How It Works
This planner works in 4 steps.
Choose the plate format
Select the well count and enter the working volume per well.
Define the dilution scheme
Enter the stock, factors, and number of levels for each sample or standard.
Assign wells
Place standards, samples, blanks, and controls by row, column, or block.
Export the well map
The planner returns a plate grid and a table with sample, diluent, and reagent volumes per well.
The Formula
The formula applies the scheme's dilution to each well and sums volumes across wells.
C_well = C₀ / DF_wellV_sample = V_well / DF_wellΣ (V_well − V_sample) over all wells- C₀:
- Starting concentration
- DF_well:
- Dilution factor assigned to a well
- V_well:
- Working volume per well
A 96-well plate with 8 samples, each in a 12-point twofold series of 100 µL, uses rows A to H and columns 1 to 12.
Conversion Table
The conversion table lists the grid size, well count, and typical working volume range for 7 plate formats.
| Plate | Rows × columns | Wells | Typical working volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-well | 2 × 3 | 6 | 1.5 to 3 mL |
| 12-well | 3 × 4 | 12 | 0.5 to 1.5 mL |
| 24-well | 4 × 6 | 24 | 0.3 to 1 mL |
| 48-well | 6 × 8 | 48 | 0.2 to 0.5 mL |
| 96-well | 8 × 12 | 96 | 50 to 200 µL |
| 384-well | 16 × 24 | 384 | 10 to 80 µL |
| 1536-well | 32 × 48 | 1,536 | 2 to 10 µL |
Working volumes vary by manufacturer and well shape. Check the plate specification sheet.
What Is the Microplate Dilution Planner?
The Microplate Dilution Planner is a tool that maps a dilution scheme onto the wells of a microplate and returns the volume of sample, diluent, and reagent for every well. The planner supports 6-, 12-, 24-, 48-, 96-, 384-, and 1536-well formats.
A 96-well plate has 8 rows (A to H) and 12 columns (1 to 12). The planner assigns standards, samples, blanks, and controls to wells, applies each well's dilution, and exports a well-by-well table. Typical working volumes range from 50 to 200 µL in a 96-well plate and 10 to 80 µL in a 384-well plate.
Common Uses
There are 5 main uses of this planner.
ELISA layouts
Users place standards, samples, and blanks in duplicate.
Dose-response plates
Pharmacologists map compound series to plate rows.
MIC panels
Microbiologists map antibiotic series across columns.
qPCR plates
Molecular labs map template dilutions and no-template controls.
Screening plates
Screening teams map 384-well layouts with controls.