Top 10 Laboratory Equipment List | Lab Supplies | Corning

There are innumerable options for science lab equipment and supplies. Whether you're starting up a new lab or improving operations in your established lab, sorting through the choices and deciding on one supplier can feel overwhelming. At the same time, you know that getting the right items can help set you up for success.

When browsing benchtop lab equipment, cell culture lab supplies, or liquid handling lab materials, the quality of the product is paramount. Here's the top 10 list of laboratory equipment to consider as you prepare to stock your lab.

1. Incubators

If your experiments involve living cells, you know that success in cell culture is the basis of almost everything you'll do in the lab. Keeping cells growing requires reliable incubator(s) that are well suited for the research you do. For example, all incubators control temperature, but some also control the levels of CO2, humidity, oxygen, and light. Some incubators have shaking options or can be programmed, allowing you to keep experiments going while you leave the lab. Compare the internal capacity and footprint of the incubators you're considering: Incubator sizes range from small benchtop versions to space-saving and stackable designs to large, high-capacity models. Incubators with removable shelves or adaptors for different flask and tube sizes can increase flexibility.

2. Hot Plates

Heating surfaces are another fundamental element on almost any list of laboratory equipment, as they help keep temperatures constant for experiments. Stirring hot plates have a convenient, built-in magnetic stir option. Meanwhile, "dry bath" heaters provide even heating for tubes, tube strips, or plates. Programmable models allow you to heat or stir samples for a specific time span while you walk away.

3. Cooling Blocks and Plates

In addition to heating, you'll need to keep samples cold during experiments — or cool them quickly during certain procedures. A simple ice bucket may be an option, but for other experiments, you may need a tool that chills samples more evenly. A wide variety of cooling boxes, blocks, racks, and pans can quickly chill different sizes of tubes, vials, tube strips, or plates.

4. Dishes and Flasks

Cell culture and bacteriological dishes include the basic glass or plastic petri dish as well as many specialized dishes. For example, it's not hard to find small dishes designed to sit neatly on a microscope stage or square dishes designed for compatibility with specific robotic equipment.

Flasks for cell culture come in different shapes and sizes and can have vented or unvented caps. Choose tissue culture-treated dishes and flasks for use with adherent cells. Untreated versions are best for suspension or non-adhering cultures.

5. Plates

Ninety-six-well, 384-well, and 1,536-well microplates are staple lab tools for medium- and high-throughput work, and smaller plates with as few as four wells are common in many types of labs. Consider the well shape, volume, and coating — as well as the plate color and material — when choosing the best plate for your application. Specialized versions are available for compatibility with specific plate readers or automated well-filling machines.

6. Cell Culture Surfaces

Supporting cultures with extracellular matrices (ECMs), like Matrigel matrix and biologically coated surfaces can help you provide the best growing environment for your cell type. They can also enable 3D cell cultures and organoid cultures. Examples include fibronectin, collagen, and laminins as well as mimetic and synthetic coatings.

Purchasing ready-to-use pre-coated lab supplies, including dishes, flasks, and plates, can save time. On the other hand, purchasing the supplies needed to coat your own culture materials may give you access to a wider range of coatings and plate setups.

7. Media and Sera

Any cell culture lab needs media for growing cells. Today, a huge variety of classic and newer media, sera, and cell culture supplements are on the market. Research the best options for the cell types and experimental systems you'll be working with. Making your own media from purchased supplies is also an option, especially if you need to customize the formulations.

8. Pipettors and Tips

The pipettor is one of the most basic lab tools. Choose models with the right volume ranges and specifications and plan ahead for pipettor calibration. Multichannel pipettors can save time in microplate experiments, and repeating pipettors can be set to dispense dozens of aliquots before refilling.

You'll also need a supply of pipet tips. Fortunately, many convenient tip systems are available, including easy-to-refill nesting tips and waste-reducing systems.

9. Tubes

Sample tubes, centrifuge tubes, microcentrifuge tubes, and storage tubes are used daily in most labs. You have a few tubes to choose from, but consider material compatibility, cap type, and sterility level. Also, consider whether the product is pyrogen-free and RNAse-/DNAse-free. For example, you may need tubes made from a chemical-resistant material for one experiment, while another experiment calls for tubes you can conveniently cap and uncap with one hand.

10. Filtration Systems

Whether you're removing mycoplasma, sterilizing solutions, or purifying DNA from gels, you'll need a filtration setup. Options include vacuum filters in both disposable and reusable setups, syringe filters, cell strainers, and centrifuge filtration products.

Research the correct filter membrane material and pore size for your application, as these factors can make or break your experiment.

Stock Up with Corning

With decades of experience supporting researchers' success in cell culture, Corning Life Sciences offers trusted laboratory staples and the latest in innovative materials. Find resources to start a new lab, expand into new areas of research, or support existing projects with laboratory favorites. Stock up your lab now and save.