CO₂ incubators are designed to copy a cell’s natural environment with a relative humidity of around 95 percent, a temperature of 37°C and a pH of 7.2 to 7.5. They are most common in biology labs performing tissue or cell culture and are used in any process where cells need to be cultured for a few hours or many weeks or where cells need to be expanded or maintained.

Types of CO₂ incubators used by survey respondents:

CO₂ incubator usage as reported by survey respondents:

Nearly 26% of respondents plan on purchasing a CO₂ incubator in the next year. The primary reasons for these purchases are:

	Replacing an aging model
	Increasing capacity - addition to existing system
	Setting up a new lab
	First time purchase for existing lab
	Other

6 Questions to Ask When Buying a CO₂ Incubator

1. What measures have been taken in the design to avoid contamination and what features are included to remove contamination?

2. How does the CO2 sensor contribute to optimal cell growth?

3. How does the humidity contribute to optimal cell growth?

4. Ask for the uniformity and accuracy data versus asking for a water jacket or air jacket.

5. Do you need O2 control to simulate the environment for your experiment accurately?

6. Calculate the total cost of ownership on the product over one year including product price, install, regular cleaning labor, material like HEPA filter, etc.

Top 10 features /factors respondents look for when purchasing a CO₂ incubator

Completed Surveys: 228

For more information on CO₂ incubators, including useful articles and a list of manufacturers, visit www.labmanager.com/incubators

See the latest survey results here