Cardboard Box for Micro Centrifuge Tubes

Quick Answer: The Cardboard Box for Micro Centrifuge Tubes is a lightweight freezer box of coated or laminated cardboard, fitted with a card grid divider that holds microtubes upright in rows. It is used to store sample tubes in refrigerators and −20 °C or −80 °C freezers, and is discarded rather than washed when it wears out.

How Cardboard Freezer Boxes Are Built

Cardboard tube boxes come in two parts, a base and a deep lid, with a slotted card divider that forms a grid of square cells. The card is normally water-resistant, being coated, laminated or waxed so that frost and condensation do not soften it straight away. Rows and columns are often printed along the edges, and the flat faces take pen and labels easily, which makes boxes quick to spot on a crowded freezer shelf.

Cardboard has advantages beyond weight. Boxes arrive flat or nested and take little cupboard space until they are assembled, and in many designs the divider lifts out so it can be swapped for one with a different cell size. When a project ends, the box and its contents are disposed of together without washing. The trade-off is life span, since repeated freezing, thawing and handling with wet gloves gradually soften corners and edges.

Cardboard boxes should not be autoclaved, and they are generally meant for refrigerators and mechanical freezers rather than liquid nitrogen. Where boxes must be reused, washed or sterilised, the plastic Box for Micro Centrifuge Tubes is the alternative, and for cryovials rather than microtubes see the Cryo Box (Cardboard).

Where Cardboard Boxes Fit In

• Short and medium-term freezer storage of DNA extracts, PCR products and aliquots
• Archiving samples at the end of a project, when box and tubes are discarded together
• Setting up many boxes quickly for a class, since they are light and store flat before use
• Sending sample sets between labs inside an insulated shipper

Getting the Most from a Cardboard Box

• Keep the box dry at the bench; wet gloves and puddles soften card quickly
• Label the lid and one end with freezer-grade labels or a solvent-resistant marker
• Avoid stacking heavy boxes on top of a thawed one, as warm card loses stiffness
• Replace a box whose corners have softened before the base gives way while tubes are being carried

Specifications

Why Choose LabEquip

Cardboard microtube boxes are a routine order for molecular biology, genetics and biotechnology labs that archive many sample sets and prefer a disposable format. LabEquip carries them in the Biology Lab Products range; share tube size and freezer type through our contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How cold can a cardboard tube box go?

Coated cardboard boxes are widely used in −20 °C and −80 °C freezers. For liquid nitrogen storage, choose a box rated for it, typically a plastic cryo-grade design.

Will the cardboard go soggy in the freezer?

A moisture-resistant finish slows softening from frost, but repeated thawing, condensation and handling with wet gloves weaken card over time. Keep boxes closed in the freezer and dry them off if they come out damp.

Can a cardboard box be autoclaved or washed?

No. Heat and water damage the card and its coating. Cardboard boxes are used until worn and then discarded, while plastic boxes are chosen when washing or sterilising is required.

What is the grid divider for?

It divides the box into square cells so each tube stands upright in its own place. The fixed grid lets you record a position for every sample, such as row C, column 4, and find it quickly later.

Can the same box hold cryovials?

Only if the cells and box height suit the vial. Cryovials are taller than most microtubes, so boxes intended for vials are usually deeper, and a cryo box is the better choice for them.

How should cardboard boxes be labelled?

Write on the lid and at least one end, so the box can be identified from above or from the front of a freezer rack. Freezer-grade labels and solvent-resistant markers stay legible through frost.

Last Updated: September 2026