A practical guide for importers, private label brands, distributors and converters, from the team at HANGU.

Sourcing pain relief patches looks simple until the first samples arrive. A buyer who wanted a breathable, strong-hold patch receives a gel pad. A converter who expected perforated roll stock receives finished cut patches. Most of these gaps come from a brief that was too short, not from a bad supplier.

This guide explains how B2B buyers can evaluate patch types, materials, shapes, roll stock, quality documents and order terms, and how to write a sourcing brief that a manufacturer can quote accurately. It is written by HANGU, a manufacturer that supplies both finished pain relief patches and pre-coated plaster rolls for OEM/ODM projects.

• Decide first whether you need finished patches or pre-coated rolls. The two follow different workflows.

• Choose the patch family and adhesive system for your market and use case, not by price alone.

• Fix size, shape and packaging in your first brief. Existing sizes and shapes shorten the path to samples.

• Settle your target market, claims and ingredients before you choose a formula.

• Compare suppliers on quality system, shelf life, sampling terms, MOQ and lead time, not only on unit price.

Choose finished patches if you want to sell a ready product under your own brand. Choose pre-coated rolls if you already run converting lines and want to control the final shape, pack size and branding yourself. HANGU supplies both, so you can start with one format and add the other later.

The term pain relief patch covers several product styles. Build your range around the families your customers already search for:

• Traditional herbal-style plasters: Tiger-style, balm-style and other traditional adhesive plaster formats.

• Capsicum patches: Warming-sensation plasters for brands building a heat-sensation line.

• Mugwort patches: Warming and comfort patches, including neck-focused formats.

• Hydrogel cooling patches: Water-based gel patches with a cooling feel.

• Specialty formats: Ginseng-style, transparent and far-infrared-style patches and other functional designs.

• Body-area patches: Contoured designs for the neck, lower back and knees, plus circular and general-purpose shapes.

• Heat and warming products: Warming patch and heat-pack-style products. These work on a different principle from medicated plasters, so present them as a separate line.

Buyers can browse HANGU's Pain Relief Patch collection and review examples such as capsicum plaster patches, mugwort warming patches and hydrogel cooling pain relief patches.

Most patches share a three-part structure:

Many traditional, capsicum, mugwort, specialty and body-area plaster formats use a nonwoven or elastic fabric backing with a rubber-based or hot-melt pressure-sensitive adhesive, plus selected formulation ingredients. Hydrogel cooling patches are built differently: HANGU's technical information lists nonwoven fabric or PET as supporting materials, a water-based polymer gel layer, and PET or PP release material.

Instead of choosing by front-of-pack description, ask your supplier:

• What backing, adhesive or gel, and release material does this exact product use?

• How will it feel in use: strong hold or gentle, breathable or occlusive, warming or cooling?

• Which ingredients are compatible with this adhesive system?

• Can you confirm the final structure in writing before production?

Patch dimensions affect presentation, packaging layout, body-area fit and the cutting tools needed for production. HANGU's finished patch size references include:

• Small: 4.5 × 4.5, 5 × 5, 5 × 7 and 7 × 7 cm

• Medium: 7 × 10, 7 × 11, 7 × 15, 7 × 17 and 8 × 12 cm

• Large: 9 × 12, 9.3 × 13.2, 10 × 12, 10 × 13, 10 × 14, 10 × 22, 12 × 18, 13 × 18 and 14 × 10 cm

• Shaped: Circular 12 × 12 cm and other special shapes

Shape is one of the easiest ways to differentiate a private label line. The product library includes:

• Rectangular and rounded-rectangle patches

• Circular, oval, kidney-shaped and bean-shaped designs

• Butterfly, petal, crescent and curved shapes

• Star-shaped and decorative designs, including bagua and taiji-inspired formats

• Long, rounded-end strip shapes

• Neck, lower-back and knee-oriented contours

• Composite designs with a central pad or insert

Three practical tips:

• Start from an existing size and shape where you can. It shortens the path to samples.

• For a new design, share a flat shape drawing or a sample photo with finished dimensions. Custom shapes are made with dedicated cutting tools.

• Review shape and material together before sampling, because the two affect each other.

Under an OEM arrangement, you bring the specification (size, shape, structure and branding) and the factory produces to your brief. Under an ODM arrangement, you start from an existing design in the supplier's library, adjust the details and add your branding. ODM is usually faster for first-time private label buyers, and many buyers move to a more customized OEM specification once the first product sells.

For finished patches, organize the discussion into five areas:

1. Product type: Traditional plaster, capsicum, mugwort, cooling hydrogel, warming format or a specialty design.

2. Patch design: Finished size, outline, backing color and presentation.

3. Material and formulation: Backing options, adhesive characteristics, selected ingredients and scent where relevant.

4. Release material: Release paper or release film, according to the proposed construction.

5. Private label packaging: Individual pouch design, patches per pack, carton artwork and outer-carton requirements. Finished patches can be individually packed, then arranged in pouch or carton formats such as 1, 3, 5, 10 or 20 patches.

Pre-coated rolls suit converters that want to manage the final cut shape, retail pack size and branding within their own operations. The coating stage is completed before HANGU supplies the roll. The customer then carries out slitting, die-cutting and packaging.

• Formats: Perforated or non-perforated, with or without selected added functional ingredients.

• Reference sizes: 18 cm × 5 m and 18 cm × 10 m. Other widths and lengths are made to order.

• Customizable: Backing material, color, adhesive strength, coating weight, perforation design, core dimensions and release material (paper or film).

• Ingredients: Some rolls can carry added ingredients, but certain ingredients are not stable enough for every construction. Ingredient selection and stability are evaluated as part of development.

When you request a roll quote, describe your converting equipment and the finished patch you plan to make, as clearly as the roll specification itself.

This is the part of sourcing where mistakes are most expensive, so settle it early.

• Define your target market and your claims first. In many markets, a patch sold for pain relief, or one containing certain active ingredients, is treated differently from a general wellness or cosmetic product. Some ingredients have concentration limits or require registration.

• Match the formula to the market. An ingredient that is acceptable in one country may be restricted in another.

• Respect stability limits. Not every ingredient stays stable in every adhesive or gel system. A good supplier tells you when an ingredient is a poor fit rather than promising everything.

• Get local advice. This guide is not legal or regulatory advice. Confirm labeling, claims and ingredient rules with a qualified regulatory consultant or your local authority before launch.

Products presented as wellness items, such as sleep, throat or cough patches, are positioned differently from pain relief patches, and the claims allowed for them differ by market. Keep them as a separate line.

HANGU operates under an ISO 13485:2016 quality management system certified by POSI, covering the production and sales of medical plaster, medical tape and rolls for export. A copy of the certificate is available on request.

• Shelf life: Three years for HANGU's pain relief patch and plaster range.

• Sterility: HANGU's patches are non-sterile products. Patches applied to intact skin are generally supplied non-sterile, while sterile supply is more typical for wound-care dressings.

Documents worth requesting from any supplier before you order:

• A copy of the quality system certificate, with its scope and validity date checked against the product you plan to buy

• A product specification covering size, structure, materials and packaging

• The basis for the stated shelf life

• The ingredient list, for products with added ingredients

• Approved packaging artwork and labeling text

A certificate does not automatically cover every product or claim, so always check the scope.

Clear order terms save weeks of back-and-forth. HANGU's current terms are:

A typical sourcing timeline looks like this:

1. Send your RFQ with product type, size, shape, packaging and estimated quantity.

2. Review the proposed structure and a matching sample.

3. Confirm the specification and packaging artwork in writing.

4. Place the order and confirm payment.

5. Production and shipment: 20 days for bulk orders and 30 days for custom orders, counted from payment confirmation.

A practical RFQ does not need to be long. It should answer the questions that most directly affect product selection and production planning.

• Buyer company and destination market

• Product category and intended retail positioning

• Finished patches or pre-coated plaster rolls

• Target dimensions and preferred shapes

• Preferred backing, adhesive, gel or formulation characteristics

• Color, scent and other customization requests

• Individual pack type and quantity per retail pack

• Brand artwork or packaging reference, if available

• Estimated purchase quantity

• Preferred sampling and project schedule

• For rolls: width, length, perforation pattern, core size and planned downstream processing

Here is a simple example that purchasing teams can adapt:

We are sourcing private label warming patches for our retail brand. We would like to review a 7 × 10 cm finished patch and custom packaging containing five individually packed pieces per box. Please advise on suitable backing options, available customization, sample arrangements and quotation requirements. Our estimated initial order quantity is [quantity], and our destination market is [country].

For a converter, replace the finished patch specification with the required roll dimensions and processing details. A technical drawing or an existing sample makes the request more precise.

• Choosing the formula before the market. Rules differ by country, and a formula that cannot be sold where you want to sell it wastes time.

• Treating all adhesives as interchangeable. The adhesive system changes comfort, wear time and ingredient compatibility.

• Comparing quotes that cover different things. Check that construction, dimensions, unit count and packaging scope match before comparing prices.

• Approving a sample that differs from the production specification. Always compare the production spec to the approved sample.

• Ignoring packaging text. Wording on the pack can create regulatory problems even when the product itself is fine.

Wuhan Hangu Technology Co., Ltd. is a China-based manufacturer serving overseas B2B buyers with medical dressings, beauty care patches, functional patches, and related roll materials.

For pain relief patch projects, HANGU supports discussions on finished patches, pre-coated plaster rolls, and OEM/ODM customization based on product specifications and market requirements.

• Finished patches and pre-coated rolls from one supplier

• A wide library of sizes and shapes, from standard rectangles to body-area and decorative designs

• Clear sampling, MOQ and lead time terms

• OEM/ODM and Private Label packaging support

Meet HANGU at the 140th Canton Fair. HANGU plans to exhibit in Guangzhou from October 31 to November 4, 2026 (Hall 10.2, Booth J02).

Yes. HANGU provides OEM/ODM packaging options for finished patches, including individual pouches and branded bag or carton presentations.

Yes. Existing shapes include circles, ovals, kidney shapes, crescents, stars, strip designs and contours for the neck, lower back and knees. Buyers can also discuss custom shape drawings.

A finished patch is supplied in its final cut format for the agreed packaging arrangement. A pre-coated roll is supplied after coating, so the purchasing converter performs the slitting, die-cutting and packaging.

Common reference formats are 18 cm × 5 m and 18 cm × 10 m. Width, length, backing material, perforation design and core dimensions can be discussed for custom projects.

Yes. Customization discussions can include adhesive characteristics, backing options and selected formulation ingredients, according to the product type and development requirements. For coated rolls with added ingredients, formulation stability is part of the evaluation.

Finished single-piece patches start from 50,000 pieces. For custom products, the minimum order quantity is agreed based on your requirements.

Samples of in-stock items are free and ship within 3 days. Samples for items not in stock ship within 15 days. The customer pays shipping costs. Bulk orders ship 20 days after payment is confirmed, and custom orders ship 30 days after payment is confirmed.

The shelf life is three years. HANGU's patches are non-sterile products.

Provide the product type, supply format, size, shape, desired material or formulation, packaging concept, destination market and estimated order quantity. For rolls, add the converting and core specifications.

The right sourcing approach depends on what your business plans to sell and what it plans to finish itself. A private label brand may start with a selected finished patch and a retail packaging concept. A converter may begin with a roll specification and its own die-cutting and packing workflow.

Send HANGU your target market, product type, size and shape, material preferences, packaging needs and estimated order quantity, and the team will help you choose a suitable structure and arrange samples.

• Email: info@hanguhealth.com

• Phone: +86 180 6208 8112