Objective Pass-through box, also called pass-through chambers and pass-through windows, allow for the transfer of parts and equipment into and out of a barrier facility. The common use of pass-through box is to sterilize the materials under the exposure of UV radiation. The traditional UV lamps need long time exposure, but the effect is not stable. A xenon (Xe) arc lamp is a specialized type of gas-discharge lamp that produces light by passing electricity through ionized xenon gas at high pressure and emit radiant energy within the UV-C band. In this study, the bactericidal efficacy of ultraviolet pass box and high-throughput xenon ray pass box was compared at indicated time points. Methods After the exposure of the two types of devices at indicated time points respectively, the effects on the staphylococcus aureus, pseudomonas aeruginosa, escherichia coli, candida albicans and bacillus subtilis were tested. Results The efficiency of the xenon arc lamps was 99. 85% with 1-min exposure and 100% with 5-min exposure; The sterilization efficiency of traditional UV lamps below quality in 5 minutes, and the sterilization efficiency of different bacterias varied greatly. However, the sterilization efficiency is about 99. 91% after 30-min irradiation duration. Conclusions The efficiency of the xenon arc lamps can achieve bactericidal effect in 5 minutes, and could replace the UV lamps in the future