When setting up a new laboratory or reviewing your current liquid handling workflow, one common question is:

How many micropipettes do we actually need?

Because variable-volume pipettes can cover a broad range, it may seem like one pipette should be enough.

In practice, laboratories often work with very different volumes, such as:

• 1 µL
• 10 µL
• 100 µL
• 1000 µL

In addition, different workflows such as PCR, cell culture, and 96-well plate work may require different pipette types.

For that reason, the more useful question is not:

“How many pipettes do we own?”

but rather:

“Do we have the right pipettes to cover the volumes and workflows we use every day?”

This article explains how to think about the number of pipettes your laboratory needs based on volume range and application.

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1. One Pipette Cannot Cover Every Volume

Variable-volume pipettes each have a defined operating range.

Examples include:

• 1–10 µL
• 2–20 µL
• 10–100 µL
• 20–200 µL
• 100–1000 µL

A single pipette cannot cover every volume.

If your laboratory routinely works from 10 µL up to 1000 µL, multiple pipette ranges will usually be needed.

The key is to look not only at the maximum volume, but also at the volumes you use most frequently.

For example, if 100 µL is a routine working volume, it may be more practical to use a pipette range that is well suited to 100 µL rather than relying only on a 1000 µL pipette.

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2. Start With a Small, Medium, and Large Volume Setup

For a general laboratory, a practical starting point is often:

Small + Medium + Large

For example:

• Small: 2–20 µL
• Medium: 20–200 µL
• Large: 100–1000 µL

This kind of setup can cover many common tasks, including:

• Adding small amounts of reagent
• Sample dilution
• Buffer preparation
• Dispensing into tubes

However, this three-pipette setup is only a starting point.

The better approach is to adjust the ranges according to your routine workflow.

If your laboratory rarely works below 10 µL, a very small-volume pipette may be less important.

If PCR is a major part of your work, the opposite may be true.

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3. PCR and Molecular Biology Often Require More Small-Volume Capacity

PCR, qPCR, and DNA/RNA workflows often involve relatively small liquid volumes.

Examples include:

• Primers
• Enzymes
• Template DNA
• Buffers
• Master mix

These may be dispensed in volumes ranging from a few microliters to a few dozen microliters.

For this type of workflow, pipettes such as:

• 1–10 µL
• 2–20 µL
• 10–100 µL
• 20–200 µL

may be especially important.

If your laboratory frequently handles 1 µL or 2 µL volumes, adding a dedicated low-volume pipette may be more useful than adding another large-volume model.

In a PCR-focused laboratory:

An extra small-volume pipette may be more valuable than an extra large-volume pipette.

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4. Cell Culture Requires Both µL and mL Liquid Handling

Cell culture often requires more than micropipettes alone.

Typical tasks may include:

• Reagent addition
• Cell suspension adjustment
• Medium addition
• Washing
• Liquid transfer into flasks

For small-volume work, ranges such as:

• 20–200 µL
• 100–1000 µL

may be useful.

For larger volumes such as:

• 5 mL
• 10 mL
• 25 mL

a serological pipette may be more efficient.

This means that in cell culture:

Do not try to cover every volume with micropipettes alone.

Use micropipettes for smaller volumes and serological pipettes for larger liquid transfers.

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5. For 96-Well Plate Work, Consider Channel Count Too

When deciding how many pipettes your laboratory needs, volume range is not the only factor.

Channel count also matters.

For example, dispensing the same volume across a 96-well plate with a single-channel pipette requires many repeated operations.

In this case, using both:

• Single-channel pipettes
• Multichannel pipettes

may improve workflow efficiency.

Single-channel pipettes are useful for:

• Tubes
• Small numbers of samples
• Individual wells

Multichannel pipettes are useful for:

• 96-well plates
• Repetitive dispensing
• Adding the same volume to multiple wells

For plate-based workflows:

Adding a multichannel pipette may be more useful than simply buying another single-channel pipette.

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6. Should You Add a Fixed-Volume Pipette?

If the same volume is dispensed repeatedly, a fixed-volume pipette may also be worth considering.

Variable-volume pipettes offer flexibility because the setting can be changed.

Fixed-volume pipettes, by comparison, are designed for one specific volume.

Their advantages may include:

• No volume adjustment required
• Lower risk of accidental setting changes
• Simple operation for repetitive workflows

For example, if 100 µL is dispensed dozens of times every day, a dedicated 100 µL fixed-volume pipette may be useful.

However, fixed-volume pipettes are not automatically better than variable-volume models.

Their value depends on how often the same volume is repeated.

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7. Do You Need a Backup Pipette?

Pipettes may occasionally be unavailable because of:

• Calibration
• Repair
• Inspection
• Maintenance

If your laboratory has only one pipette in a critical volume range, that single instrument being unavailable may interrupt routine work.

For this reason, a backup pipette can be useful for high-use ranges.

A backup may be worth considering when a pipette is:

• Used every day
• Shared by several people
• Essential to routine work
• Needed while another pipette is being calibrated

There is no need to buy two of every range.

Instead, consider backup units only for the ranges that are most important to your workflow.

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8. Think by Workflow, Not by Number of Researchers

Some laboratories plan pipette inventory by assigning a fixed number of pipettes to each researcher.

For example:

“Three pipettes per person.”

This can be convenient, but it does not always reflect actual workflow needs.

A more practical approach is to think by application.

Basic Laboratory

Small + Medium + Large

PCR / Molecular Biology

Small + Medium ranges

Cell Culture

Medium + Large + Serological Pipette

Plate Work

Single Channel + Multichannel

High-Use Laboratory

Main Pipette + Backup

This table should be used as a starting point, not a fixed rule.

The final setup should also reflect:

• Frequency of use
• Number of users
• Common working volumes
• Need for backup during calibration or repair

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9. Review Your Actual Volumes Before Buying More Pipettes

Before adding another pipette, it can be useful to review how your current pipettes are actually being used.

Even a simple one-week record can help.

Track:

• Dispensing volume
• Frequency of use
• Application

You may discover that most work is concentrated around:

• 10 µL
• 100 µL
• 1000 µL

If so, it may make sense to optimize your pipette setup around those ranges.

On the other hand, there may be little value in purchasing multiple pipettes for volume ranges that are rarely used.

A useful principle is:

Choose pipettes based on the workflow, not just the specification sheet.

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The Right Number of Pipettes Depends on Volume and Workflow

There is no universal answer to the question:

“How many pipettes does a laboratory need?”

The right number depends on:

• Routine volumes
• Application
• Number of samples
• Plate-based work
• Number of users
• Frequency of use
• Need for backup instruments

A general laboratory may start with small, medium, and large volume ranges.

A PCR laboratory may prioritize low-volume pipettes.

A cell culture laboratory may combine micropipettes with serological pipettes.

A plate-based workflow may benefit from a multichannel pipette.

The important question is not simply how many pipettes you have.

It is whether your current pipette setup supports the work you perform every day.

Instead of asking “Which pipette is best?”, start by asking “Which volumes do we actually use every day?”

WATSON’s NEXTY-S Single Channel Pipette lineup includes seven models covering volume ranges from 0.2–2 µL up to 500–5000 µL.

This allows laboratories to select pipettes according to the volumes most frequently used in their liquid handling workflow.

When adding a new pipette, consider filling a real gap in your current volume range rather than simply increasing the total number of instruments.