Fixing the size mix, not switching brands, is what cut this clinic's glove spend. It ordered 68% of boxes in medium while large ran out three times a month. Eight weeks of draw counts reset a par level per size and moved 6 mil gloves to wet work only, trimming about 14% off annual spend.
Quick facts
- De-identified small-animal practice, four veterinarians, nine staff.
- Draw log covered eight weeks and 9,600 gloves.
- Ordered 68% medium; actually drew 46% medium.
- Large stock-outs ran three to four times a month.
- 6 mil now covers wet work only, near 18% of draw.
The problem: ordering by habit, not by draw
Gloves came in by the case in one dominant size, the pattern carried since the practice ran with two veterinarians. The team grew; the order form did not.
Two failures ran side by side. Large ran out mid-week and sent a technician to a retail counter for one box. Medium stacked up instead, with about 14 boxes sitting past six weeks on hand.
A mix drifts whenever ordering follows what a supplier shipped rather than what staff pull. The nitrile glove selection matrix for Canadian clinics maps hand size, task and thickness onto a first chart.
What eight weeks of tallies showed
Nothing elaborate: a sheet taped inside the supply-room door. Every box opened earned a stroke against its size, and eight weeks produced 9,600 gloves accounted for.
Two gaps stood out: large was badly under-ordered, and small slightly so.
| Size | Order share | Draw share | Par (boxes) | Reorder pt (boxes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 20% | 24% | 6 | 4 |
| Medium | 68% | 46% | 11 | 7 |
| Large | 8% | 26% | 6 | 4 |
| X-Large | 4% | 4% | 1 | 1 |
The clinic was buying nearly a quarter more medium than it drew and about a third less large. Extra medium was cash and shelf space; missing large was mid-week retail runs.
Par levels per size, and the reorder math
Each size got its own par level, set from its draw share times a two-week supply, which matches the delivery window.
The trigger is daily draw times lead-time days, plus three days of safety stock. At 200 gloves on an open day and a five-day lead time that is 1,600 gloves, or 16 boxes: 7 of medium, 4 small, 4 large and 1 X-Large.
When one size hits its trigger, it is re-ordered to par instead of a mixed case. Medium arrives as a 1,000-glove wholesale case of ten 100-count boxes; small and X-Large stay in single boxes.
4 mil vs 6 mil: dry work and wet work
The clinic stocked 6 mil as a general upgrade, so staff grabbed it on busy shifts and it hit 41% of draw, more thickness than dry work needs.
Tasks were sorted by how long hands stay wet. Scrubbing instruments, orthopaedic work, dental scaling, kennel clean-downs and wet laundry kept 6 mil. Exams, injections, blood draws and dry instruments went back to 4 mil, and 6 mil settled near 18% of draw.
Thickness is a durability and grip spec, not a resistance rating, so match the glove to the task. The 6 mil heavy-duty black nitrile glove covers wet tasks here; the 4 mil standard blue nitrile glove covers the dry ones.
What changed, and what to copy
Six months on, the log shows no large stock-outs, three emergency retail boxes, and a glove invoice down 14% year over year. Medium on hand stays inside six weeks, and nitrile has a shelf life.
Three habits moved to the rest of the supply room: count draws rather than purchases, set a par for every size, and treat thickness as a task decision. PPE stock also sits inside a wider map, and the dental compliance hub collects the glove, mask and gown pages.
The practice runs a daily sterilizer check on surgical packs, and the CliniEco 24h Biological Indicator — 5-Pack Trial is the consumable it keeps for that.
Ordering for a clinic, lab or care home? Wholesale and multi-site ordering covers case pricing and account setup, and the B2B wholesale collection lists the lines stocked for institutional buyers.
Related reading
Two pieces cover the consumption and waste sides.
- Exam Room Glove Consumption: What Canadian Clinics Use Per Month
- Veterinary Biomedical Waste in Ontario: What to Separate
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a clinic build a glove sizing chart for staff?
Tally draws by size for eight weeks, divide each size by the total, then multiply that share by your target weeks of supply.
What is a normal exam glove size mix for a practice?
There is no single national mix; it follows the hands on your roster. Here the 68% medium order ran well above the real draw.
How do you calculate a glove reorder point?
Daily draw times lead-time days, plus safety stock. At 200 gloves a day and a five-day lead time, the trigger is 16 boxes.
CliniEco Medical is a licensed medical device establishment (MDEL #35334).
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