Cell Strainers — 40 µm, 70 µm, and 100 µm Nylon Mesh for Single-Cell Suspension Preparation

Cell strainers are sterile nylon mesh caps for 50 mL conical tubes that disaggregate tissue homogenates into single-cell suspensions for flow cytometry, FACS sorting, primary cell culture, and immunophenotyping. NEST Scientific supplies three pore sizes in a universal color code: 40 µm (blue, catalog 258369) for fine single-cell suspension; 70 µm (white, 258368) for standard tissue disaggregation; 100 µm (yellow, 258367) for pre-filtration and large tissue pieces. All are sterile, DNase/RNase-free, 50 mL tube–compatible.

MBP stocks all three sizes in cases of 50 with direct PO ordering for labs across the USA, Canada, and worldwide. Contact customerservice@mbpinc.net to request a quote today!

Cell Strainers

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What are Cell Strainers?

Cell strainers are sterile, single-use nylon mesh filter caps that sit in the opening of a 50 mL conical centrifuge tube, used to disaggregate tissue homogenates, tumor biopsies, lymph nodes, spleens, and bone marrow aspirates into uniform single-cell suspensions for downstream applications including flow cytometry, primary cell culture, FACS sorting, and immunophenotyping. The strainer is placed filter-side down in the collection tube, the tissue suspension is added to the strainer basket and pushed through the nylon mesh using the plunger of a syringe, the wet end of a syringe barrel, or the back of a sterile 1 mL syringe. Choose 40 µm for fine single-cell suspension preparation from soft tissues; 70 µm for standard tissue disaggregation (the most commonly used pore size); 100 µm for pre-filtration of coarse tissue homogenates and large spheroids.

What you will find:

40μm Cell Strainers for fine-scale molecular filtration
70μm Cell Strainers for routine primary cell isolation
100μm Cell Strainers for large cluster separation
Sterile Nylon Mesh Strainers for precise pore consistency
Color-Coded Strainers for easy micron-size identification
Universal Fit Strainers for standard 50mL centrifuge tubes

How to Choose Cell Strainers

Pore Size by Application
40 µm strainers (blue) produce the finest filtrate, retaining cell aggregates and larger tissue debris while passing single cells and small cell clusters. They are the standard for preparing highly uniform single-cell suspensions from soft tissues (spleen, thymus, lymph nodes) for flow cytometry, where doublets must be minimized. 40 µm strainers have lower flow rates and clog more readily with dense or fibrous tissues. 70 µm strainers (white) are the most commonly used pore size in cell biology — they balance efficient single-cell passage with adequate retention of fibrous connective tissue and undigested tissue chunks. Standard for tumor dissociation, liver perfusion single-cell prep, and any tissue where a moderate doublet rate is acceptable. 100 µm strainers (yellow) pass cell clusters and small organoids while retaining large undissociated tissue pieces; used as a first-pass pre-filtration step before 70 µm or 40 µm filtration of tough fibrous tissues, and for filtering 3D tumor spheroids grown in 96-well U-bottom plates before reseeding.

Color-Coding for Laboratory Workflow
NEST Scientific cell strainers follow a universal color-coding convention: 40 µm = blue, 70 µm = white, 100 µm = yellow. This matches the color convention used by BD Biosciences Falcon cell strainers, allowing unambiguous pore-size identification during multi-step tissue disaggregation protocols without reading the label at every step.

50 mL Tube Compatibility
NEST Scientific cell strainers are designed with a flange diameter that fits securely into the opening of 50 mL conical centrifuge tubes from most major brands, including BD Falcon, TPP, and MidSci, per NEST Scientific product documentation. A molded tab on the upper ring facilitates sterile handling during tube loading without touching the mesh surface.

Tissue Types and Recommended Pore Size
For spleen, thymus, and lymph nodes: 40 µm or 70 µm. For bone marrow: 70 µm. For tumor biopsy (mechanically or enzymatically dissociated): 40 µm (after enzyme digestion) or 70 µm (mechanical disaggregation only). For liver (perfusion-dissociated hepatocytes): 70 µm or 100 µm. For 3D spheroid disaggregation: 40 µm or 70 µm, depending on the desired cluster size in the filtrate. For flow cytometry sorting (minimize doublets): 40 µm immediately before loading the sorter.

Compare NEST Scientific Cell Strainer SKUs

40 µm (Blue): NEST Catalog 258369; 50/case; suitable for fine single-cell suspension and flow cytometry pre-filtration.
70 µm (White): NEST Catalog 258368; 50/case; suitable for standard tissue disaggregation and universal applications.
100 µm (Yellow): NEST Catalog 258367; 50/case; suitable for pre-filtration, coarse tissue processing, and spheroid size selection.

Specifications Context

NEST Scientific cell strainers are manufactured from nylon mesh bonded to a polypropylene (PP) frame with a tab-molded upper ring for sterile handling. Pore sizes are 40 µm, 70 µm, and 100 µm; mesh pore spacing is uniform per manufacturing lot. Compatible with 50 mL conical centrifuge tubes from BD Falcon, TPP, and MidSci per NEST Scientific USA documentation. Each strainer is sterile (gamma-irradiated), individually wrapped, non-pyrogenic, and DNase/RNase-free per lot certificate. Non-cytotoxic nylon mesh. All three pore sizes (40, 70, and 100 µm) are stocked by MBP in cases of 50.

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FAQ

Cell strainers are sterile nylon mesh filter caps that sit in a 50 mL conical tube, used to disaggregate tissue homogenates — tumors, spleens, lymph nodes, bone marrow, and liver — into uniform single-cell suspensions for flow cytometry, FACS sorting, primary cell culture, and immunophenotyping. A tissue suspension is pushed through the mesh using a syringe plunger; the mesh retains aggregates and debris while passing single cells into the collection tube.

40 µm strainers (blue) produce the finest filtrate with the lowest doublet rate — standard for preparing single-cell suspensions from soft tissues (spleen, thymus) for flow cytometry. 70 µm strainers (white) are the most widely used pore size for standard tissue disaggregation, balancing single-cell yield with debris retention. 100 µm strainers (yellow) pass small cell clusters and allow pre-filtration of coarse tissue homogenates before a subsequent 70 µm or 40 µm filtration step.

NEST Scientific cell strainers follow the universal pore-size color code: 40 µm = blue, 70 µm = white, 100 µm = yellow. This convention matches the color coding used by BD Biosciences Falcon cell strainers and allows unambiguous pore-size identification during multi-step tissue disaggregation workflows without reading the label at each step. Using a standardized color code reduces pipetting errors in protocols that use multiple pore sizes sequentially.

NEST Scientific cell strainers (40, 70, and 100 µm) are designed to fit securely into the opening of 50 mL conical centrifuge tubes. Confirmed compatible brands include BD Falcon, TPP, and MidSci per NEST Scientific USA product documentation. The strainer's molded flange rests on the tube rim; the tab on the upper ring allows sterile handling without touching the nylon mesh surface.

Place the cell strainer filter-side down into a 50 mL conical tube. Wet the mesh with 1 mL of cold PBS or tissue culture medium. Add the tissue homogenate to the strainer basket, then grind or push it through the mesh using the plunger of a sterile 1 mL syringe, the back of a syringe barrel, or a sterile plastic pestle. Rinse the mesh with 2–3 mL of cold PBS to collect remaining cells. Centrifuge the filtrate at 300–400 × g for 5 minutes to pellet cells.

40 µm cell strainers are the standard for pre-sorting filtration immediately before loading a cell suspension onto a flow sorter (FACSAria, Becton Dickinson Aria Fusion, BD FACSMelody, Sony SH800). A 40 µm filter removes cell aggregates and doublets that would clog the sort nozzle (typically 70–130 µm diameter). Filtering immediately before sorting is important — cells re-aggregate within 30–60 minutes at room temperature in suspension.

Yes. Cell strainers are used to select spheroids by size from 96-well U-bottom or ultra-low attachment suspension cultures. A 100 µm strainer retains spheroids ≥100 µm while passing single cells and small clusters; a 40 µm strainer can be used to select smaller spheroids. For re-seeding dissociated spheroids as single cells, use 40 µm filtration after enzymatic disaggregation to remove undissociated clumps.

MBP stocks NEST Scientific cell strainers in all three pore sizes — 40 µm (catalog 258369, blue), 70 µm (catalog 258368, white), and 100 µm (catalog 258367, yellow) — in cases of 50, individually wrapped sterile, with direct PO-based ordering and institutional pricing support. MBP is a registered vendor for Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Vanderbilt University, and MD Anderson Cancer Center.

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