Reusable vs Disposable Lab Mats - which is the SMARTER choice?
Posted by Erin Ryan on Jun 25, 2022
To answer this question, we need to understand the Whole Life Costing (WLC) of our reusable Silicone Lab Mats and their disposable alternatives. WLC is the true Cost of Ownership, not just the purchase price.
But first, let's look at both solutions and their benefits and features as a whole.
Heathrow Scientific's Silicone Lab Mat is generously sized workspace (23.5" x 14") that will hold most benchtop equipment along with glassware, tube racks and any other supplies being used. The mat features a raised lip feature that will capture and contain any spills - up to 300 mL. The durable silicone material protects benches from heat and burn marks and is easy to clean and reuse. They even have a magnetic strip to keeps those little stir bars neatly in place.
Alternative lab mats come in a variety of materials, formats and sizes. The most widely used materials are paper and polyethylene lined cloth which is the more spill resilient option. These lab mats come in precut sheets, with 19" x 23" as the largest offering or 18"-20" wide rolls in a variety of lengths from 20 to 300 ft. making it convenient for the user to customize based upon their workspace needs.
How did we calculate the WLC?
We dove deep to look at competitive offerings and selected a comparable paper sheet solution comparing price of ownership and also waste disposable costs.
| Brand | Company | Size | Format | Material | Qty | RRP USP |
| BenchKote® | Cytiva Whatman™ | 19" x 23" | Sheet | Paper | 50 | $235.00 |
| BenchKote Plus™ | Cytiva Whatman™ | 19" x 23" | Sheet | Paper | 50 | $273.00 |
| BenchKote® | Cytiva Whatman™ | 23" x 164ft | Roll | Paper | 1 | $540.00 |
| CleanSheets™ | Nalgene™ | 18" x 50ft | Roll | Polyethylene | 2 | $543.50 |
| CleanSheets™ | Nalgene™ | 12" x 50ft | Roll | Polyethylene | 2 | $759.00 |
| Versi-Dry™ | Nalgene™ | 20" x 300ft | Roll | Polyethylene/Cloth | 2 | $586.00 |
| Versi-Dry™ | Nalgene™ | 20" x 150ft | Roll | Polyethylene/Cloth | 2 | $317.00 |
| Versi-Dry™ | Nalgene™ | 18" x 20" | Sheet | Polyethylene/Cloth | 350 | $521.50 |
| Versi-Dry™ | Nalgene™ | 18" x 20" | Sheet | Polyethylene/Cloth | 100 | $484.50 |
| Super Versi-Dry™ | Nalgene™ | 20" x 100ft | Roll | Polyethylene/Cloth | 4 | $680.00 |
| Super Versi-Dry™ | Nalgene™ | 18" x 20" | Sheet | Polyethylene/Cloth | 350 | $647.00 |
| LabMat™ | Bel-Art™ | 20" x 50ft | Roll | Paper | 1 | $334.50 |
| LabMat™ | Bel-Art™ | 24" x 20" | Sheet | Paper | 100 | $122.70 |
| Silicone Lab Mat™ | Heathrow Scientific | 23.5" x 14" | Mat | Silicone | 1 | $49.44 |
Heathrow Scientific Silicone Lab Mat | Cytiva Whatman™ Benchkote® | |
| Retail price $51.00 each Over a three-year period: Year 1 cost $51.00 Year 1 cost $0.00 Year 1 cost $0.00 Total Cost of ownership $51.00
| Retail price $235.00 pk50 ($4.70 each) Over a three-year period: Assuming changed once a month Year 1 cost 12 x $4.70 = $56.40 Year 1 cost 12 x $4.70 = $56.41 Year 1 cost 12 x $4.70 = $56.42 Plus two rolls of tape = $39.50 Plus clinical waste disposal costs* = $17.14 Total Cost of ownership $225.54 |
The Silicone Lab Mat has a much less total Cost of Ownership over the paper alternative. But that is only for one end user and we know that labs have many! Look what happens when we take multiple lab stations and users into account:
| End Users | Heathrow Scientific Silicone Lab Mat | Cytiva Whatman™ Benchkote® | Savings | |
| 1 x $49.44 | 1 x $225.54 | Saving $178.26 | |
| 5 x $49.44 = $247.20 | 5 x $225.54 = $1,127.70 | Saving $880.50 | |
 | 15 x $49.44 = $741.40 | 15 x $225.54 = $3,383.10 | Saving $2,641.70 | |
| 60 x $49.44 = $2,966.40 | 60 x $225.54 = $13,532.40 | Saving $10,566.00 |
So the answer....Reusable vs Disposable Lab Mats - which is the SMARTER choice?
Selecting our reusable Silicone Lab Mat is clearly the winner here. Not only is the WLC less than the alternative but its' features and benefits outweigh the next best alternative products too!