Steroplast

Steroplast Healthcare is a UK healthcare and first aid brand with more than 25 years of experience supplying wound care and rehabilitation equipment¹. For an ordinary household, that means one maker behind many of the everyday items a home first aid kit is built from: plasters, bandages, sterile dressings, ice packs and ready-packed kits. Its bandage, wound dressing and swab range alone runs to 112 products², and its ambulance dressings are made by a supplier trusted by UK emergency services and hospitals for over two decades³.

The company sells directly to households as well as to professionals. There is no minimum order¹, it will send free samples before you buy⁴, and it offers express delivery within 1 to 2 days in the UK¹. It ships to 57 countries worldwide, and export accounts for more than 25% of its turnover⁵. This page sets out what Steroplast makes for UK households, how its products fit into a home first aid kit, how to order, and how to contact the company. For the wider picture of what your household should keep ready, see our emergency kit and first aid at home guides.

What Steroplast makes: wound care and rehabilitation equipment

Steroplast's catalogue falls into two broad halves that matter to a household: wound care (plasters, dressings, bandages and swabs) and rehabilitation equipment (cold therapy and sports injury care). The company states it has 20+ years of experience supplying wound care and rehabilitation equipment³. Its ambulance dressings are described as suitable for a wide range of injuries, including punctures, cuts, gunshot wounds, road rash, and other extensive traumas³. That professional background shapes the household range: the same types of dressing an ambulance carries, in sizes and packings a home can store.

For a household building up its readiness, Steroplast's products slot into three of our guide sections. Wound care items belong in your first aid kit. Ready-packed kits and foil blankets belong in your emergency kit. If you keep animals, the same bandages and dressings are what a pet first aid kit is stocked from, covered in our pets and animals guide. The sections below take each product type in turn, with what the maker says each one is for.

Bandages, dressings and swabs: 112 products

Steroplast's bandage, wound dressing and swab category contains 112 products². That breadth is the maker's main strength for households: whatever size or type of dressing a cut needs, the range likely includes it. The category covers the everyday items the NHS says a first aid kit should hold, including sterile wound dressings, sterile eye pads, sterile pads, fabric plasters and waterproof plasters⁷, alongside specialist items such as ambulance dressings for severe bleeding and tubular bandages for holding dressings in place.

The NHS advises keeping a first aid kit stocked with dressing pads with roller bandages, a sterile wound dressing, a sterile eye pad, sterile pads, fabric plasters and waterproof plasters⁷. Steroplast's range covers each of these, so a household can assemble the NHS-recommended kit from one supplier. For families with a baby, NHS Wales guidance adds that you should stock sticking plasters in a variety of sizes, adhesive tape, crepe bandages, tubular bandages, triangular bandages and sterile gauze dressings⁸.

Plasters for everyday cuts and blisters

The Sterostrip washproof plaster range is the everyday end of the catalogue. The maker describes the assorted sizes in a plastic box as ideal for general and surgical wounds, piercings and verrucas⁹, and the same washproof, hypoallergenic design comes in a wallet of 20 assorted sizes and a spot format¹⁰. The wallet of 20 is latex free, which matters if anyone in the household has a latex allergy¹⁰. The maker recommends changing the plaster regularly to ensure optimal healing conditions, and says to consult the packaging or your healthcare provider for specific guidance¹⁰.

For blisters and pressure sores, Steroplast's hydrocolloid plasters use a hypoallergenic hydrocolloid gel material, described by the maker as premium plasters for use on blisters, pressure sores and spots⁵. A household that walks, runs or simply gets sore heels from new shoes will find these the more comfortable choice; the washproof fabric plasters are the general-purpose option for ordinary cuts. Both are in stock at the time of writing¹⁰.

Ambulance dressings for severe bleeding

Steroplast's ambulance dressings are the most serious items in the range. The No.2 Ambulance Dressing is described by the maker as a sterile, individually wrapped emergency dressing designed for quick and effective management of severe wounds with heavy bleeding, with an attached cohesive bandage strap and flow-wrapped packaging¹². The maker states the ambulance dressing range is suitable for a wide range of injuries, including punctures, cuts, gunshot wounds, road rash and other extensive traumas¹².

The numbered sizes let you match the dressing to the wound. The No.7 Small dressing measures 5.2cm x 6.0cm¹³, and the range runs through No.1, No.2 and No.3 sizes, all unmedicated in the case of the No.3³. All are in stock at the time of writing¹². Steroplast also packs wound dressings in paper under the Steropax name⁶. A household that keeps a first aid kit in the car or a grab bag for emergencies may want one ambulance dressing alongside the everyday plasters: it is the item you hope never to need, but severe bleeding is one of the few injuries where the right dressing in the first minutes genuinely matters. If someone has a severe bleed, or you suspect sepsis from an infection, dial 999¹⁵.

Triangular bandages: slings, supports and more

The Steroplast Non-Woven Triangular Bandage is a non-sterile, single-use bandage, individually wrapped, made from non-woven fabric and suitable for adults and children¹⁶. The maker describes it as multi-functional: it can be used as a sling, dressing or tourniquet², and as ideal for supporting arms in slings, immobilising limbs and applying dressings¹⁶. A calico version is also available, which the maker describes as washable and reusable¹.

For a household, a few triangular bandages are among the most useful items in a kit: they support an injured arm as a sling, hold a dressing on a limb, or immobilise a suspected fracture until help arrives. The non-woven version is single-use¹⁶, so keep more than one. The First Response Kit contains 4 triangular bandages¹⁷, a reasonable indication of how many a well-equipped kit carries.

Tubular bandages and swabs

Steroplast's Sterogauz tubular bandage is described by the maker as a lightweight and stretchy material that holds dressings securely in place comfortably, is easier to apply than flat roller bandages, and provides skin protection under elastic adhesive bandages². For households with children or anyone who finds ordinary roller bandages fiddly, a tubular bandage slides over a finger, wrist or ankle and stays put without pins or tape. NHS Wales guidance on first aid for babies lists tubular bandages alongside crepe and triangular bandages as kit to stock⁸. The wider 112-product category² also includes swabs and gauze for cleaning and padding wounds before a dressing goes on.

Cold therapy: ice packs for pain and swelling

Steroplast makes two kinds of cold therapy for households. The Reusable Ice Pack is listed for pain relief and swelling reduction¹⁸: you chill it, apply it, and return it to the freezer for next time. The Sterofreeze Instant Ice Pack needs no freezer at all: squeezing it triggers the cooling, which makes it the one to keep in a car kit, a sports bag or a grab bag, where a freezer is not available. The maker states the instant packs are also sold in bulk, which suits sports clubs and similar groups that need several on hand⁴.

Cold therapy is first aid for bumps, sprains and strains: it reduces swelling and eases pain in the first hours after an injury. A household that plays sport, or has children who fall off things, will use an ice pack far more often than an ambulance dressing. Keep one reusable pack in the freezer at home and one instant pack where you can reach it without power.

Ready-packed kits: sport, first response and home

Steroplast sells complete kits as well as individual items. The Physio Sports First Aid Kit is intended for sports injury treatment and aftercare¹⁹. The First Response Kit is aimed at trained professionals: the maker states it is suitable for paramedics, first aiders and emergency responders, and supports immediate care with a carefully selected contents list that includes 4 triangular bandages¹⁷. Both are in stock at the time of writing¹⁹.

For an ordinary household, a ready-packed kit is the simplest way to start: it arrives complete, and you can then top it up from the 112-product bandage and dressing range² as items are used or expire. Our first aid at home guide explains what a household kit should hold and how to store it, and our getting started page shows how a first aid kit fits into wider household readiness.

The CPR leaflet and the emergency foil blanket

Steroplast's First Aid CPR Leaflet is a paper leaflet, in stock, that talks someone through cardiopulmonary resuscitation²⁰. The maker also offers a free digital version of the leaflet to download and print at home²⁰, which is worth doing now: in a real emergency you want the instructions already in your kit, not a download away. A printed CPR guide belongs in every household first aid kit, alongside the emergency foil blanket we cover on its own product page, a standard item for keeping someone warm and reducing shock after injury or exposure.

Ordering from Steroplast: no minimum order, free samples

Steroplast states there is no minimum order¹, so a household can replace a single used dressing or try one product without buying in bulk. The company will send free samples of its products before you buy⁴, which is useful if you want to check a plaster suits sensitive skin or a dressing is the size you expected. Bulk buying is supported for those who want it, with the maker stating it offers excellent value for bulk purchases of its instant ice packs⁴.

Delivery is express within 1 to 2 days in the UK¹, and the company offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee¹. Stock status is listed on each product page, and at the time of writing the triangular bandage, ambulance dressings No.1 to No.7, hydrocolloid plasters, reusable ice pack, sports kit, first response kit and CPR leaflet are all in stock¹⁶.

How to contact Steroplast

Steroplast Healthcare lists its contact details on its product pages: telephone 0161 902 3030, email sales@steroplast.co.uk, and fax 0161 902 3040¹¹. Use the phone line or email for orders, product questions and sample requests. The fax number is listed for organisations that still use fax¹⁴.

For anything that is a medical emergency, do not contact the maker. Call the emergency services straight away. Steroplast's number is a sales and customer service line only.

A safety notice on wipes, and a word on button batteries

When cleaning a wound, the advice is to clean it under running water and cover it with a sterile dressing⁷. Non-sterile wipes should not be used on wounds. If you keep wipes in a first aid kit at home, in a bag or in the car, check that any you use on skin are sterile and intended for wound care.

Separately, the Child Accident Prevention Trust notes that while reputable manufacturers use child-resistant packaging, there is no requirement to do so²². If your first aid kit contains small items, keep the box closed and out of young children's reach.

Where this fits in your household plans

Steroplast's range covers the wound care corner of household readiness. The rest of a household's preparations are covered in our guides: the emergency kit page for what to keep ready overall, first aid at home for how to use and store it, health emergencies for medicine supplies during outbreaks, and extra help if someone in your household is older, disabled or medically dependent. A first aid kit is only one part, but it is the part you are most likely to need on an ordinary weekend, not just in an emergency.