Editing Microplate (section)

==Formats and Standardization efforts==
Microplates are produced with the same standardized footprint,<ref name="ANSI SLAS 1-2004 link highlight">{{cite web |last1=SLAS |first1=ANSI |title=ANSI SLAS 1-2004 - Footprint Dimensions for Microplates |url=https://www.slas.org/education/ansi-slas-microplate-standards/#:~:text=ANSI%20SLAS%201%2D2004%20(R2012)%3A%20Footprint%20Dimensions |access-date=20 April 2023}}</ref><ref name="ANSI SLAS 1-2004 direct">{{cite web |last1=SLAS |first1=ANSI |title=ANSI SLAS 1-2004 - Footprint Dimensions for Microplates |url=https://www.slas.org/SLAS/assets/File/public/standards/ANSI_SLAS_1-2004_FootprintDimensions.pdf |access-date=20 April 2023}}</ref> but using a variety of formats (see table below), materials (see [[#Manufacture and composition|above section]]), plate heights, numbers of wells, well shapes, and well bottom heights, with some of these characteristics being more varied between manufacturers than others (see [[#Standardization_efforts|below section]]).

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="2" class="hintergrundfarbe5" | wells !! rowspan = "2" class="hintergrundfarbe5" | volume<br />([[milliliter|mL]])
|-
| class="hintergrundfarbe5" | '''number''' ||class="hintergrundfarbe5" | '''arrangement'''
|-
| 6 || 2×3 || 2 – 5
|-
| 12 || 3×4 || 2 – 4
|-
| 24 || 4×6 || 0.5 – 3
|-
| 48 ||  6×8 || 0.5 – 1.5
|-
| 96 || 8×12 || 0.1 – 0.3
|-
| 384 || 16×24 || 0.03 – 0.1
|-
| 1536 || 32×48 || 0.005 – 0.015; Usage in UHTS (Ultra HTS)
|-
| 3456 || 48×72 || 0.001 – 0.005; Usage in UHTS (Ultra HTS).
|}

There are also less common 192- and 768-well plates.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/51032550|title=Microarrays & microplates : applications in biomedical sciences|date=2003|publisher=BIOS|others=Ye, S. (Shu), 1961-, Day, Ian N. M.|isbn=978-1-85996-074-5|location=Oxford, UK|oclc=51032550}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="145px">
File:24-well-plate.svg|24-well
File:48-well-plate.svg|48-well
File:96-Well plate.svg|96-well
File:384-well plate.svg|384-well
</gallery>

===Standardization efforts===
An attempt at standardizing microplates was made by the Society for Biomolecular Sciences with the ANSI-Standards (ANSI/SBS 1-2004, ANSI/SBS 2-2004, ANSI/SBS 3-2004, ANSI/SBS 4-2004).<ref>Society for Biomolecular Sciences (Hrsg.): ''[https://www.slas.org/education/ansi-slas-microplate-standards/ Microplate Standards Working Group – Published Standards]''. retrieved am: 12 February 2009.</ref> These standards have been updated to and are now known as the ANSI [[Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening|SLAS]] standards.

====Footprint & flange (standardized)====
The ANSI SLAS microplate standards define a footprint, and a bottom flange geometry. These footprints & flanges are generally rigorously followed by all microplate manufacterers:
* Footprint standard<ref name="ANSI SLAS 1-2004 link highlight" /><ref name="ANSI SLAS 1-2004 direct" /> (127.76&nbsp;mm × 85.48&nbsp;mm ± 0.5&nbsp;mm)
* Flange standard<ref name="ANSI SLAS 3-2004 link highlight">{{cite web |last1=SLAS |first1=ANSI |title=ANSI SLAS 3-2004 - Bottom Outside Flange Dimensions |url=https://www.slas.org/education/ansi-slas-microplate-standards/#:~:text=Bottom%20Outside%20Flange%20Dimensions |access-date=20 April 2023}}</ref><ref name="ANSI SLAS 3-2004 direct">{{cite web |last1=SLAS |first1=ANSI |title=ANSI SLAS 3-2004 - Bottom Outside Flange Dimensions |url=https://www.slas.org/SLAS/assets/File/public/standards/ANSI_SLAS_3-2004_BottomOutsideFlangeDimensions.pdf |access-date=20 April 2023}}</ref>

====Corner notch====
Although a corner notch (aka chamfer) is shown at the A1 (top-left) corner in the ANSI SLAS drawings, and many microplates do implement this A1 corner notch, in actuality the "quantity and location of chamfers(s) is optional",<ref name="ANSI SLAS 3-2004 link highlight" /><ref name="ANSI SLAS 3-2004 direct" /> so in practice the presence or absence of corner notches at additional corners (i.e. the bottom-left) is a proprietary implementation which causes difficulties with accessory cross-compatibility such as with [[microplate lids]] that may also implement the matching corner notch.

====Well position (standardized)====
The well position is also standardized, but only for 96- , 384-, and 1536-well plates. These are generally well followed by manufacturers:  
* Well Positions<ref name="ANSI SLAS 4-2004 link highlight">{{cite web |last1=SLAS |first1=ANSI |title=ANSI SLAS 4-2004 -Well Positions for Microplates |url=https://www.slas.org/education/ansi-slas-microplate-standards/#:~:text=Well%20Positions |access-date=20 April 2023}}</ref><ref name="ANSI SLAS 4-2004 direct">{{cite web |last1=SLAS |first1=ANSI |title=ANSI SLAS 4-2004 - Well Positions for Microplates |url=https://www.slas.org/SLAS/assets/File/public/standards/ANSI_SLAS_4-2004_WellPositions.pdf |access-date=20 April 2023}}</ref>

96-well plates have a 9&nbsp;mm well-to-well spacing, 384-wells a 4.5&nbsp;mm spacing, and 1536-wells a 2.25&nbsp;mm spacing. A notable characteristic is that the well array is symmetrical when the plate is rotated 180˚ around its Z-axis (height axis). Therefore, scientific instruments which use microplates, can accept the plate in one of two rotated orientations - either "correct" or 180˚ rotated.

Other variants like 24-well plates, are not considered in the standard, but there is a [[de facto standard|''de facto'' standard]] to implement to 24-wells by apply the same scaling factor as the 384- to 96-well transition, i.e. 24-wells have an 18&nbsp;mm spacing.

====Well shape====
Notably, the shape and diameter of the well is not standardized, and has several proprietary implementations. This causes difficulties with accessory cross-compatibility such as with [[microplate cap mats]].

Wells within the microplate are available in different shapes:
* Round well
* Square well

Wells also have different geometries at the bottom of the well:
* F-Bottom: flat bottom (compatible with through-well optical [[plate reader]] measurements)
* V-Bottom: V-shaped bottom ([[Cone|conical]] for round wells, [[square pyramid]] for square wells; improves aspiration of low liquid volumes)
* U-Bottom: U-shaped bottom ([[Sphere|half sphere]]; improves aspiration of low liquid volumes)
* C-Bottom: bottom with minimal rounded edges

Round wells in particular often come in a few diameters:
* 6.96&nbsp;mm<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bio-One |first1=Greiner |title=Customer Drawing - 96 Well Microplate, PP |url=https://shop.gbo.com/en/usa/files/21006157/655201.pdf |access-date=21 April 2023}}</ref>
*  8.3&nbsp;mm

====Well Bottom Elevation====
The most recent addition to the ANSI SLAS microplate standards was the inclusion of a well bottom standard. The standard however specifies definitions and test methods only, for the "Microplate Well Bottom Elevation (WBE)", "Well Bottom Elevation Variation (WBEV)", and "Intra-Well Bottom Elevation Variation (IWBEV)", but it does not state a preferred value or limits for those dimensional definitions. Therefore all well bottom heights are currently proprietary implementations without a clear ''de facto'' standard. This lack of standardization can cause difficulties with applications such as automated [[autosampler]] needle injection.
* Well Bottom Elevation<ref name="ANSI SLAS 6-2012 link highlight">{{cite web |last1=SLAS |first1=ANSI |title=ANSI SLAS 6-2012 - Well Bottom Elevation for Microplates |url=https://www.slas.org/education/ansi-slas-microplate-standards/#:~:text=ANSI%20SLAS%206%2D2012%3A%20Well%20Bottom%20Elevation |access-date=20 April 2023}}</ref><ref name="ANSI SLAS 6-2012 direct">{{cite web |last1=SLAS |first1=ANSI |title=ANSI SLAS 6-2012 - Well Bottom Elevation for Microplates |url=https://www.slas.org/SLAS/assets/File/public/standards/ASNI_SLAS_6-WellBottomElevation.pdf |access-date=20 April 2023}}</ref>

====Standard microplate height====
The height of a standard microplate is also defined, however this is sometimes not followed by manufacturers, even if they follow the footprint and flange standards.
* Height<ref name="ANSI SLAS 2-2004 link highlight">{{cite web |last1=SLAS |first1=ANSI |title=ANSI SLAS 2-2004 - Height Dimensions for Microplates |url=https://www.slas.org/education/ansi-slas-microplate-standards/#:~:text=Height%20Dimensions%0A |access-date=20 April 2023}}</ref><ref name="ANSI SLAS 2-2004 direct">{{cite web |last1=SLAS |first1=ANSI |title=ANSI SLAS 2-2004 - Height Dimensions for Microplates |url=https://www.slas.org/SLAS/assets/File/public/standards/ANSI_SLAS_2-2004_HeightDimensions.pdf |access-date=20 April 2023}}</ref> (14.35&nbsp;mm ± 0.76&nbsp;mm)

====Microplate variants with increased heights====
There are also deep well microplates sometimes called "blocks". Unlike plates of normal height, the ANSI SLAS 2-2004 height standard,<ref>{{cite web |last1=SLAS |first1=ANSI |title=Height Dimensions for Microplates |url=https://www.slas.org/SLAS/assets/File/public/standards/ANSI_SLAS_2-2004_HeightDimensions.pdf|access-date=20 April 2023}}</ref> does not define a standard height for deep well plates (blocks).  Deepwell plates do typically follow a [[de facto standard|''de facto'' standard]] height of 44&nbsp;mm.

Reservoir plates are also commercially available.<ref>{{cite web |title=Reservoir Microplates |url=https://www.agilent.com/en/product/microplates/standard-custom-microplates/reservoir-microplates-740875 |publisher=Agilent}}</ref> Reservoir plates have columns of wells (as  in 96-well, 24-well, etc. plates) that are fused into single wells, so that they provide additional volume for multichannel pipettes. Like deepwell plates or blocks, they often follow a [[de facto standard|''de facto'' standard]] height of 44&nbsp;mm.

====Skirts ====
Microplates used for [[Polymerase chain reaction|PCR]] are designed to have a notably thinner wall thickness than standard ANSI/SLAS microplates (to allow for better [[thermal conduction]]), and to come in a few different "skirt" types: full-skirt, half-skirt or semi-skirted, and unskirted or no-skirted. The skirt is analogous to the [[#Footprint_&_flange_(standardized)|footprint & flange]] of the ANSI/SLAS standards, so while most full-skirt PCR microplates may be ANSI/SLAS compliant, other deviations such as semi-skirted or others, are not compliant ANSI/SLAS standards.