Lab suppliers
It can be difficult to find chemicals, glassware, and other suppliers, because large chemical suppliers either refuse to sell to individuals for reasons of liability, or they overcharge on chemicals that can be found at a cheaper price.
This is a list of suppliers which sell to individuals. Editors are free to insert their reviews.
This list is categorised by geographical location, however some suppliers will ship internationally. In particular, there are a number of Chinese suppliers who will ship worldwide for free.
Contents
Asia
Deschem
eBay US store Aliexpress store A Chinese seller that offers a wide range of of common glassware equipment for a low price. Mostly 24/40 and 24/29 glassware, plus many other lab essentials. Ships worldwide for free
Nanshin Glassware
eBay US store A Chinese seller specialized in large volume glassware, but also sells common glassware. Cheap prices and free shipping worldwide
Europe
LiMac Science
Company based in Latvia, has a really big catalog of organic and inorganic compounds, can even buy in bulk. Ships worldwide, shipping costs depend on location.
Onyxmet
A Polish seller with a wide range of organic and inorganic compounds plus pure elements in different forms. Purity of compounds is not always mentioned, the range is 98-99,9%. Shipping costs depend on your location and the minimum order (without shipping) is ~15 USD.
Rathburn Chemicals
Scottish manufacturer specialising in high-purity solvents, primarily for analytical work. Not an online shop, a phone call or an email is necessary to place an order
Labstuff
Labstuff is a chemistry online store located in the Netherlands. They ship to the Netherlands and Belgium.
Reviews
Shipping can take a while. -Prof_genius
North America
Rotometals
Rotometals has been around since 1939 and specializes in marine applications of non-ferrous metals. Products include Aluminium alloys, Bismuth, Gallium, Indium, Lead, Magnesium anodes, Tin, and Zinc.
United Nuclear
US company which sells pretty much everything an amateur chemist would want.
A selection of some of their more interesting and useful supplies: Uranium compounds, Borated paraffin, Giberellic acid, Rocket nozzle mix, Pre-mixed thermite, Activated zinc sulfide, Ferrofluid, Radioactive ores, Aerogel, Spinthariscopes, Radioactive sources, Ultra-bright glow powder, X-ray components, Geiger counters, Powerful magnets
Any somewhat interesting chemical, including anything radioactive or oxidising, is not available to be shipped anywhere but America. Many other chemicals, the site claims, can be requested personally, for a higher price. Due to the fact that the site is owned by Bob Lazar, a UFO theorist, the entire site cannot be taken seriously, though it is a wonderful source for all chemists.
US Pigment Corp.
US Pigment is a pottery supplier based in Illinois. They will ship to the United States and Canada. For each chemical, the minimum order quantity is one pound, except for various expensive materials such as europium oxide and silver nitrate.
Products include:
- Various rare earth oxides
- Many transition metal oxides and carbonates
- Elemental tin, cadmium, and selenium
- Alkali and alkaline earth carbonates
- Tungsten and molybdenum compounds
- White and Red lead
Reviews
- Shipping was really fast, ordered on a Friday came the following Monday. Some things are sold at a great price (CoCO3 for $20/pound) others are rather expensive considering the grade (NiCO3 $30/pound). -gdflp
American Science and Surplus
American Science and Surplus, or AS&S, is a surplus supplier based in the US. Although they supply surplus, their inventory stays relatively constant, lasting at least 3 to 5 years for most items. They do not focus on chemistry, but are a good source for some cheap chemistry lab equipment, and microscope accessories. Products include:
- Inexpensive China Borosilicate glassware (beakers and Flasks)
- Lab stand hardware
- Lots of storage containers (Glasses and Plastics, bulk or not, and cheap)
- Reagent bottles
- Two distillation rigs
- 'Essential Oils' Distillation kit, ground glass
- Microscope Accessories
- Microbiology equipment - Agar and Petri dishes
- Inexpensive boxes of Kimax ampoules
- Cheap separatory funnels
Cynmar
Cynmar is a science supplier based in Illinois. They will ship to anywhere, but extra charges apply for shipping outside of the contiguous United States. Although they state on their website that they no longer sell to individuals, this is not true. Products include:
- Glassware (of various quality levels)
- Lab equipment
- Reagents
- Books
- Lab furniture
- Lab appliances
- Biology supplies
- Homebrewing/winemaking supplies
Reviews
I've bought most of my equipment from them. I'm quite happy with all of it. The only downside I've encountered is that shipping can be slow sometimes.
Duda Diesel
Duda Diesel is an Alabama based alternative energy company specializing in biodiesel. They sell a variety of industrial chemicals. Products include:
- Industrial Chemicals
- Bulk Industrial Chemicals
- Limited lab equipment.
Reviews
- I bought a few pounds of sulfur from them a while ago. It shipped fairly fast and seems to be of good quality. -zts16
Elemental Scientific
Elemental Scientific is a science supplier based in Minnesota. They have one of the largest selections of lab supplies available to amateur chemists. One great thing about Elemental Scientific is that they interact directly with the amateur chemistry community. The owner is on the Sciencemadness Discussion Board as the user tomholm. Products include:
- Glassware
- Lab equipment
- A wide variety of chemicals
- Chemistry Sets
GalliumSource
GalliumSource is a California-based company which has received consistently positive reviews from YouTube, including NurdRage. Products include: GalliumSource sells metals and alloys, as well as some nonmetals and metalloids, and ships them internationally.
- Gallium
- Magnesium in numerous forms, including ingot, turnings, and ribbon
- Galinstan
- Sodium. Lots and lots of it.
- And even more strontium.
- Ferrocerium
- Arsenic
- Molybdenmum
- Cerium
- Tungsten
- Niobium
Metallium
Metallium is an online store for element collectors based in Massachusetts, founded in 2003 by Dave Hamric. He has supplied some materials to Theodore Gray (of Periodic Table Table fame). Products include: ALL of the stable elements, as either bulk form or stored in ampoules. They also sell element coins for collectors. This is one of the few sources of rare earth elements. Turnings and powders are available by request.
Reviews
Quick shipping and a very nice selection, but you may not get a quick response to your emails and calls. For a 5 gram sample of terbium metal I got about .75 grams extra. A REALLY good deal. Brain&Force (talk) 23:35, August 12, 2014 (UTC)