81-Well Microtube Storage Box (Pack of 5)

81-Well Microtube Storage Box, -80°C Rated

The Heathrow Scientific 81-Well Microtube Storage Box provides organized cryogenic storage for 81 standard 1.5mL and 2.0mL microcentrifuge tubes in a compact 5.1 x 5.1 inch square footprint optimized for standard -80°C freezer rack compartments. Rated to -80°C, the vibrantly colored translucent polypropylene construction allows visual identification of box contents without opening, while tube capacity is indicated directly on the exterior in a distinctive wave design. Available in Natural, Blue, Green, Pink, Yellow, Orange, Black, and an Assorted 5-pack. Sold in packs of 5 boxes.

Specifications

Features & Benefits

• 81-well compact square format: The 9x9 well array in a 5.1 x 5.1 inch square footprint is engineered to fit standard -80°C freezer rack compartments efficiently, maximizing sample capacity per rack position compared to rectangular box formats that leave corner space unused in square rack compartments.
• -80°C temperature rating: Maintains structural rigidity and well geometry at ultra-low temperatures, ensuring tubes remain organized and individually accessible even after extended storage periods in -80°C freezers.
• Translucent vibrantly colored polypropylene: Colored translucency serves two functions: the color enables project-coded box identification in multi-study freezers, and the translucency allows visual inspection of tube presence and fill levels through the box walls without opening the box.
• Capacity indicated on exterior: The 81-tube capacity is molded into the exterior box surface in a distinctive wave design — a fast visual confirmation of box type when retrieving from a freezer with multiple box formats stored together.
• 12.3mm well diameter: Precisely sized for 1.5mL and 2.0mL microcentrifuge tube bodies, providing secure individual well retention that prevents tube movement during freezer vibration from compressor cycles.
• Autoclavable: Supports sterilization before loading samples that require sterile storage — cell line stocks, viral preparations, RNA, and other nuclease-sensitive materials.
• Eight color options: Natural, Blue, Green, Pink, Yellow, Orange, Black, and Assorted 5-pack (Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Pink) for comprehensive color-coding systems across large sample libraries.

Applications

The 81-well square format is optimized for -80°C upright freezer racks where the compartment geometry is square — a common configuration in laboratory upright freezers with nine-position tower racks. Each 5.1 x 5.1 inch box fills a standard square freezer compartment without wasted space, maximizing the number of tubes stored per freezer. Genomics and molecular biology labs archiving PCR products, restriction digest reactions, and oligonucleotide stocks use color-coded 81-well boxes to separate projects by color across a shared freezer. Biobanking programs organizing serum and plasma aliquots from large epidemiological studies use the 81-well format to batch samples by collection date or participant group — with each box's color corresponding to a study arm or time point. Cell biology labs maintaining frozen stocks of transfected cell lines, viral vectors, and lentiviral constructs use these boxes for organized archival of their working stock libraries. The Black color option is particularly valued in photosensitive sample applications such as fluorophore-conjugated antibody stocks, where external light exposure through the translucent walls of lighter-colored boxes is a concern.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the 81-well box a 9x9 array rather than a 10x10?

The 9x9 array is optimized to fit within a 5.1 x 5.1 inch footprint — the standard square compartment dimension used in most commercial -80°C upright freezer racks. A 10x10 array of 12.3mm wells would require a slightly larger footprint that overhangs standard freezer rack compartments. The 81-well count represents the maximum wells achievable at 12.3mm spacing within the standard square compartment footprint, making it the highest-capacity option that fits without modification.

Can the 81-well box be used in cryogenic freezers above -80°C, such as -20°C units?

Yes. Polypropylene performs well across a wide temperature range, and -80°C-rated boxes are fully suitable for -20°C storage, 4°C refrigerator use, and room temperature staging. The -80°C rating specifies the lower performance limit — storage at warmer temperatures presents no material concerns. Many labs use these boxes across multiple storage temperature levels within the same protocol, moving the same box from -80°C archival storage to -20°C working stock storage to bench staging as needed.

Is there an alphanumeric labeling system on the 81-well box?

The 81-well box exterior includes a capacity indicator and frosted writing area for box-level annotation. Individual well position identification within the box uses the row-column coordinate system visible from above — rows A-I (9 rows) and columns 1-9 (9 columns). The exterior wave design molding indicates the tube capacity rather than providing per-well numbering. For applications requiring per-well tracking, a printed or handwritten 9x9 grid map on the exterior label panel provides a cost-effective solution that pairs with the box's writing area.

Academic and Institutional Pricing

LabSupplies.com offers tiered quantity pricing for academic and research institutions. As an authorized dealer, we ship directly from USA inventory.