Where To Buy Lab Glassware

Good quality laboratory glassware is a must-have for any new science lab. In this article, we’ll go over some of the most common types, their uses, and where you can find them.

In this article, we’ll explain:

1. Beakers
2. Flasks
3. Bottles
4. Graduated Cylinders

Beakers

Beakers are the most common kind of laboratory equipment due to their incredibly versatile nature- they are suitable for mixing, pouring, measuring, heating/boiling, or even storage. Most have a spout for ease of pouring, which makes them popular to use not only in laboratories but also for cooking at home!

Beakers typically come in three dimensions. Standard or “low-form” beakers, also called Griffin beakers, typically have a height 1.4 times the diameter. “Tall-form” beakers have a height about twice their diameter. Flat beakers look more like low-walled pots- these are typically used for crystallization or hot-bath heating. As with most of the items on this list, beakers can be found in a few different materials. The most common is borosilicate glass, which is widely used due to its heat and chemical resistivity paired with its low production cost. Polypropylene is also becoming more popular as it is also highly resistant to heat and chemicals and comes with the added benefit of not shattering if dropped. Being a very common piece of glassware, beakers are available from a lot of online sources. LabAlley, of course, is one; but you could also buy them from sites like Amazon.

Flasks

• Erlenmeyer: These are the most common kind of laboratory flasks. Also known as conical flasks due to their shape, Erlenmeyer flasks are flat-bottomed with a wide base that tapers up to a longer, narrow neck. These flasks are used primarily for swirling and mixing liquids- their shape prevents liquids from splashing and spilling, making them ideal for this. In chemistry labs, they’re regularly used in titration experiments and for recrystallization. In biology labs, they’re also commonly used for growing microorganisms like bacteria or yeast.
• Boiling flask: These flasks typically have a round body, flat bottom, and a long neck. As their name suggests, they are typically used to heat and boil liquids. The shape of the flask ensures even heat distribution and makes the flask less likely to crack under heat or vacuum related stresses.
• Volumetric flask: These are flasks which have calibrated markings to denote the specific volume which that flask is designed to measure. There are 2 available classes of volumetric flasks: Class A, which are more accurate and suited for extremely sensitive procedures, and class B, which are slightly lower standard, but still suitable for qualitative experiments or educational purposes. While less versatile than other measuring tools like a graduated cylinder, volumetric flasks are indispensable if you require very precise measurements.
• Filtration flask: These are similar in design to Erlenmeyer flasks, but have a sidearm in the neck of the flask to which a pipe can be fitted for vacuum filtration.

Bottles

While it may seem odd to include something so mundane, every scientist will tell you that good glass bottles are a baseline necessity for anyone looking to stock a lab. These bottles are made with the same borosilicate glass as any other lab glassware, but they can also be found in darkened brown or amber glass to store light-sensitive materials. Bottles are excellent for long-term storage and can be autoclaved. There are many suppliers you could buy these from, but the most important thing is to confirm that they are made of borosilicate glass, which is heat and chemical resistant. The easiest way to make sure you’re buying lab-grade bottles is to search for “media bottles”.

Graduated Cylinders

These are commonly used for measuring liquids to a relatively precise volume (there’s usually an error margin of around 5%). They’re not as accurate as a volumetric flask would be, but since they can be used to measure volumes over a wide range, but they’re more versatile and suitable for everyday purposes. They’re easy to find in both borosilicate glass and polypropylene from places like Amazon. Of course, this is only a general overview of commonly used pieces of glassware- there’s also things like test tubes, vials, dishes, and many others. What specific equipment your lab needs will depend on what sort of experiments you plan on doing, but the items listed here are a good starting point!

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