The Ultimate Guide to Centrifuge Tubes

Centrifuge tubes are essential laboratory vessels used to contain samples during centrifugation, a process that separates components in liquids by spinning them at high speeds. These tubes must fit securely in centrifuges and withstand the forces involved to ensure accurate separation and safe operation.

Understanding what these tools are helps scientists select the correct tubes and centrifuge settings for their experiments.

🔬 Why Centrifuge Tubes Matter

Centrifuge tubes are required in virtually all laboratory settings — from molecular biology to clinical diagnostics, pharmaceutical research, and industrial labs — because they allow safe, effective sample separation when using a centrifuge. Properly selected tubes ensure that your samples remain intact, uncontaminated, and correctly separated during the centrifugation process.

Using Biofargo’s centrifuges together with compatible tubes maximizes accuracy and safety.

Care should be taken to avoid an unbalanced centrifuge , which can lead to equipment damage or experimental failure.

📌 Features & Key Considerations

• Shape: Often cylindrical or conical ends to facilitate pellet formation after centrifugation.
• Material: Polypropylene, PETG, or other polymers chosen for strength and chemical compatibility.
• Centrifugal Force Tolerance: Tubes rated by maximum g-force they can safely withstand.
• Cap Type: Screw caps or snap caps to prevent leakage under force.

📏 Common Tube Sizes

Centrifuge tubes come in a wide range of volumes to suit different experimental needs:

• 0.1 mL – Ultra micro tubes for minimal samples.
• 1 mL – Small volume applications.
• 2 mL – Standard microcentrifuge tubes.
• 15 mL – Mid-range, commonly used in bench-top centrifuges.
• 50 mL – Larger volume tubes for high-throughput or preparative procedures.

🧪 Tube Materials

• Polypropylene (PP): Most common due to chemical resistance and durability.
• Glass: Offers optical clarity, useful for specialized applications.
• Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG): Balances toughness with transparency.

🔬 Typical Laboratory Uses

• Sample Separation: Separating compounds based on density differences.
• Cell Pelleting: Concentrating cells for downstream assays.
• Protein / DNA Prep: Common in biomolecular purification workflows.
• Clinical Diagnostics: Blood or serum separation in medical labs.

🔗 Explore Centrifuge Tube Collections

View a range of centrifuge tubes in different sizes and formats:

• ➡️ Centrifuge Tubes Collection
• ➡️ Microcentrifuge Tubes

📌 Final Thoughts

Centrifuge tubes are indispensable in scientific research and clinical settings. Their correct usage, selection by size and material, and compatibility with your centrifuge all affect experimental success.