How It Works
This calculator works in 4 steps.
Enter the total volume
Type the volume of prepared solution.
Enter the aliquot size
Type the volume per tube.
Enter the dead volume
Type the volume the source container retains.
Read the results
The calculator returns full aliquots, leftover volume, and the batch size for a target count.
The Formula
The formula divides the usable volume by the aliquot size and rounds down.
N = ⌊(V_total − V_dead) / V_aliquot⌋V_left = V_total − V_dead − N × V_aliquotV_total = N × V_aliquot + V_dead- V_total:
- Prepared volume
- V_aliquot:
- Volume per aliquot
- V_dead:
- Container dead volume
- N:
- Number of full aliquots
10 mL of buffer in 500 µL aliquots, with 100 µL dead volume, gives 19 full aliquots and 400 µL left over.
Conversion Table
The conversion table gives the full aliquot count and leftover for 6 batches.
| Total volume | Aliquot size | Dead volume | Full aliquots | Leftover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 mL | 500 µL | 100 µL | 19 | 400 µL |
| 50 mL | 1 mL | 500 µL | 49 | 500 µL |
| 1 mL | 50 µL | 20 µL | 19 | 30 µL |
| 100 mL | 5 mL | 1 mL | 19 | 4 mL |
| 2 mL | 100 µL | 50 µL | 19 | 50 µL |
| 25 mL | 250 µL | 200 µL | 99 | 50 µL |
What Is the Aliquot Preparation Calculator?
The Aliquot Preparation Calculator is a tool that divides a prepared solution into equal single-use portions and returns the number of full aliquots and the leftover volume. The calculator subtracts the container's dead volume before dividing.
Aliquoting prevents repeated freeze-thaw cycles and contamination of the master stock. Many proteins and antibodies lose activity with each freeze-thaw cycle, so labs store them in volumes matched to one experiment. The calculator works backward from a required aliquot count to the batch volume, when the user enters a count instead of a total.
Common Uses
There are 5 main uses of this calculator.
Enzyme storage
Users freeze enzymes in single-use portions.
Antibody storage
Labs aliquot antibodies to limit freeze-thaw cycles.
Standard aliquots
Analysts aliquot calibration standards for daily use.
Media supplements
Cell culture staff aliquot FBS, L-glutamine, and antibiotics.
Sample banking
Biobanks split samples into equal portions.