Beaker, Low Form, Borosilicate Glass

Quick Answer: A borosilicate low form beaker is a short, wide beaker made of heat-resistant borosilicate glass. It is used for heating, dissolving, evaporating and mixing on a hot plate or on wire gauze over a burner, and handles gradual heating and most acids better than soda-lime glass.

What Borosilicate Glass Adds to a Low Form Beaker

Borosilicate glass contains boron oxide, which gives it a low coefficient of thermal expansion. When one part of the vessel warms faster than another, the glass expands only slightly, so internal stress stays low and the beaker is much less likely to crack than soda-lime glass heated the same way.

Like most borosilicate laboratory glassware, this beaker resists water, salt solutions, most acids and common organic solvents at ordinary working temperatures. Its weak points are hydrofluoric acid, hot concentrated phosphoric acid and hot strong alkalis, which etch the surface and leave it frosted over time.

The low form then adds stability and surface area. A wide base takes heat evenly from a hot plate, short walls make stirring and scraping out crystals easy, and the large liquid surface speeds evaporation. For temperatures beyond the range of glass or for very low trace-metal blanks, a quartz low form beaker is the step up; for boiling that spatters, the borosilicate tall form beaker keeps more of the liquid inside.

Applications

• Growing copper(II) sulfate or potash alum crystals by concentrating a warm saturated solution and letting it cool slowly
• Diluting concentrated acids by adding the acid slowly to water in the beaker, where borosilicate copes with the heat released far better than soda-lime glass
• Holding a boiling water bath for Benedict’s test or other heated food tests
• Dissolving solids with a stirrer bar on a hot plate before making up in a volumetric flask

Specifications

Care & Handling

• Raise the heat gradually and never heat the beaker empty; a beaker allowed to boil dry can crack even though the glass is heat-resistant.
• Check the rating of the specific item before taking it above ordinary hot-plate or boiling-water temperatures.
• Put a hot beaker down on a heat-resistant mat and let it cool before it meets cold water.
• Remove hard-water scale with dilute acid rather than scouring powder, since scratches are where cracks start.

Why Choose LabEquip

Schools, colleges and university departments buy borosilicate low form beakers in quantity because they carry most of the heated practical work in a teaching lab. LabEquip lists them in its Lab Glassware category; send the capacities and quantities you need through the contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a borosilicate beaker go from a hot plate straight onto a cold bench?

Avoid it. Borosilicate glass handles temperature change far better than soda-lime glass, but a sudden shock, such as a hot beaker set on a wet bench or filled with cold water, can still crack it. Let it cool on a heat-resistant mat first.

Which chemicals attack borosilicate glass?

Hydrofluoric acid dissolves it, hot concentrated phosphoric acid etches it, and hot strong alkalis such as sodium hydroxide solution gradually roughen the surface. Most other acids, salt solutions and organic solvents are handled well at normal laboratory temperatures.

Can the beaker be used on a hot plate with a magnetic stirrer?

Yes. The flat base sits well on a hot plate and the wide low form leaves room for a stirrer bar. Start at a moderate setting and increase it gradually, keep the whole base on the plate so heating is even, and do not heat the beaker empty.

When is a quartz beaker needed instead of borosilicate?

For temperatures above the working range of borosilicate glass, for severe thermal shock, and for trace-element work where boron or sodium released from glass would raise blank values. Routine heating and evaporation need nothing more than borosilicate.

Why is there a white film inside the beaker after boiling tap water?

That is scale, mostly calcium and magnesium carbonates left behind as hard water evaporates. Soak the beaker in dilute hydrochloric or acetic acid until the film lifts, then wash and rinse with distilled water. Using distilled water for water baths stops it returning.

What beaker size should I order for a given volume?

Choose a capacity so the working volume fills roughly half to two-thirds of the beaker, leaving room to stir and for boiling liquid to rise without spilling. Capacities are not listed in the product name, so give LabEquip the sizes you need when you enquire.

Last Updated: September 2026