Where to Buy 23-Gauge Butterfly Needles in the U.S.: Retailers, Brands, and Buying Guide

Summary

• Several U.S. medical-supply retailers and distributors commonly offer 23-gauge butterfly needles from manufacturers such as BD, Terumo, Nipro, Exel, and Greiner Bio-One, although product availability and pack sizes change frequently.
• Buyers should compare more than Needle Gauge. Important specifications include needle length, tubing length, safety mechanism, connector type, extension-set design, sterility, expiration date, and state-specific purchasing requirements.
• Healthcare organizations should purchase through authorized suppliers, verify FDA-cleared product information, follow OSHA and CDC sharps-safety requirements, and establish procedures for storage, training, documentation, and disposal.

Understanding 23-Gauge Butterfly Needles

A 23-gauge butterfly needle is a winged blood-collection or short-term Venipuncture device designed to provide increased control when accessing small, fragile, or difficult-to-position veins. It generally consists of a thin steel needle, flexible tubing, two plastic wings, and a connector that attaches to a syringe, blood-collection holder, or other compatible device.

The term “23 gauge” describes the outside diameter of the needle. In the gauge system, a higher gauge number generally indicates a smaller needle diameter. A 23-gauge needle is therefore narrower than a 21-gauge needle and wider than a 25-gauge needle. Many 23-gauge butterfly needles are supplied in lengths such as 3/4 inch or 1 inch, although exact dimensions vary by manufacturer and product family.

Butterfly needles are commonly used for patients with small or Difficult Veins, pediatric patients, older adults, Oncology Patients, and individuals receiving home healthcare. They are also used for blood draws when the wings and flexible tubing allow the clinician to stabilize the needle more effectively than a conventional straight needle.

Gauge alone does not determine whether a product is appropriate. A 23-gauge device may be unsuitable for a particular infusion, blood-collection method, or patient population if the tubing, needle length, connector, or safety mechanism is not compatible with the procedure. Buyers should select products according to clinical protocols rather than choosing the lowest-cost 23-gauge item.

U.S. Retailers and Distributors That Commonly Offer 23-Gauge Butterfly Needles

Availability changes according to manufacturer production, regional distribution, backorders, contract pricing, and regulatory requirements. The following companies are well-known U.S. medical-supply retailers or distributors that commonly list winged blood-collection sets and related 23-gauge products. Buyers should confirm current stock, product specifications, and seller authorization before placing an order.

McKesson Medical-Surgical

McKesson Medical-Surgical is one of the largest healthcare distribution businesses serving hospitals, physician offices, laboratories, outpatient centers, home-health agencies, and other clinical organizations in the United States. Its catalog commonly includes butterfly blood-collection sets and safety-engineered winged infusion products from major manufacturers.

McKesson is particularly useful for institutional buyers that need recurring shipments, account-based pricing, consolidated invoices, and access to multiple product categories. A purchaser searching its catalog should review listings under terms such as “winged blood collection set,” “butterfly needle,” “safety butterfly,” and “23 gauge.” The catalog may distinguish between products intended primarily for blood collection and those designed for short-term infusion.

Medline

Medline is both a medical-product manufacturer and a major U.S. healthcare distributor. Its product range includes blood-collection supplies, safety needles, tubes, holders, syringes, antiseptic products, sharps containers, and other items used in phlebotomy.

Medline is often a practical source for clinics and healthcare systems seeking standardized supplies across multiple locations. Depending on the purchasing account and region, buyers may find Medline-branded or third-party 23-gauge winged sets. Organizations should compare needle length, tubing length, safety activation method, and connector style rather than assuming that products with the same gauge are interchangeable.

Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions and Medical Distribution Channels

Cardinal Health supplies hospitals, laboratories, physician practices, ambulatory centers, and other healthcare customers. Its medical distribution channels commonly include blood-draw equipment and safety-engineered Venipuncture devices.

Some Cardinal Health purchasing channels are primarily designed for contracted institutions rather than individual consumers. A clinic or laboratory may need an established account, a business tax record, or a group-purchasing arrangement. Cardinal’s availability can also differ by contract, geographic distribution center, and manufacturer preference.

Henry Schein Medical

Henry Schein Medical serves physician offices, specialty practices, outpatient facilities, and other healthcare professionals. Its product categories commonly include needles, syringes, blood-collection supplies, laboratory consumables, and safety products.

Henry Schein can be a useful source for smaller practices that want to purchase several categories of clinical supplies from one vendor. Before ordering 23-gauge butterfly needles, buyers should determine whether the listed item includes a safety shield, whether the needle is sterile and single-use, and whether the set is intended for use with a syringe or evacuated-tube collection system.

Bound Tree Medical

Bound Tree Medical is widely used by emergency medical services, fire departments, ambulance services, first responders, and healthcare organizations. Its catalog commonly includes IV-start products, blood-draw devices, needles, syringes, gloves, dressings, and sharps-disposal equipment.

Emergency medical services may prefer butterfly sets with clearly visible wings, flexible extension tubing, and a safety mechanism that can be activated with one hand. Purchasing departments should check whether the product is sold as an individual sterile unit or in a box containing multiple devices. Emergency-service agencies should also verify that packaging and storage conditions are appropriate for vehicles and mobile response environments.

VivaGuard, Vitality Medical, and Similar Online Medical-Supply Retailers

Online medical-supply retailers such as Vitality Medical commonly list butterfly needles from several manufacturers. These retailers may serve home-health professionals, small clinics, caregivers, laboratories, and individual buyers who do not have access to a large institutional distributor.

Online catalogs are convenient for comparing brands and pack sizes, but buyers must pay close attention to the identity of the actual seller. Some marketplaces display products from multiple third-party vendors. The product page should identify the manufacturer, catalog number, sterile status, expiration date or shelf-life policy, shipping conditions, and return restrictions.

Allegro Medical

Allegro Medical is a U.S. online retailer carrying a broad range of healthcare products. Its inventory may include winged infusion sets, blood-collection needles, syringes, alcohol-preparation products, gloves, and sharps containers.

For a 23-gauge purchase, buyers should verify whether the product is sold as a complete butterfly set or only as a needle component. A complete set may include tubing and a luer connector, while some clinical procedures require additional holders, adapters, or collection accessories.

Mountainside Medical Equipment

Mountainside Medical Equipment is another U.S. medical-supply retailer that commonly carries needles, syringes, laboratory products, and home-care equipment. Its listings may include disposable 23-gauge winged sets from brands such as Exel and other established manufacturers.

Smaller retailers can be useful when larger distributors have minimum-order requirements or when a practice needs a limited quantity for evaluation. However, customers should compare shipping costs, handling fees, expiration-date policies, and product-return rules. A low unit price may not be economical if shipping is expensive or if the product is close to its expiration date.

CIA Medical and Similar Specialty Suppliers

CIA Medical and comparable online medical suppliers commonly sell phlebotomy and injection products to healthcare facilities and professional buyers. Their catalogs may contain 23-gauge butterfly needles in multiple lengths, tubing configurations, and packaging quantities.

Specialty suppliers may provide more detailed technical information than general online marketplaces. Buyers should still confirm the lot number, manufacturer, product code, and seller identity. The safest approach is to request a specification sheet or photograph of the product packaging when the catalog description is incomplete.

Amazon Business and General Marketplaces

Amazon Business and other general marketplaces may display 23-gauge butterfly needles, but these platforms require additional diligence. A product may be sold directly by a manufacturer, by an authorized distributor, or by an independent third-party seller. The same product page can sometimes contain listings with different fulfillment sources or packaging conditions.

Healthcare organizations should not rely solely on customer reviews or a low price. The buyer should determine whether the product is genuine, sterile, unopened, within its usable shelf life, and supplied through a traceable distribution channel. For regulated clinical environments, a contracted medical distributor is often preferable to an unknown marketplace seller.

Manufacturers Commonly Found in U.S. Catalogs

Retailers may stock different brands at different times, but several manufacturers are frequently associated with butterfly or winged blood-collection products in the U.S. market.

1. BD, including its Vacutainer product families, offers safety-engineered blood-collection sets in multiple gauges and configurations.
2. Terumo offers winged blood-collection and infusion products, including safety-focused designs used in hospitals, laboratories, and outpatient settings.
3. Nipro manufactures needles and blood-collection products for healthcare markets, including winged sets and related devices.
4. Exel International supplies disposable needles, syringes, and winged infusion sets used in medical and veterinary settings.
5. Greiner Bio-One is known for laboratory and blood-collection products, including accessories that may be paired with winged collection devices.
6. Smiths Medical and other established medical-device manufacturers may appear in distributor catalogs depending on product line and regional availability.

Brand names and product families should not be treated as interchangeable. A 23-gauge set from one manufacturer may have a different needle bevel, wing configuration, tubing length, safety activation process, or connector design than a 23-gauge set from another manufacturer.

Safety Features to Compare Before Purchasing

Safety-engineered products are an important consideration because Needlestick Injuries remain a significant occupational hazard. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has historically cited estimates of approximately 385,000 percutaneous injuries among hospital-based healthcare personnel each year in the United States. The actual number may be higher because injuries can go unreported and because estimates differ by healthcare setting and methodology.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration states that approximately 5.6 million U.S. healthcare and related workers may be exposed to bloodborne pathogens. OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard requires employers to use engineering and work-practice controls, provide training, maintain an exposure-control plan, and make appropriate personal protective equipment available.

When comparing butterfly needles, purchasers should evaluate the following features.

1. Passive or active safety mechanism: A passive system activates automatically, while an active system requires the user to engage the safety feature. Passive designs can reduce reliance on memory and hand coordination, but staff must still be trained in correct use.
2. One-handed activation: This can help the clinician activate the mechanism while maintaining control of the patient and device.
3. Visual or audible confirmation: A click, color change, or visible shield can help indicate that the needle has been secured.
4. Needle protection after activation: The shield should reduce the likelihood that the exposed needle can contact the user or another person.
5. Integrated versus separate components: An integrated safety set may reduce assembly steps and the number of loose components in the procedure area.
6. Compatibility with sharps containers: The device should fit appropriately into the sharps containers used by the facility.

The Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act amended OSHA requirements by emphasizing safer medical devices, involvement of nonmanagerial clinical employees in device selection, and documentation of incidents. A facility purchasing committee should therefore include the nurses, phlebotomists, laboratory staff, and other employees who actually use butterfly needles.

Important Product Specifications

Needle Length

Many 23-gauge butterfly needles are available with 3/4-inch or 1-inch needles. The best length depends on the patient, the target vein, and the procedure. A longer needle may provide access in some situations, while a shorter needle may offer better control for superficial veins. Product descriptions should clearly state needle length rather than only gauge.

Tubing Length

Extension tubing provides flexibility and can reduce movement at the Venipuncture site. Common tubing lengths vary by product. Longer tubing may be helpful when connecting to a blood-collection holder or syringe, but it can also increase dead space and require additional management. Buyers should ensure that tubing length matches the facility’s collection technique.

Connector and Collection-System Compatibility

Some butterfly sets use a standard luer connection, while others are designed for specific blood-collection holders or tubes. A facility that uses evacuated tubes should verify compatibility with its holders and adapters. If the device will be connected to a syringe, the purchaser should confirm that the connector is secure and appropriate for the intended use.

Sterility and Single-Use Design

Butterfly needles used for Venipuncture are generally sterile, disposable, and intended for one patient and one procedure. Packaging should be intact, dry, and clearly labeled. Reusing a disposable needle or attempting to resterilize it is unsafe and may violate infection-control policy and manufacturer instructions.

Latex and Other Materials

Facilities serving patients with latex sensitivity should review the product’s materials statement. The needle itself may be stainless steel, while wings, tubing, caps, and other components may use different polymers or elastomers. “Latex-free” claims should be confirmed in the manufacturer’s official product documentation rather than assumed from the product name.

Packaging and Expiration Dating

Butterfly needles may be packaged individually, in boxes of 25 or 50, or in larger cases. Individual packaging supports procedure-level traceability and easier stock rotation. Larger cases may reduce the unit cost but can create waste if demand is low or if the products expire before use.

Healthcare purchasers should record received lot numbers and expiration dates when required by internal policy. Products should be stored in a clean, dry location away from excessive heat, moisture, direct sunlight, and chemical contamination.

How Prices and Pack Sizes Affect the Buying Decision

The price of a 23-gauge butterfly needle can vary substantially according to brand, safety design, tubing length, packaging quantity, supply conditions, and purchasing volume. A conventional non-safety winged set may have a lower unit price than a safety-engineered version, but the cheapest product is not necessarily the lowest-cost option when injury risk, training, waste, and compliance are considered.

Institutional buyers should calculate the total acquisition cost. This may include the product price, freight, hazardous-material handling if applicable, storage, receiving labor, inventory carrying cost, and disposal. A product that costs slightly more per unit may reduce waste if it is packaged in a quantity that matches actual usage.

For example, a small outpatient practice using 100 butterfly needles per month may not benefit from purchasing a large case if the product expires before the supply is used. Conversely, a hospital laboratory with predictable high-volume demand may obtain better pricing through a distributor contract, group-purchasing organization, or manufacturer agreement.

Regulatory and Purchasing Considerations

In the United States, medical devices are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Buyers should look for a clearly identified manufacturer, model or catalog number, intended use, sterile status, and applicable labeling. FDA clearance or authorization applies to the device and its intended use; it does not mean that every online seller is an authorized distributor or that every marketplace listing is genuine.

Facilities should purchase through established, traceable channels whenever possible. A supplier should be able to provide an invoice, lot information, product documentation, and a process for reporting defects or adverse events. If a supplier refuses to identify the manufacturer or provides packaging that appears altered, the product should not be used until it has been investigated.

State laws may also affect the sale of needles and syringes. Requirements can differ for licensed healthcare professionals, pharmacies, patients, community programs, and nonmedical purchasers. Because state rules change, buyers should confirm current requirements with the relevant state health department, pharmacy board, medical board, or legal adviser.

Evaluating Retailers and Distributors

A reliable retailer should provide enough information for the purchaser to make a clinical and logistical decision. The following evaluation process can help organizations compare suppliers.

1. Confirm that the seller identifies the actual manufacturer and exact catalog number.
2. Verify the gauge, needle length, tubing length, connector, safety design, and intended use.
3. Ask whether the products are sourced through an authorized distribution channel.
4. Check the expected expiration dating and the supplier’s policy for short-dated products.
5. Review shipping conditions, order minimums, backorder procedures, and return restrictions.
6. Compare unit pricing after freight, discounts, and applicable taxes.
7. Request samples for clinical evaluation before committing to a large order.
8. Document staff feedback about handling, safety activation, blood-flow performance, and patient comfort.

Clinical evaluation is especially important when switching brands. A device that looks similar may handle differently, and safety mechanisms can require different activation steps. The facility should update its procedure manual and train employees before introducing a new product.

Common Purchasing Mistakes

One common mistake is searching only for “23-gauge needle” and overlooking the distinction between a standard needle and a complete butterfly set. A standalone needle may not include tubing, wings, a holder, or a compatible connector.

Another mistake is assuming that every safety feature works the same way. Some devices require activation before removal from the patient, while others activate after withdrawal. Staff should follow the manufacturer’s instructions and facility policy.

Buyers also sometimes overlook dead space in the tubing. When a blood sample is collected with a syringe or when medication is administered, the volume within the tubing may affect the procedure. The manufacturer’s technical documentation and the facility’s clinical protocol should guide use.

Finally, organizations may select products based solely on initial price. OSHA compliance, injury prevention, staff acceptance, waste reduction, and reliable availability should all be included in a value analysis.

Recommended Approach for Different Buyers

Hospitals and Large Health Systems

Hospitals should generally begin with their contracted distributor, group-purchasing organization, or value-analysis department. Standardizing on a limited number of approved 23-gauge butterfly needles can simplify training, inventory management, and incident reporting. However, emergency departments, pediatric units, oncology services, and laboratories may have different requirements and should participate in product selection.

Physician Offices and Outpatient Clinics

Small clinics may compare Henry Schein, McKesson, Medline, Cardinal Health, and reputable online medical-supply retailers. They should prioritize dependable replenishment, moderate case quantities, and clear expiration dating. A written par-level system can prevent both stockouts and over-ordering.

Home-Health Agencies

Home-health agencies should consider portability, compact packaging, secure disposal, and ease of use in environments that may not have a full clinical workstation. Staff should carry approved sharps containers and follow the agency’s exposure-control plan. Products should remain in original sterile packaging until needed.

Emergency Medical Services

EMS agencies should assess how devices perform in cramped spaces, moving vehicles, low-light conditions, and stressful procedures. A safety feature that is easy to activate with one hand may be especially valuable. Inventory should be inspected regularly because supplies stored in ambulances can be exposed to temperature fluctuations.

Final Guidance

U.S. buyers can commonly find 23-gauge butterfly needles through major distributors such as McKesson, Medline, Cardinal Health, Henry Schein, and Bound Tree, as well as online medical-supply retailers including Vitality Medical, Allegro Medical, Mountainside Medical, and specialty suppliers such as CIA Medical. General marketplaces may also display these products, but their seller authorization, traceability, and storage conditions require careful review.

The most appropriate purchase is determined by more than the 23-gauge designation. Needle length, tubing configuration, connector type, safety activation, sterility, packaging, expiration date, manufacturer documentation, and clinical compatibility all matter. Organizations should use authorized and traceable suppliers, involve frontline employees in device selection, and provide training consistent with OSHA, CDC, and facility infection-control requirements.

Because inventory changes frequently, buyers should verify current availability directly with the retailer before ordering. They should also obtain the exact catalog number and product specifications in writing. That process helps ensure that the delivered device is the intended 23-gauge butterfly needle rather than a similar-looking product with different clinical or safety characteristics.

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