Clear or white PCR plates? How well colour affects your results

A 96-well PCR plate looks like a simple part, but the colour of the wells changes what your instrument sees.

Clear wells

Clear wells are the standard for conventional PCR in thermal cyclers. You can see the liquid in every well, which makes it easy to check volumes and spot bubbles before you seal the plate.

White wells

White wells reflect light back toward the detector. In qPCR this strengthens the fluorescence signal the instrument reads, and it reduces the light that leaks between neighbouring wells. If your assay depends on detecting a signal, white wells usually give you a cleaner reading.

Thin walls and footprint

Whatever the colour, thin well walls transfer heat quickly, so the sample follows the cycling temperature more closely. MODMAT 96-well PCR plates have very thin walls and follow the ANSI-SBS footprint, so they fit automated workstations as well as standard cyclers.

Skirts and seals

• Non-skirted plates fit the widest range of cycler blocks.
• Semi-skirted plates add rigidity for handling and some automation.
• Close the plate with a pressure-sensitive or adhesive seal to stop evaporation during cycling.

Working with fewer samples? 8-strip tubes in clear or white offer the same choice at a smaller scale.