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This page describes products and general use; it is not medical advice.
In short: “SH” is an Ethicon needle code for a 1/2 circle taper-point needle printed as 26 mm long in the Ethicon sutures catalogue. The letters are a product code, not a size you can read off by itself. This page decodes SH and the neighbouring codes CT-1, CT-2, RB-1, PS-2 and FS-1 using that catalogue, and shows how the code, the suture size and the printed length fit together.
What an SH needle is
An SH needle is a surgical needle that comes swaged (attached) to a suture strand, identified by the code “SH” in Ethicon’s product catalogue. In the catalogue’s needle index it is listed in the 1/2 circle, taper-point group, and in the product tables it appears as “SH 26mm”. Ethicon defines a taper-point needle as one “for soft, easily penetrated tissues”.
Who uses it: operating-room and clinic staff who handle suture packs, buyers matching a catalogue code to a pack, and students learning to read suture labels. Needle selection for a given procedure is a clinical decision; the catalogue states that surgeons “should select the type of needle that, in their experience, is appropriate for the specific procedure and tissue.”
How to read the code, the length and the suture size
Three separate pieces of information appear on a suture listing, and they are easy to confuse.
- Needle code (SH, CT-1, RB-1 and so on): a manufacturer-set identifier for a needle shape and point style. Codes are set by each manufacturer, so the same letters should not be assumed to mean the same needle from another maker; see suture needle types.
- Needle length in millimetres: the figure printed beside the code (for example “SH 26mm”). Ethicon states this is the actual length in millimetres, and that many lengths “have been rounded off” under a rounding convention applied to all needle lengths. The catalogue also shows a few codes with a decimal (CT-1 appears as 36.4 mm in some tables and 36 mm in others).
- Suture size (for example 2-0, 3-0): the strand diameter, which follows USP sizing and is separate from the needle. For length charts from another manufacturer, see suture needle sizes.
Double-armed notation
Ethicon notes that a repeated needle type, for example “RB-1, RB-1”, indicates a double-armed suture: a suture with a needle attached to each end.
SH compared with CT-1, CT-2, RB-1, PS-2 and FS-1
Every row below comes from Ethicon’s sutures catalogue (UK edition), checked 2026-10-30. Lengths are the figures printed beside each code in the product tables.
| Code | Curvature and point group in the needle index | Printed length |
|---|---|---|
| SH | 1/2 circle, taper point | 26 mm |
| SH-1 | 1/2 circle, taper point | 22 mm |
| CT-1 | Shown in the 1/2 circle taper-point group of the true-to-scale needle diagram | 36 mm (36.4 mm in some tables) |
| CT-2 | Shown in the 1/2 circle taper-point group of the true-to-scale needle diagram | 26 mm |
| RB-1 | 1/2 circle, taper point | 17 mm |
| PS-2 | 3/8 circle, precision point reverse cutting | 19 mm |
| FS-1 | 3/8 circle, reverse cutting | 24 mm |
SH and CT-2 share the same printed length (26 mm) but are different codes. The point styles in the table are defined by the catalogue as follows: taper point is “for soft, easily penetrated tissues”; reverse cutting has the “cutting edge on outer curve” and is “for tough, difficult-to-penetrate tissues”; precision point is “for delicate plastic or cosmetic surgery” with a cutting tip “electropolished for added sharpness”.
Matching a code to a pack
Needle type is a clinical choice made by the surgeon, not something this page can settle. For product matching, compare the full code, the printed length and the USP suture size shown on the product listing, because each is a different attribute.
Regulatory and safe-handling basics
In the FDA product classification database, product code GAB, “Needle, Suturing, Disposable”, is a Class 1 device under 21 CFR 878.4800 (openFDA, checked 2026-10-30). Used needles are sharps, which fall under the OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard that the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act amended in 2001. See also red sharps containers. For a related product family, see the braided sutures category.
Common mistakes
- Reading “SH” as a size. It is a code; the length is the number printed beside it.
- Treating the printed length as an exact measurement. Ethicon states lengths are rounded under a convention.
- Confusing needle length with suture size (USP strand diameter).
- Assuming another manufacturer’s code with the same letters is the same needle.
- Missing a double-armed pack when the code is printed twice.
FAQ
What does SH stand for on a suture?
It is Ethicon’s code for a 1/2 circle taper-point needle, printed as 26 mm in the catalogue. The catalogue gives no expansion of the letters.
How long is an SH needle?
26 mm as printed in Ethicon’s product tables; SH-1 is 22 mm. Lengths are rounded under Ethicon’s convention.
Is CT-1 the same as SH?
No. CT-1 is printed at 36 mm and SH at 26 mm; they are separate codes.
What does a repeated code such as RB-1, RB-1 mean?
A double-armed suture, with a needle at each end.
Sources
- Ethicon Product Catalog, Sutures (UK edition), Johnson and Johnson MedTech: catalogue PDF, checked 2026-10-30.
- openFDA device classification, product code GAB: api.fda.gov, checked 2026-10-30.
