Individual PCR Tubes, Strip Tubes, and Strip Caps

PCR tubes contribute to the reproducibility and accuracy of PCR experiments. Well-designed and well-engineered PCR tubes enable efficient heat transfer, provide sample protection, impart leak-proof sealing, and are compatible with a wide variety of thermal cyclers.

PCR tubes and strip tube formats

Tubes are an excellent choice for PCR/qPCR experiments from low to medium throughputs. Individual and strip tubes are two of the most common formats of PCR tubes.

Individual PCR tubes and PCR strip tubes

Individual PCR tubes are single tubes with an attached cap (Figure 1A). The individual PCR tubes are suitable for setting up the exact number of reactions as needed. The individual PCR tubes options are listed in Table 1.

Table 1. Individual PCR tubes


Tube type	0.2 mL, domed cap	0.2 mL, flat cap	0.5 mL, flat cap
Catalog number	AB-0337	AB-0620	AB-0350

PCR tube strips are commonly available as strips of 8 or 12 with attached or detached caps (Figure 1B). PCR tube strips are designed to work with both single-channel and multi-channel pipettes, which make it suitable for low- and medium-throughput experiments. Those with attached caps can be opened and closed independently. PCR tubes without attached caps can be sealed with domed, flat, or optically clear strip caps. The tube strips and cap strips are available as 8 or 12 strips. The strip tubes and strip caps are available separately or packaged together. Table 2 and Table 3 list the PCR strip tubes.

Panel A shows an individual PCR tube with attached domed cap and panel B shows an 8-strip PCR tube with an 8-strip PCR cap and an 8-strip PCR tube with attached caps

Figure 1. Various formats PCR tubes, strip tubes, and strip tube caps.

Table 2. PCR strip tubes


Tube type	0.1 mL 8-strip tubes	0.2 mL 8-strip tubes	0.2 mL 8-strip tubes, white
Catalog number	AB-0771	AB-0264	AB-0264W

Table 3. PCR tubes with attached caps


Tube type	0.2 mL, flat caps	0.2 mL, ultra clear caps
Catalog number	AB-2000	AB-2005

Advantages of PCR strip tubes with attached caps

The Thermo Scientific EasyStrip Plus Tube Strips come with individually attached caps. The attached caps are effective in preventing well-to-well sample contamination. Each tube is identified by an alphabet lettered on to the cap hinge which allows for easy identification. These are available with flat caps for PCR and optically clear for qPCR.

Cap strips for PCR tubes and PCR plates

Cap strips are used to seal multiple tubes simultaneously. Each strip is a set of individual caps attached together and can be used to seal PCR tube strips and PCR plates. Cap strips are convenient sealing solutions to help prevent sample loss and contamination. The caps are generally available in strips of 8 or 12 and may be domed, flat, mats, or ultra clear. These cap strips are compatible with Thermo Scientific PCR strip tubes and plates. The commonly used cap strips are found in Table 4.