Borosilicate Glass for Laboratory Instruments: Borosilicate Glass (CTE 3.3 x 10^-6 /K, 360 nm – 2.0 um). Single-piece prototypes to production volumes, quoted from your drawing.
What borosilicate glass for laboratory instruments actually buys from a glass shop: cuvettes, sight glasses, stir-cell windows. The requirement underneath is chemically durable cells and windows in small lots. Borosilicate Glass is the fit here because it offers chemical durability.
Key parameters
| Material | Borosilicate Glass (3.3 expansion group per ISO 3585) |
|---|---|
| Thermal expansion (CTE) | 3.3 x 10^-6 /K |
| Service temperature | 450 C continuous |
| Transmission range | 360 nm – 2.0 um |
| Density | 2.23 g/cm3 |
| Knoop hardness | 480 kg/mm2 |
| Refractive index | 1.473 @ 587 nm |
| Stock thickness | 0.50 – 30 mm |
| Maximum blank size | 600 x 400 mm |
| RFQ inputs | PDF/DXF/STEP drawing, quantity brackets, surface and edge spec |
Design guidance
Three items decide most of the cost and lead time on this work:
- Material note: sheet stock carries more thickness variation than float wafer stock, so lapping is often the first step.
- Over-specification is the quiet budget killer: a 20/10 scratch-dig face costs roughly three times an 80/50 face, so grade each surface individually.
The full rules live in our tolerance design guide and holes and edges design guide.
What the process holds
Beyond this page, Borosilicate Glass routinely runs through coring, sandblasting, grinding, ultrasonic machining in our shop – most real parts combine two or three of these steps.
Who orders this
Orders for borosilicate glass for laboratory instruments cluster in medical diagnostics (flow cells, slides, microplate bottoms, cuvette windows); scientific instruments (reference flats, cells, prism mounts, stage inserts); laboratory instruments (cuvettes, sight glasses, stir-cell windows). Background reading on the underlying material science: ISO 3585 borosilicate glass 3.3.
The fastest route to a quote is geometry: use the 3D builder below, draw a dimensioned 2D drawing from it, or open the site-wide custom glass machining 3D + 2D builder for fully custom parts.
Engineers scoping this work usually also review glass sandblasting, material selection guide, JGS1 quartz glass.
Buyer questions, answered
How does Borosilicate Glass behave under heat?
CTE is 3.3 x 10^-6 /K and continuous service reaches 450 C continuous, which is what drives its use where chemical durability matters.
What do laboratory instruments programs usually order?
Cuvettes, sight glasses, stir-cell windows. Typical spec: hydrolytic class 1 materials, fast-turn prototypes.
Is there a minimum order for borosilicate glass for laboratory instruments?
No. Single prototypes are accepted, and pricing steps down at 10, 100 and 1,000 pieces.
How fast can prototypes ship?
Machined prototypes ship in 5 – 10 working days. Coated or bonded parts add 1 – 2 weeks depending on queue slots.
Specifications on this page were last reviewed by our engineering team in August 2026.