Centrifuges

Fixed-Angle · Swing-Out · Microhematocrit · Micro

Clinical, research and field centrifuges — specified by the rotor your tubes need and the force your protocol calls for.

Authorized distribution·Ships from US inventory·Rotor and carriers confirmed before your order ships
Popular Configurations

Start With a Common Setup

Six of the most-specified machines. The full range, with filters, is below.

Sprout Plus Mini-CentrifugeSprout Plus Mini-Centrifuge$238.50Heathrow · quick spin-downFixed Speed, 6-PlaceFixed Speed, 6-Place$377.99McKesson · fixed angle, 3,400 rpmE8 Centrifuge, 8-PlaceE8 Centrifuge, 8-Place$482.90LW Scientific · 3,500 rpmClinical Centrifuge, 8-PlaceClinical Centrifuge, 8-Place$1,046.70Heathrow · swing-outMX12 PCV MicrohematocritMX12 PCV Microhematocrit$1,248.50LW Scientific · 12,000 rpmRefrigerated MicrocentrifugeRefrigerated Microcentrifuge$7,351.00Globe · 15,000 rpm
Buying Guide

How to Specify a Centrifuge

Open only what you need. The rotor decides what a centrifuge can actually do — everything else follows from it.

Choose by rotor fixed-angle · swing-out · PCV · micro

Fixed-angle rotor

Tubes held at a set angle for the whole run. The shorter path to the wall pellets faster and takes higher speeds; the pellet forms against the side of the tube.

Swing-out / horizontal rotor

Buckets swing horizontal at speed, so the pellet forms flat at the bottom. Easier to decant cleanly, and the right choice for layered separations.

Microhematocrit (PCV)

Capillary tubes spun radially, then read against a scale as a packed column. A dedicated format — a general-purpose rotor will not do this job.

Micro & mini

Small-radius rotors for microtubes, strip tubes and PCR plates. Built for quick spin-downs rather than long protocol runs — and the class where refrigeration starts to matter.

What each rotor does to the pellet comparison table
Rotor Tube at speed Pellet forms Choose it for
Fixed-angle Held at a fixed angle throughout the run Packed against the side wall, angled Fast pelleting, microtubes, routine spin-downs
Swing-out / horizontal Swings to horizontal at speed Flat, at the bottom of the tube Blood component separation, layered separations, clean decanting
Microhematocrit Capillary tubes held radially A packed column read against a scale Packed cell volume (PCV) / haematocrit only
Micro / mini Fixed angle, small radius Small pellet, short path Quick spin-downs, strip tubes, PCR plates
rpm is not ×g the conversion, and why it matters

Protocols specify relative centrifugal force (×g); machines are set in rpm. The two only line up for one rotor radius, so the same rpm on a different machine is a different separation. Convert with RCF = 1.118 × 10⁻⁵ × r × rpm², where r is the rotor radius in centimetres.

Speed classes stocked here 3,380 rpm to 15,000 rpm
Speed class Type Stocked models
3,380–3,500 rpm Clinical benchtop, fixed or variable McKesson 600 Series · McKesson Fixed & Variable Speed · LW E8
100–4,400 rpm, 100 rpm steps Programmable swinging bucket, 3,000 ×g max Eppendorf Model 5702
5,000 rpm Digital, interchangeable angled / swing-out / bucket rotors LW MX5 Digital
7,000 rpm Fixed-speed mini, 8-place Globe Mini Centrifuge
12,000 rpm Microtube and microhematocrit duty LW MX12 · LW ZipCombo
12,500 rpm High-speed mini Heathrow Gusto
15,000 rpm, refrigerated Temperature-controlled microcentrifuge Globe Refrigerated Microcentrifuge
Have us spec it for you rotor, carriers and adapters confirmed together

Send the tube format and volume, the ×g or rpm your protocol calls for, and how many tubes per run. We confirm the rotor, carriers and adapters together — a centrifuge with the wrong rotor for your tubes is not a usable machine.

My protocol says ×g, but the centrifuge is set in rpm — how do I convert?
They are not interchangeable, and this is the single most common centrifuge mistake. RPM measures how fast the rotor turns; ×g (RCF, relative centrifugal force) measures the force the sample actually feels, and that depends on how far the tube sits from the centre. The same rpm in a large rotor and a small one produces very different forces. The conversion is RCF = 1.118 × 10⁻⁵ × r × rpm², where r is the rotor radius in centimetres. Always follow the ×g figure in a protocol and convert it for your specific rotor — a result reproduced at the same rpm on a different machine is not the same separation.
Fixed-angle or swing-out?
Fixed-angle holds the tubes at a constant angle, which shortens the distance particles travel to the wall. It pellets faster, tolerates higher speeds, and leaves the pellet packed against the side of the tube. A swing-out rotor lets the buckets rise to horizontal at speed, so the pellet forms flat at the bottom and the supernatant pours off cleanly. Choose swing-out when the layers matter — blood components, density gradients, anything you need to decant without disturbing. Choose fixed-angle for routine pelleting and microtube work.
Do I need a refrigerated centrifuge?
Only if your sample degrades at the temperature the run reaches. Rotors heat up from friction, and a long high-speed spin can lift the chamber well above room temperature — enough to matter for RNA, some proteins and live cells. For routine clinical separations, plasma and serum work, and short microtube spins, an ambient machine is the more sensible purchase. Refrigeration adds real cost, bench footprint and maintenance.
Why does the load need to be balanced?
An unbalanced rotor puts a rotating load on the bearing and the drive, which at a few thousand rpm becomes both a wear problem and a safety one. Tubes must be loaded in opposing pairs of equal mass — matched by weight, not by eye, and using the same tube type on both sides. If you have an odd number of samples, add a blank tube filled to the same level as its partner.
What should I tell you to get the right machine?
Four things settle it: the tube format and volume you spin, the ×g or rpm your protocol calls for, how many tubes per run, and whether you need the pellet flat or angled. If any of your work is packed cell volume, say so — that needs a dedicated microhematocrit rotor rather than a general-purpose one. We will confirm the rotor, the carriers and any adapters together, because a centrifuge with the wrong rotor for your tubes is not a usable machine.

45 products