What are Laboratory Consumables?

Laboratory Consumables: are equipment that only have limited use, as in it can be used until it is 'run out' and then must be disposed of. Some examples of these kinds of materials include pipettes, syringes, beakers, funnels and test tubes. They can also include disposable gloves, face masks and shoe covers.

Types of consumables

Chemicals, reagents, bacteriological media, cleaning detergents, distilled water, tap water, papers, stationery and all those which go on recurrent purchase.All these items are consumed in daily activities of the laboratory. Glassware, equipment, tables and all fixtures are assets.

News of consumables

On the upswing

The greatest challenges in obtaining lab consumables are starting to ease. “For the most part, in the latter quarter of 2021 and into 2022, we have seen a lot of backordered stock start to come through,” Thane says. “So, things seem to be more available now.”

Still, some of the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic can be applied to stocking labs even in more ordinary times. For example, Pumberger envisions that procurement managers “will no longer put all eggs in one supplier basket.”

It always pays to think ahead, know what a lab will need and when, and keep track of stocked supplies and what has been ordered. Staying in touch with suppliers can also reduce the odds of running out of a crucial consumable. A supplier should be able to forecast any potential supply problems and help a customer plan accordingly. As the COVID-19 pandemic showed, though, some things just can’t be predicted. Consequently, both the suppliers and purchasers of lab consumables need to include a safety factor—aiming a little high rather than low—to keep products available and labs stocked.