Improved Neubauer Haemocytometer For Cell Counts

Haemocytometer, Improved Neubauer Pattern – Hemocytometer

Precision Laser-Etched Grid: Features a specialized 0.1mm chamber depth with a dual-field ruling pattern, where the central primary square is subdivided into 25 smaller squares for high-resolution counting.

Optical Grade Contrast Enhancement: Manufactured from high-refractive index glass with polished silver-coated surfaces to facilitate sharp visual distinction of cell boundaries and grid lines under standard light microscopy.

$8.46

Quick Answer: The Haemocytometer, Improved Neubauer Pattern is a thick glass counting chamber with the Improved Neubauer grid ruled into its floor, used with a special coverslip to count blood cells, yeast, spores or cultured cells in a known volume of liquid under a microscope.

The Improved Neubauer Grid

An Improved Neubauer haemocytometer holds a thin layer of cell suspension of known depth over a ruled grid. In the Improved Neubauer pattern each ruled area is 3 mm by 3 mm, divided into nine large squares of 1 mm by 1 mm. With the coverslip in place the chamber depth is 0.1 mm, so the liquid above one large square has a volume of 0.1 cubic millimetre, the figure behind every calculation.

The central large square is subdivided into 25 medium squares, each split again into 16 small squares, and is used for small, numerous cells such as red blood cells. The four corner squares, each divided into 16, are used for larger or scarcer cells such as white blood cells and many cultured cells. Chambers commonly carry two ruled areas, so duplicate counts can be made from one loading.

The coverslip used on a counting chamber is thicker and flatter than an ordinary one, so the depth stays correct. When it is pressed properly onto the raised supports, coloured interference bands known as Newton’s rings appear where the glass surfaces meet, showing that it is seated.

Specifications

Type	Counting chamber (haemocytometer)
Ruling	Improved Neubauer pattern
Chamber depth with coverslip	0.1 mm, as defined by the pattern
Large squares	1 mm by 1 mm, nine per ruled area
Coverslip	Thick, flat counting-chamber coverslip
Ruled areas and coverslips supplied	Confirm at enquiry

Counting Tasks

Red and white blood cell counts in haematology teaching, with suitable diluting fluids.
Yeast counts in fermentation and population-growth practicals.
Viable counts of cultured cells with trypan blue exclusion in biotechnology labs.
Counting spores, pollen grains or algal cells in suspension.

Care & Handling

Clean the chamber and coverslip with distilled water and then 70% ethanol straight after use, and dry them with lens tissue.
Never use abrasive cleaners or hard brushes; scratches on the ruled floor make the grid lines hard to read.
Decontaminate the chamber after counting blood or cultures, following the lab’s biosafety procedure.
Store the chamber in its case with the coverslip, away from heavy items.

Why Choose LabEquip

Haematology and pathology teaching labs, microbiology and biotechnology departments and colleges running cell-culture courses are the usual buyers of an Improved Neubauer haemocytometer. LabEquip lists it in General Lab Products next to the plainer-named Neubauer Chamber, and class sets can be arranged through the contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which squares should be counted for red and for white blood cells?

In the Improved Neubauer pattern, red blood cells are usually counted in five of the 25 medium squares of the central large square: the four corners and the centre. White blood cells, being fewer and larger, are counted in the four corner large squares.

How is the cell concentration calculated?

Each large square covers 0.1 cubic millimetre of liquid. Divide the number of cells counted by the total volume of the squares counted, then multiply by the dilution factor to get cells per cubic millimetre; multiply by 1000 for cells per millilitre.

How does Improved Neubauer differ from other rulings?

Counting chambers are made with several rulings, such as Improved Neubauer, Thoma, Bürker and Fuchs-Rosenthal, which differ in square sizes and sometimes depth. The Improved Neubauer is the most widely taught, and its calculations apply only to chambers with this ruling.

Why must a special coverslip be used?

The 0.1 mm depth is set by the coverslip resting on the raised supports. An ordinary thin coverslip can bow under the liquid’s surface tension and change the depth, so the thick, flat coverslip made for counting chambers should always be used.

How do I avoid counting the same cell twice?

Use a boundary rule: count cells touching the top and left lines of a square and ignore those touching the bottom and right lines. Applied consistently, this counts each cell lying on a boundary only once.

How should the chamber be filled?

Place the coverslip first, then let a small drop of well-mixed suspension run in by capillary action from a pipette tip held at the edge. Do not overfill so that liquid spills into the moats, and let the cells settle for a minute or two before counting.

Last Updated: September 2026