Cheatle Forcep

Quick Answer: Cheatle forceps are long, heavy forceps with broad, curved, serrated jaws, used to lift sterile instruments, dressings and bowls out of a sterilizer, drum or tray without touching them. They are a standard item in nursing fundamentals and hospital CSSD training.

The No-Touch Transfer Instrument

Once an instrument has been sterilised, hands must not touch it until it is on the sterile field, and transfer forceps bridge that gap. Their long shanks keep the user’s hand well away from the sterile items, and the broad, curved jaws with cross serrations grip objects as different as a kidney tray, a roll of gauze or a pair of scissors. The listing title uses the singular ‘Forcep’; the instrument is normally called Cheatle forceps.

Practice around storing these forceps has changed. They were traditionally kept standing in a jar of antiseptic solution, but many infection-control guides now advise keeping them dry in a sterile container and replacing both with a freshly sterilised set at fixed intervals, because a jar of solution can itself become contaminated. Nursing students learn to lift the forceps out vertically with the jaws closed and pointing down, so that fluid cannot run up to the handle and back onto the tips.

Applications

• Nursing fundamentals practicals on sterile technique and setting a dressing trolley
• CSSD and OT technician training in transferring sterilised items
• Lifting instruments out of a boiling-water sterilizer in teaching labs
• Instrument identification in nursing and medical practical examinations

Care & Handling

• After taking the forceps out of their container, keep the jaws pointing down and never touch them.
• Replace the forceps and container with a sterilised pair at the interval set by your infection-control policy.
• Brush the serrations clean before sterilising; debris trapped in the teeth shields microbes from steam.
• Use them only for transferring sterile items, never for dressing wounds.

Specifications

Why Choose LabEquip

Cheatle forceps are one of the first instruments nursing colleges buy for a fundamentals lab, and hospitals keep them in dressing rooms and CSSD areas. LabEquip lists them beside general forceps and the female catheter in its Biology Lab Products range.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Cheatle forceps used for?

For lifting and transferring sterile instruments, dressings and small bowls from a sterilizer, drum or pack onto a sterile field without touching them by hand.

Why are the jaws curved and broad?

The broad, serrated jaws grip objects of many shapes, from a gauze roll to a metal bowl, and the curve lets the user scoop items out of a container.

Should transfer forceps be kept in antiseptic solution?

Traditionally they were, but a jar of solution can become contaminated. Many hospitals now keep them dry in a sterile container and replace both at set intervals.

Why must the tips be held downwards?

If the tips point up, any fluid on the jaws runs towards the unsterile handle and then back onto the tips, contaminating them.

Can these forceps be used to handle a wound dressing?

No. They are reserved for transferring sterile supplies. Dressing forceps or gloved hands are used on the wound itself, so the transfer forceps stay uncontaminated.

How are Cheatle forceps different from sponge-holding forceps?

Sponge-holding forceps have ring-shaped jaws designed to hold a swab for cleaning skin. The Cheatle pattern has solid curved jaws for lifting a wide range of sterile items.

Last Updated: September 2026