Slide Storage

Microscope slide storage from Globe Scientific, Heathrow Scientific, Caplugs Evergreen and McKesson. It includes cork-, foam- and EVA-lined slide boxes from 12 to 100 places, a polycarbonate box rated to −80 °C, a 2,000-slide corrugated cabinet with a metal cabinet base, the Micromate slide file system, 20-place cardboard trays, and Slide-Sette containers that keep a slide with its paraffin block. Mailers hold 1 to 20 slides.

How to choose

Cork, foam or plastic slots?

Cork grips the slide and takes up residual moisture from freshly mounted or stained slides. Foam and EVA cushion the slides, which matters when the box travels. Plain plastic slots have nothing to absorb stain or mounting medium, so they are the easiest to wipe down and disinfect.

What should I use in the freezer?

Use the polycarbonate box rated for −80 °C. Cork and cardboard take on condensation every time they come out of the freezer, and they swell, stain and break down after a few cycles.

Box, tray or cabinet?

Boxes suit a working set and anything that moves between benches. Flat cardboard trays hold slides face-up for drying and review. A drawer cabinet or file system is for the archive, where retrieving one case out of thousands matters more than portability.

Which mailer should I use?

Mailers for 1 to 5 slides are for sending a single case, a cytology prep or a consult. 20-slide mailers and the foam-lined 25- and 100-slide mailing boxes are for batches going to a reference lab. Rigid polypropylene protects better in the mail than cardboard, and cardboard costs less for short hand-carried runs.

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