 4.2× |
| Face masks, Type IIR, 3-plybox of 50 | £1.15 | £2.69 | £4.99+ | 4.3× |
| Pre-injection swabs, 70% IPAbox of 100 | £1.25 | £1.52 | £5.57+ | 4.5× |
| Couch roll, 2-ply, 50 cm × 40 mcase of 12 | £20.83 | £25.95 | £30.99+ | 1.5× |
| Blunt cannulas, 25G × 50 mmper 20 | £28.11 | £66.28 | £184.82+ | 6.6× |
Prices ex VAT, per pack shown, from public UK supplier listings, November 2026. Delivery not included. Typical is the middle of the prices we found. “+” means dearer listings exist; the spread compares the cheapest and dearest we found.
Clinic supply prices by product
How much do nitrile gloves cost in the UK?
A box of 100 powder-free nitrile exam gloves costs from £2.45 to £11.00 or more ex VAT at UK suppliers (November 2026). A typical price is £4.10. Boxes of 200 often cost less per glove.
How much do gauze swabs cost?
A pack of 200 non-sterile gauze swabs (7.5 × 7.5 cm, 4-ply) costs from £1.75 to £19.10 or more ex VAT at UK suppliers (November 2026). A typical price is £3.46. Premium brands cost several times as much as own-brand packs.
How much do 1 ml syringes cost?
A box of 100 1 ml Luer slip syringes costs from £4.80 to £19.99 or more ex VAT at UK suppliers (November 2026). A typical price is £10.49. Branded syringes cost about twice as much as unbranded ones.
How much do Type IIR face masks cost?
A box of 50 Type IIR face masks costs from £1.15 to £4.99 or more ex VAT at UK suppliers (November 2026). A typical price is £2.69.
How much do pre-injection swabs cost?
A box of 100 pre-injection swabs (70% IPA) costs from £1.25 to £5.57 or more ex VAT at UK suppliers (November 2026). A typical price is £1.52.
How much does couch roll cost?
A case of 12 couch rolls (2-ply, 50 cm × 40 m) costs from £20.83 to £30.99 or more ex VAT at UK suppliers (November 2026). A typical price is £25.95.
How much do blunt cannulas cost?
A box of 20 blunt cannulas (25G × 50 mm) costs from £28.11 to £184.82 or more ex VAT at UK suppliers (November 2026). A typical price is £66.28. Premium brands sit at the top of the range.
Are you overpaying for gloves?
Slide to what you pay for a box of 100 and see what the gap to the lowest price costs your clinic in a year.
That is £1.65 more per box than the lowest listing we found. At 20 boxes a month, about £396 a year on gloves alone.
Powder-free nitrile exam gloves, box of 100, at UK suppliers in November 2026, ex VAT. The typical price is £4.10. Brands and quality vary.
Why clinic supply prices differ so much
- Brand. Premium brands sit at the top of every range. Some clinicians prefer a particular cannula or glove for good clinical reasons; for many lines, a well-made alternative does the same job.
- Pack size. Bigger packs often cost less per item. The two cheapest glove prices we found were both for boxes of 200.
- How the price is shown. Some suppliers list prices with VAT, others without, so a quick comparison can mislead. Most clinic consumables carry the standard 20% rate; every figure here is ex VAT.
- Where you order. Even the identical product is priced differently from one supplier to the next. We found the same box of 20 TSK STERiGLIDE cannulas at £109.95 and at £184.82, and the same box of 100 Ansell Microflex gloves at £8.19 and at £11.00.
Why it is hard to always buy at the cheapest supplier
If one supplier were cheapest for everything, saving would be easy. It is not. The lowest prices for these seven products came from five different suppliers, and no supplier was cheapest on more than two.
Take a typical monthly order for a small clinic: 20 boxes of gloves, 10 of masks, 5 packs of gauze, 4 boxes of syringes, a case of couch roll and 2 boxes of cannulas. At typical prices it costs £326.67. Bought line by line at the lowest price we found, it costs £165.50. Getting there by hand means:
- checking every product at several suppliers, on every order, because prices and offers move;
- comparing like for like across different pack sizes, and with and without VAT;
- keeping accounts with more suppliers, each with its own minimum order and delivery charge;
- paying and filing an invoice from each of them.
Most clinics do not have the time, so they stay with one or two suppliers and pay the typical price.
How to pay the lowest price without the legwork
Seltero compares every line of your order across your existing suppliers and our own network of UK suppliers, each time you order. Where one of yours is cheapest, you keep buying from them; where another supplier has a better deal, Seltero suggests the switch and you decide. Every supplier order is placed from one approval, and you get one invoice a week instead of one from every supplier. See Suppliers and pricing and Ordering.
Questions clinics ask
What is the cheapest way to order clinic consumables in the UK?
Compare each product like for like (same size, specification and pack, ex VAT) at every order, and buy each one from whichever supplier is cheapest that day. Done by hand this takes time; Seltero compares every line automatically, across your existing suppliers and its own network, and you choose what to switch.
Why do clinic supply prices vary so much between suppliers?
Brand, pack size, whether the price is shown with or without VAT, and where you order (rep account, supplier website or marketplace) all change the price of the same type of product.
How can a clinic reduce what it spends on supplies?
Start with the lines that vary most, such as gauze, blunt cannulas and nitrile gloves. Check recent invoices against typical prices, and compare suppliers on every order rather than once a year.
Are these prices with or without VAT?
Without. Every price in this guide is ex VAT, converted to the pack size shown. Most clinic consumables carry the standard 20% rate, so add a fifth to compare with a price shown including VAT.
Fabian founded Seltero to make buying for clinics simple: every supplier in one place, prices compared for you, and one invoice.
