Centrifuge rotors, buckets, and accessories are the interchangeable parts that determine what a centrifuge can actually process, from the type and number of tubes or plates it holds to the maximum speed and force it can safely reach. Laboratory managers, clinical laboratory scientists, and procurement teams across pharmaceutical, biotech, and diagnostic organisations rely on the right rotor and accessory combination to get a centrifuge to do the specific job a protocol demands. Browse new and used centrifuge rotors, buckets, and accessories from verified sellers on Machinery Masters.

What Are Centrifuge Rotors, Buckets & Accessories?

A centrifuge rotor is the spinning component that holds sample tubes, bottles, or plates during a run, and it is generally the single biggest factor in what a centrifuge can do. Fixed-angle rotors hold tubes at a constant angle throughout a spin, giving fast pelleting and high maximum speeds, while swing-bucket rotors use individual buckets that hang vertically at rest and swing outward as the rotor spins, producing a gentler, more even separation that suits blood processing and density gradient work.

Accessories such as tube adapters and inserts let a single rotor accommodate several different tube sizes, while rotor lids, particularly sealed biocontainment lids, protect an operator from aerosols when spinning potentially infectious or hazardous material.

Rotors are almost always specific to a particular centrifuge make and model rather than interchangeable across brands, so confirming compatibility is the first step in buying any rotor, bucket, or accessory. Rotors also have a limited safe working life. Manufacturers commonly recommend retiring a rotor after around seven to ten years or a set number of run cycles, whichever comes first, since repeated high-speed use gradually fatigues the metal or carbon fibre.

Any rotor that has been dropped, shows corrosion or pitting, or has damaged locking threads should be retired immediately regardless of its age, since a rotor failure at high speed is a serious safety hazard.

Centrifuge Rotors, Buckets & Accessories Brands

Beckman Coulter, known for its JA and JLA fixed-angle rotor ranges and its SW swing-bucket rotors
Thermo Fisher Scientific, whose Sorvall and Fiberlite carbon fibre rotor ranges are widely used
Eppendorf, which supplies rotor and bucket accessories across its centrifuge ranges
Hettich, which supplies rotors and accessories for its benchtop and clinical centrifuges
Sigma Laborzentrifugen, which supplies rotor and bucket accessories for its centrifuge ranges
Kubota, which supplies rotors and accessories for its clinical and laboratory centrifuges
Drucker Diagnostics, which supplies rotor and bucket accessories for its clinical centrifuge lines
VWR (Avantor), which supplies its own branded rotors, buckets, and tube adapters
Labnet International, which supplies rotor and bucket accessories for benchtop and microcentrifuges
IEC (Damon/IEC), a legacy brand whose rotors and buckets still appear on the used clinical centrifuge market

Please verify this brand list against current Machinery Masters marketplace inventory before publishing, as available stock changes over time.

Centrifuge Rotors, Buckets & Accessories Product Types

Rotors, buckets, and accessories divide into a handful of formats depending on how a sample needs to move during a spin and what format it comes in.

Fixed-Angle Rotors

Fixed-angle rotors hold tubes at a constant angle throughout a run, which gives fast pelleting and generally allows higher maximum speeds than a swing-bucket design. Labs use this format heavily for routine pelleting, high-speed separation, and general molecular biology sample prep.

Swing-Bucket Rotors and Buckets

Swing-bucket rotors use individual buckets that hang vertically when stationary and swing outward horizontally as the rotor spins up, producing an even pellet along the tube's base rather than against its side wall. This format suits blood processing, density gradient separation, and any application where a gentler, more uniform separation matters.

Microplate Rotors and Carriers

Microplate rotors hold one or more plates flat rather than tubes, letting a lab spin down PCR plates, ELISA plates, or other multi-well formats in a single run. High-throughput laboratories rely on this format to process many samples at once rather than individually.

Rotor Lids and Biocontainment Accessories

Sealed rotor lids and bucket caps create an aerosol-tight seal during a spin, which is essential when processing samples that may contain infectious agents or other hazardous material. Laboratories working under biosafety level 2 or 3 conditions generally require this accessory as standard practice.

Tube Adapters and Inserts

Adapters and inserts let a single rotor or bucket accommodate smaller tubes than its wells were originally designed for, giving a lab more flexibility from one rotor rather than needing a separate rotor for every tube size in use.

Centrifuge Rotors, Buckets & Accessories: Applications and Uses

Rotors, buckets, and accessories support a wide range of separation tasks, with the right combination depending on sample format, gentleness required, and biosafety considerations.

Molecular Biology and Cell Culture Sample Prep

Researchers match rotor and adapter combinations to their specific tube sizes when pelleting cells, precipitating nucleic acids, or preparing samples for downstream molecular biology work.

Clinical and Blood Bank Processing

Clinical laboratories rely heavily on swing-bucket rotors to separate whole blood into serum, plasma, and cellular components, since the even separation this format gives is important for consistent diagnostic results.

Biosafety and Aerosol Containment

Laboratories handling potentially infectious samples use sealed rotor lids and bucket caps to prevent aerosol release during high-speed spinning, a standard requirement in biosafety level 2 and 3 environments.

High-Speed and Density Gradient Separation

Fixed-angle rotors support high-speed pelleting and density gradient separation techniques used in virology, subcellular fractionation, and other applications that need strong, consistent centrifugal force.

Multi-Format Laboratories

Busy laboratories running several tube or plate sizes rely on a stock of adapters and inserts to get more use out of a smaller number of rotors, rather than purchasing a dedicated rotor for every format they process.

How to Choose Centrifuge Rotors, Buckets & Accessories

A handful of practical factors determine which rotor, bucket, or accessory suits a laboratory's needs.

Confirm compatibility with your specific centrifuge make and model first, since rotors are generally not interchangeable across different manufacturers or even across different models from the same manufacturer.
Match the rotor type to your sample format and separation needs, choosing fixed-angle for speed and pelleting or swing-bucket for gentler, more even separation.
Check the rotor's maximum RCF and capacity against your protocol's requirements before buying.
Consider biocontainment needs. Sealed lids and bucket caps are essential when spinning potentially infectious or hazardous material.
For used rotors, check the rotor's age against the manufacturer's recommended service life, inspect it for corrosion, pitting, or thread damage, and confirm it has never been dropped or involved in a crash.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a fixed-angle and a swing-bucket rotor?

A fixed-angle rotor holds tubes at a constant angle throughout a spin, giving fast pelleting and higher maximum speeds, while a swing-bucket rotor uses individual buckets that swing outward during a run, producing a gentler, more even separation. Labs choose between the two based on how delicate the sample is and whether speed or separation quality matters more for a given protocol.

Can I use any rotor with any centrifuge?

No, rotors are generally specific to a particular centrifuge make and model rather than interchangeable across brands, so confirming compatibility with your exact centrifuge is essential before buying a rotor. Even rotors from the same manufacturer are not always compatible across different centrifuge models.

How long do centrifuge rotors last?

Manufacturers commonly recommend retiring a rotor after around seven to ten years or a set number of run cycles, whichever comes first, since repeated high-speed spinning gradually fatigues the metal or carbon fibre. A rotor that has been dropped, shows corrosion or pitting, or has damaged locking threads should be retired immediately regardless of its age.

What is the difference between new and used centrifuge rotors?

New rotors come with a manufacturer warranty and a full service life ahead of them, while used rotors offer meaningful cost savings but need careful checking of age, run history, and physical condition before use. It is worth asking a seller for a rotor's full usage history, since fatigue damage is not always visible without close inspection.

How can I find centrifuge rotors, buckets, and accessories on Machinery Masters?

Browse the Machinery Masters marketplace for new and used centrifuge rotors, buckets, and accessories from verified sellers, and use the filters to narrow results by brand, rotor type, and compatible centrifuge model. Contact a seller directly to confirm compatibility, service history, and pricing before you buy.