Agarose Gel Percent

Recommended agarose percent for a fragment-size range and grams of agarose for the buffer volume (percent/100 x mL).

Run the calculator

Example

You enter

Largest fragment to resolve (bp) 10000
Buffer / gel volume (mL) 100

You get

Used (%) 0.8
Agarose to weigh 0.80 g

Details, formula, and sources

Per Sambrook & Russell resolution tables; lab SOP governs.

Recommended percent from the fragment-size resolution map (0.5% for >= 20 kb down to 2% for < 1 kb); grams = used percent / 100 x buffer volume (mL); percent clamped to 0.5-3%.

Sambrook & Russell, Molecular Cloning, gel-electrophoresis resolution tables, by name.

Textbook reference; the percent-vs-resolution map is standard practice. Lab SOP governs.

Verify protocol against your lab's SOP before pipetting. A miscalculated dilution can ruin a run or a sample.

Field names used by the API: target_bp_high, buffer_volume_ml, used_percent, grams_agarose

Resolution map standard agarose percent vs. fragment-size range; lab SOP may differSambrook & Russell