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PCR is one of the most commonly used techniques of molecular biology. PCR plate is used in the thermal cycler which is the carrier for PCR reaction samples and it is widely used disposable consumable in the laboratory. Its material is mainly PP which can endure high and low temperature during PCR reaction and is autoclavable.

There's a lot we need to know before choosing the right PCR plate, below is detailed information that we collected, hope it will be helpful to you.

Number of wells and volume

In order to fit workstation and multi-channel pipettes, PCR plates are divided into: 96 well and

384 well.

96 well volume: 0.1mL and 0.2mL

0.2mL：Compatible with most thermal cycler and QPCR.
0.1mL: Minimized the space and reduces evaporation effect and improves heat conduction efficiency. Therefore, we suggest 0.1mL if it can fit the instrument.

384 well plate： 30-40ul

Skirt Type

PCR Plate Skirt Function：
Manual Operation：Improves stability when transferring liquid.
Automation and workstation：Easy for mechanical grippers to grab.
Sample Recognition：Put stickers or barcodes.

PCR plates can be divided into no skirt, semi skirt or full skirt.

Non-skirted plate：Easy to cut without skirt, can be compatible with most thermal cyclers and QPCR while transferring stability is not good. It is not suitable for automation.
Semi-skirted plate: With half skirt which can provide support during transferring, is suitable for some automation. Can put sticker or barcode on the skirt. ABI PCR instrument mostly adopts semi skirted PCR plate.

Full skirted plate: It is suitable for heating blocks with edge. Easy to grab with mechanical grippers. Can put sticker or barcode on the skirt. Suitable for automation.

Plate Surface Types

PCR plates can be divided into flat surface plate and raised-rim plate by surface.

Flat plate：Can be compatible with most thermal cyclers, easy to seal.
Raised-rim plate: Compatible with some PCR instrument ( ABI) which is helpful to balance heating cover pressure and maximize heat transfer without adapter.

Tube Color

PCR Plate tube color can be divided into: clear, frosted, white

Tube color does not affect DNA amplification, but in the fluorescence quantitative PCR experiment, compared with the transparent tube, the frosted and white tubes can reduce fluorescence loss due to the decrease of light transmittance. More signal is reflected back to the fluorescence detection module so as to increase signal-to-noise ratio. In addition, white and frosted walls minimize well-to-well signal interference, minimizing variability in repeat experiments.

Different brands of fluorescence quantitative PCR instruments, due to the different positions of fluorescence detection modules, are suitable for PCR plates with different color tubes.

The fluorescence detection module is located on top of the heating block (top reading signal): clear, frosted and white tube plates can be used, but frosted and white tube plates are preferred; Signal-to-noise ratio: white> frosted> clear; For example, for the Bio-Rad CFX or Roche 480 real-time PCR instrument, white PCR plates are recommended;

The fluorescence detection module is located under the heating block (bottom or side read signal): only plates with clear tubes can be used.

Cut Edge Position

Cut Edge: The cut position of PCR plate depends on the requirements of the instrument, which is easy to positioning. Most 96 well cut edge postion is H12 or A12.

Mark numbers:

Alphanumeric and alphanumeric markings on the PCR plate help identify individual wells and sample positions. Marks have black or clear colors.

ANSI/SBS format

PCR plates should comply with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Society for Biomolecular Sciences (SBS, now part of the Laboratory Automation and Screening Society (SLAS)). ANSI/SBS-compliant plates have standard sizes, heights, well positions, well spacing, etc., for better compatibility with different automated liquid handling high-throughput systems.

Choose right PCR plate can bring help to experiments. Labmore PCR plates are compatible with most PCR instruments, and we also provide full line of PCR consumables. If you have requirements, please feel free to contact us.