Pipettes, Pipette Tips & Bottle Top Dispenser
Sartorius pipettes and pipette tips are designed with three key factors that ensure precision and consistent results:
- Ergonomics
- Connectivity
- Reliability
Enhance your lab’s efficiency and sustainability with Sartorius pipetting solutions. Our ergonomic mechanical pipettes and smart, connected electronic pipettes are designed for seamless workflow integration and maximum productivity. Complemented by eco-friendly pipette tips, our solutions help reduce waste and save energy, delivering the precision and accuracy your work demands while supporting greener lab practices. Advance your skills with hands-on training at the Sartorius Pipetting Academy, featuring expert-led modules for both beginners and experienced professionals.
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See What Sartorius Pipette Solutions Have to Offer
Learn how ergonomics can improve your well-being and results while protecting yourself from repetitive strain injuries (RSI).
Pipettes are essential lab tools—explore our brochure for smart calibration solutions to boost accuracy, compliance, and performance.
Manage your regular pipette calibrations and quick pipette checks digitally, to increase lab efficiency and ensure pipettes always function optimally.
When did you last have formal pipetting training? 9 out of 10 Sartorius Pipetting Academy participants say they learned new skills.
To search for pipette certificates, lot specific pipette tip certificates and quality certificates, click on the download now button below.
Sartorius offers comprehensive calibration, maintenance, and repair services to ensure your pipette’s everyday performance.
Drug Discovery
Boost your productivity and find the most promising candidates sooner with pipettes that increase throughput and reduce errors. Your everyday multiwell plate setup can be sped up with modern pipetting tools that will also help maintain your high standard of quality. Our electronic pipettes help to harmonize lab practices to a new level, so you have one less variable to worry about.
Sample Preparation
From easiest to most difficult samples, we offer pipetting that ensures the reliability of your results. Our pipettes can be easily adjusted for the non-aqueous reagents and standards in your work so even the smallest volumes are accurate. Ensure that you get the most out of your expensive liquids by choosing our high-quality and inert consumables.
Cell Biology
Pipettes that enable you to spend less time seeding cells and worrying about contamination and more time on making discoveries. Your cells will be back in the comfy warmth of their incubator in no time and you can concentrate on the analysis of your results. Lab work and cleanup will become something you are looking forward to - now that the hassle is gone.
Featured Pipetting Resources
Pipetting Videos
Tutorial: How to Reverse Pipette?
Learn how to perform reverse pipetting, an alternative pipetting mode to the widely used forward pipetting technique. Reverse pipetting is particularly useful when working with viscous liquids such as glycerol or volatile liquids like ethanol or isopropanol, and when pipetting small volumes.
See What Our Customers Are Saying!
Discover how Sartorius pipettes are empowering researchers and professionals across industries.
Frequently Asked Questions
To achieve the highest level of accuracy, you should choose the smallest volume pipette capable of handling the volume in question. This is important because pipette is most accurate at nominal (maximum) volume. It is a well-recognized fact that even slight muscle fatigue reduces the output when performing work that requires precision. Therefore, in order to maintain the performance, pipettes which require high forces should be avoided. Moreover, heavy pipettes fatigue the user, selecting an ergonomic pipette allows precise operation. Electronic pipettes can be considered when number of samples is high or when reducing variance in pipetting is important. A multichannel pipette can significantly speed up working with 96 and 384 well plates.
- Mechanical / manual pipettes: A workhorse of most laboratories and widely used in various applications. Manual pipettes aspirate and dispense liquid with piston system driving air cushions. These pipettes always use disposable pipette tips. User is able to set volume and use a plunger to aspirate and dispense liquid. Discover our Mechanical Pipettes
- Electronic pipette: The basic operating principle of electronic pipettes is the same as with mechanical, but all actions are handled by an electronic system inside. The user only has to press a button to start aspiration, liquid dispensing or tip ejection. Electronic pipettes typically reduce human variance, improving accuracy and reproducibility. Additionally electronic pipettes help to speed up your workflows with multiple pipetting modes. Discover our Electronic Pipettes
- Volumetric pipettes: Volumetric pipettes are typically made of plastic or glass and have graduation marks. Their volumes generally range between 1mL - 100mL. Volumetric pipettes rely on users for measurement of volume and require a separate device for aspiration and dispensing - such as the Midi Plus pipette controller. Discover our Midi Plus Controller
- Automation pipettes: Automation pipettes are similar to electronic. The key difference is they are controlled by automation software and typically have mounting points for automation instead of handles for humans. Discover our OEM solutions
- Dispenser / positive displacement pipettes: Positive displacement pipettes rely on syringe-like consumables for aspiration and dispensing. Available in mechanical and electronic form. Discover our rLINE® Dispenser
- MicroPipette: A standard in most laboratories, micropipettes are instruments used to accurately and repeatably transfer small amounts of liquids generally in the microliter range (µL). Micropipettes are used when minute amounts need to be measured with accuracy.
The accuracy of a pipette depends on several key factors:
Proper pipetting technique is essential, especially since different liquids have unique properties that can affect performance.
Using the correct pipette tips is critical in terms of volume and fit. A properly fitted tip ensures the pipette and tip function as one complete, calibrated system.
Regular pipette maintenance and calibration help to maintain accuracy over time. A well-maintained pipette reduces performance drift and ensures consistent, reliable results.
There are two main pipetting principles: air displacement and positive displacement. Most laboratory pipettes operate using the air displacement method due to its versatility and lower consumable costs. Positive displacement pipettes are preferred for challenging liquids (e.g., viscous, volatile, or high-density samples), but with the right technique, air displacement pipettes can often be used successfully as well.
For the highest consistency and user-independent accuracy, electronic pipettes are a top choice. They automate piston movement, reducing variability between users and improving precision across repeated tasks.
Pipetting errors are typically related to two key performance indicators: accuracy and precision.
Accuracy refers to how close the dispensed volume is to the true or intended value.
Precision measures how consistent the pipette is when dispensing the same volume repeatedly.
Several common factors can compromise both accuracy and precision in pipetting:
Operating outside the recommended volume range – Setting volumes above or below the pipette’s specified range can lead to significant inaccuracies.
Physical damage – Dropping or mishandling a pipette may cause internal misalignments, affecting both accuracy and function.
Incompatible or poorly fitting tips – Using tips that don't properly fit or aren’t designed for your pipette model compromises the sealing and volume delivery.
Incorrect pipetting technique – Especially when handling viscous or volatile liquids, poor technique can introduce errors.
Neglecting regular calibration – Routine calibration is essential to ensure long-term pipette reliability and performance.
Calibration is the process of testing and adjusting (when needed) the pipette that it performs according to expectations. There are different ways to do this, with different parameters. Gravimetric calibration, however, is the more common way. In our white paper you can learn more about gravimetric calibration. Generally, pipettes are calibrated according to ISO 8655 in an ISO 17025 accredited calibration laboratory by trained experts. The pipette is usually tested and adjusted in a 3-point calibration in 100%, 50% and 10% of nominal volume (maximum volume). Calibration is usually performed with a balance equipped with a moisture trap and distilled water in a room with controlled environment.
The easiest way to know if your pipette is calibrated is to use a calibration sticker that states the date of when the pipette has been calibrated. If your laboratory has a fleet management system implemented, it should also be tracked there. After each calibration you also receive a calibration certificate, which of course also states when the pipette has been calibrated. It is recommended to calibrate the pipette within regular intervals such as every 6 or 12 months depending on your applications and regulatory requirements. Do you need some help on setting up a quality control program? You can find some tips in this guide.
Forward pipetting, often referred to as the standard pipetting technique, is a method used primarily for aqueous solutions. This technique involves aspirating and dispensing the target volume, followed by a separate blowout step. The blowout step ensures that the pipette tip is completely emptied by pushing the piston to the second stop. Watch Video
Reverse pipetting is a specialized pipetting technique in which the pipette aspirates more than the selected volume. This includes an excess volume that remains in the pipette tip after dispensing and is then discarded. This technique is particularly useful when working with viscous or volatile liquids, or when precise measurement is critical. It helps reduce the risk of air bubbles and ensures a more accurate pipetting process.
Learn more about reverse pipetting, when to use it, and how to reverse pipette with a mechanical or electronic pipette. We are happy to assist you.
Sartorius Optifit and Safetyspace filter tips are manufactured with sustainability in mind. They are manufactured in a facility that runs on 100% renewable electricity and any plastic waste from production is locally recycled. When matched with Sartorius pipettes, these tips deliver precise and accurate results, minimizing the need for repeated experiments and consequently reducing plastic use. Sartorius provides a range of packaging choices designed to minimize plastic and packaging waste. In addition, Sartorius encourages the responsible disposal and recycling of used tips.
Both pipettes and burettes transfer liquids, however, the difference is that pipettes uses a piston system while burettes are graduated glass tubes with a valve. They are used for different applications. Pipettes are used for moving precisely known amounts of liquid while burettes are often used to determine unknown volumes in e.g. titration.
Professional training is a very good option to improve pipetting skills. Especially when working with viscous, volatile, or liquids with low surface tension proper technique will increase the quality of results significantly. Ask your pipette provider if they offer training courses.
In addition to being able to pipette more accurately and precisely, proper training can save you time and promotes ergonomical working habits.