Description
EBIKO Class 5 chemical indicator strips are ISO 11140-1 Class 5 (Type 5) integrating indicators for steam autoclaves. Place one strip inside each pouch, pack or cassette. After the cycle, the printed ink changes from blue to black. Compare it with the reference colour printed on the strip. Each pack holds 200 strips for C$24.99, about 12.5 cents per strip.
What is printed on every strip
- Class 5 · ISO 11140-1 · STEAM, so the strip identifies itself in your records.
- Blue-to-black endpoint with a printed reference colour to compare against.
- Metal-free ink and a single-use symbol.
- Write-on "Contents" and "Date" lines for your sterilization log.
- Manufacture and expiry dates on each strip.
- The box is labelled in English and French: Indicateurs chimiques de stérilisation pour la vapeur.
Who uses Class 5 indicator strips
Any setting that sterilizes reusable instruments in a steam autoclave can use these strips, not only dental offices:
- Dental and dental hygiene clinics
- Medical, family-practice and walk-in clinics
- Foot care, chiropody and podiatry clinics
- Tattoo, piercing and electrolysis studios
- Nail salons, esthetics and med-spa settings that reprocess metal implements
- Veterinary clinics and laboratories
Personal service settings in Ontario: Toronto Public Health's BodySafe tattooing guidance refers to internal chemical indicators (Type 4). In ISO 11140-1, Class 5 is the next class above Type 4. Confirm with your local public health unit what your setting needs.
Class 4 vs Class 5 vs biological indicators
- Class 4 (multi-variable): reacts to two or more critical cycle variables.
- Class 5 (integrating): reacts to all critical steam variables: time, temperature and the presence of steam.
- Biological indicator (spore test): the only test that challenges the sterilizer with live spores. It is a separate test. Chemical strips do not replace it.
Full comparison: Class 4 vs Class 5 chemical indicators.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Class 5 chemical indicator?
It is an integrating chemical indicator, defined in ISO 11140-1. It goes inside the package and changes colour only after exposure to all the critical variables of a steam cycle. On EBIKO strips the change is from blue to black.
Are "Class 5", "Type 5" and "chemical integrator" the same thing?
Yes. They are three names for the same ISO 11140-1 category. "Class" and "Type" are used interchangeably. Some people also call these strips autoclave test strips or sterilization integrator strips.
Can I use these in a dry-heat, chemical-vapour, EtO or plasma sterilizer?
No. These strips are marked STEAM and are for steam autoclaves only.
Do Class 5 strips replace a spore test?
No. Chemical indicators check conditions inside each package. A biological indicator checks the sterilizer itself. Most monitoring programmes use both. See the Terragene BT20 biological indicators.
How do I read the strip?
Remove the strip from the package after the cycle and compare the dot with the printed reference colour. If it has not reached the reference black, do not use the instruments. Reprocess the load and follow your setting's procedure for a failed indicator.
Do I need to be a dentist to order?
No. Anyone running a steam autoclave can order. EBIKO supplies clinics, studios and salons as well as dental offices.
Related products
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EBIKO Class 5 chemical indicator strips are ISO 11140-1 Class 5 (Type 5) integrating indicators for steam autoclaves. Place one strip inside each pouch, pack or cassette. After the cycle, the printed ink changes from blue to black. Compare it with the reference colour printed on the strip. Each pack holds 200 strips for C$24.99, about 12.5 cents per strip.
What is printed on every strip
- Class 5 · ISO 11140-1 · STEAM, so the strip identifies itself in your records.
- Blue-to-black endpoint with a printed reference colour to compare against.
- Metal-free ink and a single-use symbol.
- Write-on "Contents" and "Date" lines for your sterilization log.
- Manufacture and expiry dates on each strip.
- The box is labelled in English and French: Indicateurs chimiques de stérilisation pour la vapeur.
Who uses Class 5 indicator strips
Any setting that sterilizes reusable instruments in a steam autoclave can use these strips, not only dental offices:
- Dental and dental hygiene clinics
- Medical, family-practice and walk-in clinics
- Foot care, chiropody and podiatry clinics
- Tattoo, piercing and electrolysis studios
- Nail salons, esthetics and med-spa settings that reprocess metal implements
- Veterinary clinics and laboratories
Personal service settings in Ontario: Toronto Public Health's BodySafe tattooing guidance refers to internal chemical indicators (Type 4). In ISO 11140-1, Class 5 is the next class above Type 4. Confirm with your local public health unit what your setting needs.
Class 4 vs Class 5 vs biological indicators
- Class 4 (multi-variable): reacts to two or more critical cycle variables.
- Class 5 (integrating): reacts to all critical steam variables: time, temperature and the presence of steam.
- Biological indicator (spore test): the only test that challenges the sterilizer with live spores. It is a separate test. Chemical strips do not replace it.
Full comparison: Class 4 vs Class 5 chemical indicators.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Class 5 chemical indicator?
It is an integrating chemical indicator, defined in ISO 11140-1. It goes inside the package and changes colour only after exposure to all the critical variables of a steam cycle. On EBIKO strips the change is from blue to black.
Are "Class 5", "Type 5" and "chemical integrator" the same thing?
Yes. They are three names for the same ISO 11140-1 category. "Class" and "Type" are used interchangeably. Some people also call these strips autoclave test strips or sterilization integrator strips.
Can I use these in a dry-heat, chemical-vapour, EtO or plasma sterilizer?
No. These strips are marked STEAM and are for steam autoclaves only.
Do Class 5 strips replace a spore test?
No. Chemical indicators check conditions inside each package. A biological indicator checks the sterilizer itself. Most monitoring programmes use both. See the Terragene BT20 biological indicators.
How do I read the strip?
Remove the strip from the package after the cycle and compare the dot with the printed reference colour. If it has not reached the reference black, do not use the instruments. Reprocess the load and follow your setting's procedure for a failed indicator.
Do I need to be a dentist to order?
No. Anyone running a steam autoclave can order. EBIKO supplies clinics, studios and salons as well as dental offices.
Related products
| Price | $24.99 |
| SKU | EBK03019 |
| Brand | EBIKO Dental |
| Product Type | Sterilization Indicators |
| Availability | ● In Stock |
Product details
| Pack | 200 strips |
|---|---|
| Indicator type | Class 5 / Type 5 integrating chemical indicator |
| Standard | ISO 11140-1 |
| Process | Steam sterilization only |
| Colour change | Blue to black; compare with the printed reference colour |
| Placement | Inside each pouch, pack or cassette |
| Write-on fields | Contents and Date |
| Printed dates | Manufacture and expiry date on each strip |
| Shelf life | 3 years from the manufacture date |
| Ink | Metal-free |
| Single use | Yes |
| Box labelling | English and French |
| Country of origin | China |
| SKU | EBK03019 |
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