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Biopsy punch sizes are named by the outer diameter of the circular cutting edge, in millimetres. In the manufacturer records held in FDA’s device database, disposable skin punches run from 0.30 mm to 10 mm, and reusable Keyes dermal punches from 1.5 mm to 10 mm. There is no gauge or French scale, and no standard that defines a fixed size series, so the chart below shows what makers actually list.
This page is general product information, not medical advice. It does not say which size suits any lesion, site or patient; that is a clinical decision for a qualified clinician.
Biopsy punch size chart (mm)
Disposable, sterile, single-use skin biopsy punches listed as in commercial distribution by three manufacturers or labellers in FDA’s openFDA device UDI data (checked 30 October 2026). The diameter comes from the product description in each record.
| Diameter (mm) | Henry Schein | Integra Miltex | Robbins True-Cut |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.30 | – | – | Listed |
| 0.50 | – | – | Listed |
| 0.75 | – | – | Listed |
| 1.0 | – | Listed | Listed |
| 1.5 | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| 2.0 | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| 2.5 | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| 3.0 | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| 3.5 | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| 4.0 | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| 5.0 | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| 6.0 | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| 8.0 | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| 10 | – | – | Listed |
Check your product’s labelling: catalogue sizes change, and a size missing from this table may still exist from another maker. Some records add variants such as a plunger version or a short handle (Integra Miltex lists short-handled punches at 3.5, 4, 5 and 6 mm). The Henry Schein records describe boxes of 25.
How to read the sizes
The number in a product name is the punch diameter in millimetres, for example “Disposable Biopsy Punch 4mm” or “Disposable Biopsy Punch 8.00mm”. Records write it differently (4.0mm, 4,5mm, 8.00mm), and the diameter sits in the description text rather than in a separate size field, so compare the number and the unit, not the formatting. Some listings cover several sizes in one record, such as “2, 3, 3.5, 4, 5mm”, so one product number does not always mean one size.
Disposable versus reusable (Keyes) punches
Disposable punches in the records above are marked single-use and sterile. A Keyes dermal punch is the reusable counterpart: a stainless-steel instrument with a round cutting head, listed in the same records as not single-use and not sterile as supplied. Reusable punches are sold by the handle-and-head set or as replacement heads. Examples in the records include:
- Ambler Surgical Keyes dermal punch sets and heads at 2.0, 3.0, 5.0 and 8.0 mm, with a set described as “handle and 2.0mm – 7.0mm heads”.
- MSI (Med Saver) Keyes dermal punches at 1.5, 4, 6, 7 and 9 mm, with 4-inch overall lengths.
- V. Mueller (Steris) Keyes skin punches at 4, 6 and 8 mm, 3-1/2 inches overall.
- Integra Miltex replacement heads at 4, 5 and 7 mm, and Integra Jarit Keyes punches at 8 and 10 mm.
Because reusable instruments are reprocessed, see sterilization containers for how instrument sets are held through that cycle, and dental surgical instruments for the FDA instrument classes that include a biopsy punch.
Equivalence notes: no gauge, no French size
Needles use gauge and catheters use French size, but a skin biopsy punch has neither. The only size is the diameter in millimetres, so no conversion table applies. Do not read a punch’s millimetres as a needle gauge or a suture size. Suture needles have their own codes and lengths; see suture needle sizes.
FDA’s classification database files surgical biopsy punches under product code EME (“Punch, Biopsy, Surgical”), class 1, 21 CFR 872.4565, with a dental specialty listing, and under product code LRY (“Punch, Surgical”), class 1, 21 CFR 878.4800. Class 1 means general controls apply. The code says nothing about diameter, and FDA records do not set a size range for either code.
Common mix-ups
The word “punch” names several different instruments, and their sizes are expressed differently:
- Keyes dermal punch: a round skin punch sized by diameter, as above.
- Keyes Vulvar Punch: a separate CooperSurgical product, listed in the records at 3, 4, 5 and 6 mm.
- Punch forceps: forceps such as antrum punch forceps are sized by bite, for example “3.5mm x 5.0mm bite”, plus working length and a left or right orientation, not by one diameter.
- Endoscopic biopsy punch: FDA product code FCI (“Punch, Biopsy”) is class 2 under 21 CFR 876.1075, with gastroenterology and urology specialties. It is an endoscopic accessory, not a skin punch.
The same millimetre number therefore means different things on different instruments. A discontinued line can also still appear in records; for example, CooperSurgical’s Disposa-Derm punches are marked “Not in Commercial Distribution”, so a record alone does not show a product can be bought. For a wider view of what a dermatology room stocks, see the dermatology office supply checklist, and for another skin-procedure instrument see the dermal curette guide.
FAQ
What are the standard biopsy punch sizes?
No standard fixes a series of sizes. In the FDA-held manufacturer records checked on 30 October 2026, three makers of disposable punches list diameters between 0.30 mm and 10 mm, and the most widely listed are 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 5, 6 and 8 mm. Confirm the size on the product label.
Is a biopsy punch measured in gauge?
No. A biopsy punch is named by its cutting diameter in millimetres. Gauge applies to needles and French size to catheters.
Are disposable and reusable punch sizes the same?
The ranges overlap but are not identical. Records for reusable Keyes punches list diameters from 1.5 mm to 10 mm, and a given maker may offer only some of them as heads or sets. Each maker’s own catalogue is the reference.
Sources
- U.S. FDA, openFDA device UDI endpoint (manufacturer-submitted GUDID records), api.fda.gov/device/udi.json, date checked 30 October 2026. Records also available through AccessGUDID.
- U.S. FDA, openFDA device classification endpoint, api.fda.gov/device/classification.json, product codes EME, LRY and FCI, date checked 30 October 2026.
- 21 CFR 872.4565, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, date checked 30 October 2026.
