Abstract: The surgical package of the present invention is formed from a single blank of paperboard or the like that is preferably coated with a heat sealable barrier coating on both sides thereof, but may be coated on only one side or not at all. The package also has a removable tear strip for providing access to the contents thereof, and further includes, (1) a means at the starting end of the tear strip to aid the initial tearing and delamination of the tear strip from the paperboard material and (2) a skirt element underlying the tear strip area and adhered to the inside of the blank only on each side of the tear strip area for the purpose of maintaining the sterility of the contents of the package even after the tear strip is removed.