Product market taxonomy distinguishes Bandages from Dressings, each with discrete subtypes that map to reimbursement codes and purchasing contracts. Bandages divide into Gauze, Adhesive, Cohesive, Elastic, and Compression variants; together they supplied 4.3 billion units globally in 2023, with elastic and compression subsets generating the highest per-unit value owing to chronic-venous-therapy indications. Dressings are segmented into Foam, Hydrocolloid, Hydrogel, Alginate, Film, and Antimicrobial formats; foam and antimicrobial segments captured >45 % of dressing revenues because they combine exudate management with infection control, reducing length-of-stay penalties for hospitals. Across both categories, the interplay between clinical efficacy and cost-containment steers procurement decisions, positioning advanced interactive dressings as growth engines while commodity gauze remains an undifferentiated volume anchor.