Specimen Collection Cards Market Size, Share and Trends 2026 to 2035

The market is expanding worldwide due to increasing demand for easy-to-transport, low-cost sample collection solutions for diagnostics, forensic testing, newborn screening, and biobanking. Emerging regions offer strong opportunities as healthcare infrastructure improves, point-of-care testing grows, and governments invest in scalable diagnostic tools for infectious diseases and population health programs.

Major investors in the market include diagnostic companies, biotechnology firms, healthcare providers, and government health agencies. They contribute by funding innovation in card materials and preservation technologies, expanding manufacturing capacity, and supporting large-scale adoption for disease surveillance, screening programs, and decentralized testing.

The cotton & cellulose-based cards segment led the market with a 60% share in 2025. This dominance is mainly driven by the materials excellent absorption abilities, effective sample preservation, biocompatibility, and affordability. Cotton and cellulose-based cards are widely seen as the preferred choice for collecting biological samples such as dried blood spots in various diagnostic and research applications. They are extensively used in infectious disease testing, newborn screening, and forensic analysis.

On the other hand, the fiber-based / synthetic segment is expected to expand at a CAGR of 20% over the forecast period. The segments growth is attributed to its increasing adoption, driven by its ability to be tailored to a wider range of applications and needs. Fiber-based/synthetic cards made with synthetic materials can be personalized to meet diverse, specific application needs. Synthetic card innovations are designed to enhance sample stability.

The newborn screening (NBS) segment dominated the specimen collection cards market, accounting for 22.6% in 2025. This is primarily due to the growing number of government-led initiatives and newborn screening programs aimed at detecting metabolic and genetic disorders. Newborn screening is a crucial public health effort with a wide range of applications in healthcare and research, focusing on early diagnosis and timely medical intervention for serious health conditions. The screenings mainly include hearing tests, blood tests, and heart screenings.

The forensics & research segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR in the coming period. Specimen collection cards offer a reliable and cost-effective way to gather and store biological evidence, playing a crucial role in forensic investigations. The segments growth is also driven by increased R&D investments and therising demand for personalized medicine.

Researchers use samples from the specimen collection cards to study the genetic basis of diseases and identify biomarkers.

The infectious disease testing segment is expected to grow significantly. Specimen cards are commonly used in malaria research and diagnostics. Specimen collection cards, such as dried blood spot (DBS) and FTA cards, are frequently utilized in infectious disease testing. These cards are economical and simplify the collection, storage, and transportation of samples, reducing the reliance on a cold chain.

The offline segment led the specimen collection cards market, holding an 80% share in 2025. The offline channel, which includes pharmacies, healthcare clinics, and diagnostic labs, is the main distribution channel. Offline channels provide the convenience of purchasing specimen collection cards through in-person visits. Distributors of laboratory and medical equipment serve as intermediaries between manufacturers and end-users such as clinics, hospitals, and research labs.

The online segment is expected to be the fastest-growing in the market, with a growth rate of 20%. The online channel, which includes e-commerce and direct delivery, is a rapidly expanding and significant distribution avenue in the market. E-commerce platforms offer a wide range of specimen collection cards for various sample types, such as saliva, blood, urine, and stool. Online channels are becoming increasingly popular for purchasing specimen collection cards because they provide convenience and access to products from multiple manufacturers. Major manufacturers like QIAGEN, Ahlstrom, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and PerkinElmer often sell their products directly through their own websites or dedicated portals.

The hospital & clinics segment dominated the specimen collection cards market by holding a 64% share in 2025. Hospitals and clinics are essential parts of the healthcare system, offering comprehensive and specialized services for preventive care. Hospitals and clinics are the main end users due to mandatory newborn screening. In Germany, in 2022, nearly 738,819 newborns were born; as many as 96.25% of children were born in hospitals. An increase in the number of hospitals and clinics is expected to drive the growth of the segment during the forecast period.

The research institutions & others segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR of 12% in the coming years. Research institutions and other entities, such as forensic laboratories, academic labs, and public health organizations, are significant end users of specimen collection cards, primarily for dried blood spots (DBS) and FTA cards, for numerous studies. Researchers efficiently use these samples collected on these cards to develop and validate new diagnostic assays and screening methods for several health conditions, including infectious, chronic, and genetic disorders.

The diagnostic laboratories & centers segment is expected to grow at a significant rate during the forecast period. These laboratories and centers are key end users, as they play a crucial role in driving demand for these cards through their focus on cost-effective, efficient testing. Specimen collection cards are widely used for genetic testing, which is part of precision medicine, a growing trend in the diagnostics industry. Diagnostic centers process tests for infectious diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C using DBS cards, especially in developing regions where access to centralized labs is limited.

Asia Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR of 6.1% over the forecast period. Factors contributing to the markets growth in the region include the rapid expansion of healthcare infrastructure, the expansion of newborn screening programs, a surge in cases of infectious diseases, and increased government funding for biomedical research and drug testing. Moreover, the ongoing research and development in dried blood spot (DBS) testing and its diagnostic benefits are anticipated to fuel the markets expansion in the coming years.

Major Market Trends in India

In India, the market is growing due to the development of modern healthcare facilities, the rising prevalence of infectious diseases, supportive government regulations, increased adoption of point-of-care molecular diagnostics, and greater focus on non-invasive procedures. Additionally, a surge in birth rates, along with a growing number of hospitals, clinics, diagnostic laboratories, and centers, supports the expansion of the specimen collection cards market. This combination of factors is driving the markets growth in the country.

In June 2025, Amazon India unveiled Amazon Diagnostics, a new at-home diagnostics service that enables customers to book lab tests, schedule and track appointments, and access digital reports instantly from the Amazon app. With Amazon Diagnostics, customers in 6 cities across 450+ pin codes can easily book from over 800 diagnostic tests, get doorstep sample collection in under 60 minutes, and digital reports in as little as 6 hours, for routine tests.

Europe is considered a notably growing region in the specimen collection cards market. Europes advanced healthcare ecosystem facilitates the growing adoption of diagnostic tools such as specimen cards, supported by established protocols from healthcare authorities. The regions growth is primarily driven by rising rates of infectious diseases, increasing demand for point-of-care testing devices, and the adoption of modern diagnostic technologies. The surge in birth rates has increased demand for newborn screening, further boosting market growth in the region. In addition, supportive government regulations and ongoing research and development efforts in disease diagnosis are expected to further drive the specimen collection cards industry in the European region.

Major Market Trends in Germany

Germanys high healthcare spending supports the market for specimen collection cards. The market in Germany is experiencing significant growth, driven by the countrys advanced healthcare infrastructure, government-mandated newborn screening programs, increased focus on research and development, and technological advancements in specimen collection. The market is largely fueled by the use of specimen cards for newborn screening, genetic testing, and the rising demand for infectious disease testing, such as HIV and HCV. Additionally, the country growth is supported by major industry players with strong local ties, as well as by a growing number of hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, and research institutions.

PerkinElmer provides high-quality dried blood spot (DBS) collection cards widely used in newborn screening, toxicology, and clinical research.

Danaher, through its life science brands, supplies reliable specimen collection cards and integrated testing solutions for clinical and genomic applications.

DBS System SA specializes in innovative dried blood microsampling cards that enable accurate, low-volume sample collection and remote testing.

Eastern Business Forms offers durable and cost-effective specimen collection cards used across clinical labs, public health programs, and forensic testing.