By Ray Wright, Advanced Medical Engineering · 2026-08-17
What a spirometer costs in South Africa (2026)
Search 'spirometer price South Africa' and you get a wall of Contec handhelds and 'request a quote' buttons. Here is the honest structure of the market, what the sticker price leaves out, and how pay-per-test compares.
The three price bands
| Band | What it is | Indicative price (ZAR, incl. VAT) | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry handheld | Chinese-made handhelds (Contec SP10 class), small screen, FEV1/FVC/PEF, no live curve or basic USB software | advertised from roughly R1 500 upward on SA online shops | Screening at a glance. Not built for ATS/ERS 2019 session grading or long-term surveillance records. |
| Standalone clinic unit | Touch-screen device with built-in thermal printer and internal storage (e.g. Contec SP100 class) | about R11 000 (a Vertice listing shows R11 020.87 for the SP100) | Rooms that want a box that prints. Reports are limited to what the device knows; data lives in the device. |
| Imported PC-based system | Vitalograph, ndd EasyOne, MIR and similar sold through SA distributors with proprietary software | on quote - typically tens of thousands of rand for sensor + software, plus annual software or support fees | Full clinical spirometry. The purchase price is only the start (see below). |
Prices observed on public South African retail pages in August 2026; they change, and distributor quotes vary by volume. Treat as bands, not offers.
What the sticker price leaves out
- Software licence. PC-based imports usually price the sensor and the software separately, per PC, sometimes per year. Ask for the five-year total, not the invoice.
- Calibration syringe. ATS/ERS 2019 asks for a daily 3-litre calibration check. A syringe is a few thousand rand and is not optional for surveillance work.
- Consumables. Single-use bacterial/viral filters and mouthpieces per patient. Compare the per-test filter price across brands - proprietary filters can cost more than the test.
- Training and re-training. Nurses rotate. If the vendor charges for training, budget it every year.
- The old-standard tax. A device that still grades to 2005 rules produces reports that look compliant and are not. Re-testing and disputes cost more than software.
- Connectivity. Cloud-only software becomes a paperweight during load-shedding or on a remote mine site.
The pay-per-test alternative
Advanced Medical Engineering prices SpiroWright the other way round: the software is a free download, every verified account starts with 1000 free tokens (about 20 tests), a test costs 50 tokens, tokens never expire, and there is no licence, no per-seat fee and no annual renewal. Packs run from R500 for 500 tokens (R50 a test) to R5 000 for 7 500 tokens (about R33 a test) - see pricing in rands. Clinics that already own an AME / IQTeQ sensor keep it; a new HEXAR Core sensor is quoted on request.
Worked example: a small occupational-health practice doing 30 tests a month uses 1 500 tokens - one Standard pack (R1 000, 1 200 tokens) plus part of the free start covers the first month; thereafter about R1 250 a month at Standard rates or under R1 000 at Clinic rates. A mine clinic doing 150 tests a month uses one Enterprise pack, R5 000, with no renewal date to track and no per-PC licence when the second laptop arrives.
Questions to ask any vendor before you pay
- Which ATS/ERS standard does the session grading follow - 2005 or 2019? Show me the A–F grade on a report.
- Which reference equations - and does the report cite them? Is race-neutral GLI Global 2022 available?
- What is the per-test cost of your filters, and can I use third-party filters?
- What happens to my patient data if I stop paying, or if the vendor stops supporting the device?
- Does it work with no internet, and how do reports get to my occupational-health system (PDF? CSV?).
- What is the total cost over five years for two rooms?
Read our ATS/ERS 2019 buyer's checklist for the technical half of that conversation.
Free download · 1000 free tokens on verified sign-up (about 20 tests) · tokens never expire · no subscription.