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General product information, not medical advice. This page describes what a wound closure kit is and what such kits typically hold. It does not describe how to close a wound.
A wound closure kit is a set of single-use or reusable items packaged together for closing a cut, and the name covers several different products. A laceration tray is usually instruments, a drape and gauze with no suture material. A disposable suture kit adds suture. A suture training kit is practice material. This page sorts those names out and shows a sourced example of tray contents.
What a wound closure kit is, and the names it goes by
Under FDA’s labeling rules, a convenience kit is “two or more different medical devices packaged together for the convenience of the user” (21 CFR 801.3, checked 2026-10-30). Suppliers use many labels for the same idea: laceration tray, suture kit, disposable suture kit, wound closure kit. The label alone does not say what is inside, so the contents list is the thing to read.
Contents checklist by category
The table below is one example, a Medline-brand laceration tray as listed by a school-health distributor (checked 2026-10-30). It is “typical” of the category, not a standard, and other trays differ. The listing describes the tray’s instruments and components as latex free and the tray as single-use. Quantities are the listing’s own.
| Category | Item | Quantity | Why it is there | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instruments | Iris scissors | 1 | Scissors in the tray | Single-use listing |
| Instruments | Webster needle holder | 1 | Needle holder in the tray | Instrument only; no suture material listed |
| Instruments | Adson forceps, 1×2 teeth | 1 | Forceps in the tray | Toothed pattern as listed |
| Instruments | Curved mosquito forceps | 1 | Forceps in the tray | Curved pattern as listed |
| Field and drape | Fenestrated drape, 18 x 26 in | 1 | Drape in the tray | Opening in the drape |
| Field and drape | Absorbent towels | 2 | Towels in the tray | |
| Field and drape | Tray with CSR overwrap | 1 + 1 | Tray and wrap as listed | CSR is central supply room wrap |
| Dressings | Gauze 4 x 4 in | 10 | Dressing material in the tray | |
| Dressings | Gauze 2 x 2 in | 5 | Dressing material in the tray | |
| Containers | Medicine cups, 2 oz | 2 | Small containers in the tray | |
| Needles (syringe) | 18 g x 1-1/2 in; 25 g x 5/8 in; 27 g x 1-1/2 in | 2; 1; 1 | Needles in the tray | Gauge and length as listed |
Suture material is often not in a laceration tray; the instruments, drape and gauze are packed and suture is bought separately. Check the contents list of the exact product.
Laceration tray, suture kit, training kit and removal tray
Laceration tray
Instruments, drape and gauze for a closure procedure, as in the table above.
Disposable suture kit and “suture kit sterile”
A suture kit includes suture alongside, or instead of, the tray items. Whether a given kit is sterile is stated by that product’s own labeling; a kit’s sterility is not implied by its name, so the label on the package is the authority. Surgical suture itself is a regulated device. FDA classifies nonabsorbable poly(ethylene terephthalate) surgical suture as “a multifilament, nonabsorbable, sterile, flexible thread” for soft tissue approximation, Class II with special controls, and it must conform to the USP monograph for that suture type (21 CFR 878.5000, checked 2026-10-30).
Suture training kit
The name is used for practice material rather than for a clinical closure kit. Check the product listing for what a given training kit holds.
Suture removal tray
A suture removal tray is a separate product from a closure tray; its contents are not covered here.
Standards or rules that apply
FDA’s Convenience Kits Interim Regulatory Guidance (CDRH, May 1997; page current as of 2018-03-22, checked 2026-10-30) addresses kits made of legally marketed devices assembled “strictly for the ‘convenience’ of the purchaser or user.” In summary:
- Components should be preamendments devices, exempt from premarket notification, or found substantially equivalent, and should be purchased in finished form.
- Labeling is basic: it identifies the assembler or manufacturer and the intended uses. General controls such as registration, listing and misbranding rules still apply.
- Terminal sterilization is a typical step, and assemblers should consider its effect on each component. Sutures are named as a sensitive component.
- The guidance does not change drug requirements: for kits with components regulated as drugs, it directs the assembler to FDA’s drug center instead.
FDA also issued a final guidance titled “Sterilized Convenience Kits for Clinical and Surgical Use” on 2002-01-07.
Storage, expiry and restocking
Store a kit as its packaging and instructions direct, and read the expiry date and sterile-barrier condition printed on the package before use. Reorder timing and shelf life depend on the manufacturer’s labeling for the exact product.
FAQ
What is a suture kit?
A suture kit is a convenience kit that packages suture with the instruments and supplies used to close a cut. Contents vary by product, so read the list.
Is a disposable suture kit sterile?
Only if the product labeling says so. FDA’s rule for polyester (PET) surgical suture, 21 CFR 878.5000, describes that suture as sterile, but a kit’s own label states whether the kit is sterile.
Does a laceration tray include suture?
Often not. The example listing above holds instruments, drape, gauze, cups and needles but no suture.
What is the difference between a suture training kit and a clinical kit?
A training kit is practice material. A clinical kit is a convenience kit of devices, covered by the FDA definition above.
Related CASRAI guides
See what a suture is, what a hemostat is, surgical stapler types, urgent care supply checklist and the wound care clinic supply checklist.
Sources
- FDA, Convenience Kits Interim Regulatory Guidance, checked 2026-10-30.
- eCFR, 21 CFR 801.3, checked 2026-10-30.
- eCFR, 21 CFR 878.5000, checked 2026-10-30.
- FDA, Sterilized Convenience Kits for Clinical and Surgical Use (final guidance, 2002-01-07).
- SchoolHealth, laceration tray / suture kit listing, checked 2026-10-30 (example contents only).
