Cell count calculator, vials to wells

Inputs

Defaults describe a mid-sized screen. Changing any input recomputes every figure below.

JavaScript is off, so the fields will not recompute. Every figure is shown for the default inputs printed beside each field, and every formula is written out.

01Plate plan

Plate or vessel format Growth areas are catalogue nominal figures for standard plasticware. Confirm them against the data sheet for the plate in use; a modified well geometry changes the density figure below.

Cells per well Default 40,000. Cells attached and alive on the plastic, not cells pipetted in.

Number of plates Default 4.

Independent replicates of the whole plate set Default 3. Biological replicates run on separate thaws, not technical replicates within a plate.

02Losses

Expected post-thaw viability (%) Default 80%. Use the supplier's specification, not their best lot. Ask whether the vial count is total at freeze or viable at release, the two differ by exactly this number.

Attachment efficiency (%) Default 70%. The fraction of viable cells that adhere and survive to the first medium change, on your coating and in your medium.

The two multiply. At the defaults, 80.0% × 70.0% means 56.0% of what the vial label claims ends up as a counted cell on the plastic.

The arithmetic

Every step, in order, so the total can be checked rather than trusted.

Working, vials to wells
Step	Quantity	Arithmetic	Result
1	Wells to fill	96 wells/plate × 4 plates × 3 replicates	1,152
2	Cells attached on plastic	1,152 wells × 40,000 cells/well	46,080,000
3	Viable cells to seed	46,080,000 ÷ 0.70 attachment efficiency	65,828,571
4	Nominal cells to order	65,828,571 ÷ 0.80 post-thaw viability	82,285,714
5	Seeding density	40,000 cells/well ÷ 0.32 cm² growth area	125,000 /cm²
6	Overall yield from label	0.80 viability × 0.70 attachment	56.0%

Step 4 is the figure for the purchase order. Steps 3 and 4 divide rather than multiply. At the defaults the losses inflate the order by 79 percent, against 44 percent by subtraction.

Vials required

At the vial sizes suppliers in this catalogue publish. Vials are whole units, so each row rounds up and carries a surplus.

Vials required, MODELLED, not a quotation
Vial size	Vials	Cells delivered	Surplus	Note
0.5 × 10⁶	165	82,500,000	214,286 (0.3%)	Surplus within a quarter of the order.
1.0 × 10⁶	83	83,000,000	714,286 (0.9%)	Surplus within a quarter of the order.
1.5 × 10⁶	55	82,500,000	214,286 (0.3%)	Surplus within a quarter of the order.
2.0 × 10⁶	42	84,000,000	1,714,286 (2.1%)	Surplus within a quarter of the order.
5.0 × 10⁶	17	85,000,000	2,714,286 (3.3%)	Surplus within a quarter of the order.

Modelled cost at verified list prices

Only prices published, sourced and dated on this site are used. Each is a research-use list price for cells only. None is a quotation. None includes medium, coating, shipping or duty.

Modelled cost, MODELLED from published list prices, not a quotation
Supplier	Product and catalogue number	Cells / vial	List price	Per 1M	Vials	Modelled total	Source and date
iXCells Biotechnologies	Human Cortical Neurons (iPSC-derived, Normal) 40HU-009	1.0 × 10⁶ per vial	$643.00	$643.00	83	$53,369.00	Live store API capture, 2026-09-01
Axol Bioscience	axoCells ventricular cardiomyocytes, unaffected male donor aged 74 ax2508	≥ 1 × 10⁶ per vial	$494.00	$494.00	83	$41,002.00	Live store API capture, 2026-09-01
Axol Bioscience	axoCells ventricular cardiomyocytes, female donor aged 45 ax5808	≥ 1 × 10⁶ per vial	$580.00	$580.00	83	$48,140.00	Live store API capture, 2026-09-01
BPS Bioscience	Human iPSC-Derived Cardiomyocytes, 1 million cell pack 78529	1 × 10⁶ per vial	$405.00	$405.00	83	$33,615.00	Product page, live fetch, 2026-09-01
BPS Bioscience	Human iPSC-Derived Cardiomyocytes, 5 million cell pack 78529	5 × 10⁶ per vial	$1,150.00	$230.00	17	$19,550.00	Product page, live fetch, 2026-09-01

Reading the totals

Every total is MODELLED. It is the published list price multiplied by a vial count computed on this page. It is not a quotation or an offer, and no supplier has seen your specification.
The products are not interchangeable. Cortical neurons and cardiomyocytes appear in the same table because both have a verified price. Compare rows within a cell type.
Counting conventions differ. iXCells and BPS state an exact count; Axol states a minimum. A per-million figure derived from a minimum is an upper bound on the price, not the price.
Pack size beats supplier choice. BPS lists the same catalogue item at $405.00 for one million cells and $1,150.00 for five, which is $405.00 against $230.00 per million for identical material. Establish the programme total before running a supplier comparison. See the cardiomyocyte price comparison.
Prices change. Every figure carries the date it was recorded. Re-verify anything older than a quarter before it reaches a budget.

Plate format reference

Nominal growth areas used by the density calculation above.

Standard cultureware, nominal growth area
Format	Wells	Area per well	Total area
6-well plate	6	9.6 cm²	57.60 cm²
12-well plate	12	3.8 cm²	45.60 cm²
24-well plate	24	1.9 cm²	45.60 cm²
48-well plate	48	1.1 cm²	52.80 cm²
96-well plate	96	0.32 cm²	30.72 cm²
384-well plate	384	0.056 cm²	21.50 cm²
35 mm dish	1	8 cm²	8.00 cm²
60 mm dish	1	21 cm²	21.00 cm²
100 mm dish	1	55 cm²	55.00 cm²
T-25 flask	1	25 cm²	25.00 cm²
T-75 flask	1	75 cm²	75.00 cm²
T-175 flask	1	175 cm²	175.00 cm²

Nominal catalogue figures for standard plasticware. Vendors differ by a few percent on the same nominal format, and a modified well geometry by more. The derived density is a planning figure; confirm it against the data sheet for the plate in use.