Home / Science / Research toolkit / Lab management / Plate layout designerTool #35

Plate layout designer for 96, 384 and 1536-well plates (printable map and CSV)

Lay out standards, samples, controls and blanks with replicates on any plate from 6 to 1536 wells. Keep the edge wells empty, then print the map or export a well list for your plate reader or liquid handler.

Keep it one tap away for everyday use.

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  1. Plate
  2. Samples
  3. Map, CSV
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Plate

Edge wells dry out and warm up faster, which skews results ("edge effect"): many labs fill them with buffer instead. Tap any well on the map to keep it empty; tap again to use it.

What goes on it

Standards
Samples
Controls
Blanks

One name per line or separated by commas. "S1-S24" makes S1, S2 … S24.

Layout

Plate map

What it does

Before an ELISA, qPCR run, cell assay or drug screen, you plan which well gets what. Getting it wrong costs a plate. This designer places your standards, samples, controls and blanks with their replicates in a tidy, repeatable order. It shows the plate as a map you can print, and exports a well list that plate readers, qPCR software and liquid handlers can import.

How to use it

  1. Choose the plate: 6, 12, 24, 48, 96, 384 or 1536 wells.
  2. Choose how to fill it, across rows (A1, A2, A3 …) or down columns (A1, B1, C1 …).
  3. Choose how to place replicates:
    • Side by side, in a block: filling across rows, a triplicate of S1 goes in A1, B1 and C1, so the replicates sit next to each other and the samples run along the plate. This is the usual layout for ELISAs.
    • One after another: the replicates follow each other in the fill order, packing the plate tightly.
  4. Tick Keep the edge wells empty to avoid edge effects. On a 96-well plate that leaves the 60 inner wells.
  5. List the names for each group, with the number of replicates. “S1-S24” expands to 24 names.
  6. Tap a well to keep it empty (for example a damaged well), and tap again to use it.
  7. Copy the plate as a grid to paste into Excel, download a CSV with one line per well, or save the map as an image, PDF or Word file.

Worked example

An ELISA with eight standards in duplicate, 24 samples in triplicate, two controls in duplicate and a duplicate blank needs 16 + 72 + 4 + 2 = 94 wells. On a 96-well plate, filled across rows with blocks of replicates, the standards fill A1 to B8, the first samples start in column 9, and every well but two is used. With the edge wells kept empty, only 60 wells are free, so the tool says how many did not fit. Fewer sample replicates or a 384-well plate solves it.

Frequently asked questions

Which software reads the CSV? The list has the well (A1), row, column, type, name and replicate number. Most plate reader, qPCR and liquid handler software can import a table like this. You may need to rename the columns to match.

Is my layout saved or sent anywhere? No. Everything stays in your browser. Save the CSV or PDF to keep it.

Work out the reagents with the PCR master mix calculator and the solutions calculator, then fit the results with the dose-response or calibration curve tool.

Last updated 2026-11-08.

Change log for Plate layout designer

  1. Add six science tools: solutions, PCR master mix, sample size, stereonet, psychrometrics, plate layout Details on GitHub

Every change to fibub

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