Medical Gloves Per Case in Canada: What Buyers Should Check Before Ordering
Two clinics order the same glove. One receives 1,000 gloves for its money; the other receives 1,000 gloves plus a case that will not close, a size that nobody wears and a delivery weight that arrives in three boxes instead of one. The difference is not the price per box. It is what "per case" actually means in the order.
What a Case Contains
In Canada, nitrile exam gloves are almost always sold in a box of 100, and a case contains ten boxes. That is 1,000 gloves. Two variations matter at the point of ordering:
- Box count per case: ten is standard, but a supplier may ship four-box or five-box cases intended for small accounts. The unit price looks similar while the delivered volume differs by half.
- Gloves per box: 100 is standard. Some bulk lines pack 200 or 250, which changes the arithmetic on every cost comparison.
A buyer comparing two quotations should convert both to cost per 1,000 gloves before looking at anything else. That single step removes most of the confusion in the category, and it is the calculation that shows whether a wholesale case price is genuinely lower.
Thickness, and What It Does to Consumption
Glove thickness is stated in mil. A 4 mil glove suits examination, specimen handling and general clinic work. A 6 mil glove resists tearing during heavier tasks and lasts longer in environments where the glove is loaded repeatedly — veterinary treatment rooms, maintenance work and instrument handling.
Thicker is not automatically better economics. A 6 mil glove used for a task that suits 4 mil costs more per glove and can reduce tactile feedback for fine work. Most facilities standardise on two thicknesses and let the task decide which box gets pulled. CliniEco 4 mil nitrile exam gloves cover day-to-day clinical use, while 6 mil heavy-duty nitrile gloves take the tasks that shred a lighter glove.
Sizes Sell Unevenly
Anyone who has managed glove stock knows the pattern: medium moves first, small and extra-large sit, and large depends on the team. Ordering cases in equal quantities guarantees a shelf full of the wrong size by month three.
Standard practice is to order a mixed case where the supplier offers it, or to order medium, large and small in a ratio based on the last three months of consumption. Where a facility orders through a wholesale case, checking whether the case allows size mixing is worth more than a percentage point of discount.
Testing and Claims on the Box
Exam gloves sold in Canada carry a medical device licence or an establishment licence behind them, and the product box states the standards the glove meets. Look for the test standard rather than the marketing line: nitrile exam gloves are commonly tested against ASTM D6319 for dimensions, tensile strength and barrier performance, and chemotherapy-rated gloves are tested for permeation resistance. A glove marketed for food handling is a different product with a different claim history, which is why the same factory output can appear under two descriptions.
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety publishes glove selection guidance that helps buyers match material and thickness to the hazard rather than to habit.
Wholesale Cases and Storage
A wholesale case of 1,000 gloves takes roughly the footprint of two shoeboxes and weighs about four kilograms. Facilities that buy by the case usually hold one to two months of consumption, storing boxes flat and away from direct sunlight, because nitrile degrades slowly under ultraviolet light and heat.
The INTCO Touch Flex wholesale case is the 1,000-glove format used for higher-volume accounts. When a facility is also monitoring its sterilizers, adding the 5-pack biological indicator trial to the same order costs only shipping and gives five cycles of spore testing.
Related Reading
- Clinic supplies and consumables in Canada
- Bulk glove buying guide for Canadian clinics
- MDL numbers and medical gloves in Canada
- Medical supply wholesale in Canada: buying in bulk
Frequently Asked Questions
How many gloves are in a case in Canada?
The standard case is ten boxes of 100 gloves, which is 1,000 gloves. Suppliers also ship four-box and five-box cases for smaller accounts, so confirm the box count and the gloves per box before comparing prices.
Is a 4 mil glove thick enough for clinical work?
For examination, specimen handling and general clinic tasks, yes. Tasks that load the material repeatedly — heavy instrument handling, veterinary treatment, maintenance — are better served by a 6 mil glove.
Do exam gloves in Canada need a licence?
Medical gloves are regulated medical devices in Canada, and the supplier holds an establishment licence covering the devices it distributes. Ask for the product's test standard and the licence reference when a supplier cannot show either.
How long can nitrile gloves be stored?
Sealed boxes stored flat, away from sunlight and heat, generally hold their properties for several years within the manufacturer's stated shelf life. Rotate stock so older boxes are used first.
Last updated: September 2026. CliniEco Medical is a licensed medical device establishment (MDEL #35334).
Related Reading
Explore more guides in this category:
0 comments