Pipette Tip Types Explained: A Buyer’s Classification Guide

The range of domestic plastic pipettes compiled by BUNSEN BUNSEN pipette tip can be clearly categorised according to three main criteria: specification and range, functional characteristics and packaging format, covering the requirements of the vast majority of laboratory pipetting scenarios.

By volume range

This is the most basic classification method; domestic pipette tip main flow ranges cover all scenarios:

10 μL: Available in two variants—0.5–10 μL white short tips and 0.5–10 μL white long tips—suitable for microvolume pipetting.

20 μL: 0.5–20 μL white pipettes with long tips, suitable for dispensing small volumes.

100 μL: Available in 10–100 μL sizes, suitable for routine experiments involving medium-sized samples.

200 μL: 20–200 μL yellow pipette tips are one of the standard sizes used in laboratories in China.

1000 μL: 100–1000 μL blue pipette tips; some brands offer an extended 1250 μL version, suitable for dispensing from deep vessels.

5,000 μL: A high-capacity model with a range of 1,000–5,000 μL, designed for dispensing large volumes of liquid.

By function: filtered, low-retention, wide-orifice

The functional pipette tip, designed to meet specific experimental requirements, represents the core focus of the upgrade programme for the domestically produced pipette tip:

Featuring filter pipette tip: An integrated hydrophobic polypropylene filter cartridge prevents aerosols from entering the interior of pipette, thereby avoiding cross-contamination of samples; suitable for high-precision experiments such as PCR and nucleic acid extraction.

low-binding pipette tip ‌: The inner walls have been treated using a special process, which significantly reduces the surface residue of viscous liquids such as nucleic acid and protein; the volume of precious samples residue can be as low as ≤0.5 per cent, thereby minimising reagent wastage.

sterile DNase/RNase-free pipette tip ‌: Treated with irradiation sterilized, free from RNase, DNase, DNA, ATP and pyrogen contamination; a full test certificate is provided, making it suitable for high-demand applications such as molecular diagnostics.

Special-purpose pipette tip ‌: Includes sub-categories such as gel loading for electrophoresis pipette tip, wide-mouth pipettes pipette tip for transferring macromolecular solutions, and specialised pipettes pipette tip compatible with external pistons pipette.

By packaging: racked, bagged, individually wrapped

The packaging of the domestically produced pipette tip is tailored to the usage habits of domestic users and is mainly divided into three categories:

Bagged pipette tip ‌: The most common format on the domestic market, packaged in plastic self-sealing bags containing 500–1,000 units per bag, with prices ranging from 20 to 60 yuan. These offer good value for money and are suitable for routine experiments not involving a high risk of contamination.

Boxed pipette tip ‌: pipette tip are pre-arranged neatly in pipette tip boxes, eliminating the need for manual packing, cleanliness offers greater assurance; the price is 1.5–2.5 times that of bagged products, and it is suitable for high-standard scenarios such as sterile and DNase/RNase-free.

Refill pack pipette tip: Multiple sheets of pipette tip stacked in a tower shape can be loaded directly into an empty pipette tip box, making them 10–20 per cent cheaper than boxed pipette tip and significantly reducing the use of plastic packaging materials.

---

Note: The information on the scientific research products above is for reference only!