OneRack® MULTI Adaptable Tube Rack

OneRack® MULTI Adaptable Tube Rack for 10–30mm Tubes

The OneRack® MULTI from Heathrow Scientific solves the most persistent tube rack problem in mixed-workflow laboratories: no single traditional rack accommodates the full range of tube diameters in active use. The MULTI system ships with one base unit and six interchangeable tube rack inserts — two each of three well diameters — that accept virtually any standard laboratory tube from 10mm to 30mm outer diameter. Switching between tube types takes seconds. The autoclavable polypropylene base and inserts maintain the teardrop-shaped well geometry and alphanumeric grid that are hallmarks of the OneRack® platform.

Specifications

Features & Benefits

• Universal 10-30mm tube compatibility: With the included six inserts spanning three well diameter ranges, the MULTI accommodates microcentrifuge tubes, 5mL collection tubes, 15mL and 50mL conicals, culture tubes, and larger-diameter vessels — the complete working tube inventory of most research and clinical labs.
• Six inserts included — two of each size: Each insert provides 20 wells in its specific diameter. Running six inserts simultaneously gives 46-well capacity (20 + 20 + 6 in the wide-diameter slots) across three tube sizes in a single compact rack footprint.
• Interchangeable insert system: Inserts slide in and out of the base in seconds without tools, allowing the rack to be reconfigured for a new tube type between workflow steps. A single base serves all insert types, reducing the number of racks required on a busy bench.
• Teardrop-shaped well openings: The proven OneRack® teardrop geometry is maintained across all insert sizes, providing the superior tube retention that distinguishes OneRack® racks from flat-opening alternatives.
• Alphanumeric position grid: Coordinate markers on the base allow tube position tracking for sample management without separate position maps.
• Pivoting inserts for angled pipetting: Each insert can be rotated to an angled position, reducing wrist fatigue during high-volume pipetting operations and improving tube graduation visibility when filling. Inserts also pivot between upper and lower positions to accommodate different tube heights within the same base.
• Autoclavable polypropylene construction: Both the base and all inserts withstand standard autoclave sterilization, allowing full system decontamination between use with different specimen types.
• Color options Blue/Natural and Purple/Natural: Base color distinguishes racks in multi-rack environments; inserts are Natural (translucent) for uniform tube visibility regardless of color combination.

Applications

The OneRack® MULTI is the practical solution for laboratories that run multiple tube types through a shared workflow — a common situation in multi-analyte reference labs, academic research groups, and point-of-care settings where procurement is centralized but testing is diverse. A proteomics lab running parallel workflows in microcentrifuge tubes, 15mL prep tubes, and 50mL culture vessels can configure a MULTI with the appropriate inserts for each vessel type and reconfigure in seconds when switching between protocol steps. A small clinical lab processing both EDTA 5mL collection tubes and larger 10mL tubes in the same analytical session uses the MULTI to eliminate the separate rack sets that would otherwise be required. Teaching laboratories value the MULTI for student bench kits because one rack handles the full range of tubes used across a semester's experiments without students needing to stock multiple rack types. The compact footprint (30.9 x 10.7 cm) fits easily on crowded student benches while providing the capacity to organize a complete experiment's worth of tubes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What specific tube sizes do the three insert diameters accommodate?

The three insert sizes are designed around the most common laboratory tube diameter groupings. The small-diameter inserts accommodate tubes in approximately the 10-15mm OD range (microcentrifuge tubes, 5mL collection tubes). The medium inserts accommodate 15-20mm OD tubes (15mL conical, 16mm culture tubes). The large-diameter slots accommodate 20-30mm OD tubes (50mL conical, larger culture vessels). Exact insert diameter specifications are included with the product. The teardrop geometry provides secure retention across the compatible range of each insert.

Can additional inserts be purchased separately to expand capacity?

The OneRack® MULTI base is designed to hold the six included inserts. Additional separate insert packs are not currently listed in the standard catalog — for workflows requiring more than the included 6-insert set, multiple MULTI units are the recommended approach. Each MULTI unit ships as a complete set with base and all six inserts, ensuring insert-to-base compatibility without mix-and-match procurement.

How does the OneRack® MULTI compare to a fixed-well tube rack?

Fixed-well racks provide more total well positions per unit footprint for a single tube diameter — the Mega Racks® 120-well format, for example, holds far more 16mm tubes than the MULTI can with its medium insert. The MULTI's advantage is versatility: it replaces three or four separate fixed-well racks with one reconfigurable unit. For labs with a single dominant tube diameter at high volume, a fixed-well rack is the more efficient choice. For mixed-diameter workflows, the MULTI eliminates the clutter and cost of maintaining a separate rack for each tube type.

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.