By Donal O’Sullivan, BSc. Reviewed by Michael Anderson, MBA.

Standardising chromatography consumables means creating a controlled list of products and specifications that the laboratory can purchase repeatedly with confidence. It does not mean reducing the number of products simply to make purchasing easier. A useful standardisation programme identifies genuine duplication, records the technical requirements that must be preserved and makes clear which products are approved for each workflow. Where different methods, instruments or samples genuinely require different consumables, those differences should remain. Done well, standardisation can make repeat ordering easier, reduce unnecessary SKU variation and give laboratory and purchasing teams a clearer basis for evaluating proposed alternatives.

 

Key Takeaways

• Standardise approved requirements, not just product names. Record enough information to preserve the technical specification the laboratory actually needs.
• Remove only genuine duplication. Similar descriptions or nominal specifications do not by themselves establish that two chromatography consumables are interchangeable.
• Keep separate products where the application requires them. Different instruments, methods, samples or controlled procedures can justify different consumables.
• Use an approved-product list as the operational control. It should show what is routinely used, where it is used and what alternatives have been accepted.
• Treat alternatives separately from primary products. A proposed substitute should not enter routine purchasing until its suitability has been established through the laboratory's appropriate technical process.
• Use standardisation to simplify repeat ordering, not to bypass technical decisions. Cost, availability and supplier convenience come after suitability.

What Does Chromatography Consumables Standardisation Mean?

In a busy laboratory, chromatography consumables can accumulate gradually.

One analyst orders a preferred vial. Another method uses a slightly different septum. A new instrument introduces another syringe filter or column specification. Supplier codes change. Different teams create their own descriptions for the same item.

Over time, the purchasing system can contain multiple products that appear to perform the same job, alongside other products that look similar but are actually required for different technical reasons.

Standardisation is the process of bringing that complexity under control.

The objective is to define:

• which consumables are approved for routine use;
• which specification applies to each workflow;
• which products are genuinely duplicated;
• which approved alternatives may be used;
• and which differences must be preserved.

That distinction matters. A laboratory should not reduce ten SKUs to five simply because five is easier to manage. It should reduce ten to five only where the remaining products continue to satisfy the controlled requirements of the relevant workflows.

For broader context on the different consumable groups involved in chromatography, see The Complete Guide to Chromatography Consumables for UK Laboratories.

Why Do Busy Laboratories Accumulate Duplicate Consumables?

Duplicate or near-duplicate products often arise for understandable reasons.

Different people order the same requirement differently

One team may record a manufacturer catalogue number, another a supplier code and another a shortened description. The purchasing system can then make a single approved item look like several different products.

Historical products remain active

A laboratory may move to a new product but continue to carry the previous item in its ERP, spreadsheet or local stock list.

Similar products are added without checking existing approvals

A new buyer or scientist may source a product that appears suitable without realising that an approved version is already in use elsewhere in the laboratory.

Different workflows genuinely need different specifications

Not all apparent duplication is waste.

Two chromatography vials, filters or columns may look similar in a purchasing report while serving different methods or instruments. The first task is therefore to distinguish true duplication from necessary technical variation.

What Should a Laboratory Standardise?

Standardisation is most useful for consumables that are purchased repeatedly and for which the laboratory can define a stable approved requirement.

Potential areas include:

• chromatography vials, caps and septa;
• routine syringe filters;
• recurring GC consumables;
• established HPLC or UHPLC column specifications;
• approved guard-column configurations;
• sample-preparation consumables;
• commonly repeated chromatography accessories.

The correct level of standardisation will differ between laboratories.

A routine vial configuration used across several compatible autosamplers may be a good candidate for consolidation. A specialised vial, filter or column required for one particular method may need to remain separate.

The same principle applies across the category: standardise where requirements genuinely align; preserve variation where they do not.

For laboratories working specifically on vial and septa purchasing, the Chromatography Vials and Septa Buying Guide for UK Laboratory Procurement Teams provides the more detailed product-family controls.

Build an Approved Chromatography Consumables List

The practical centre of a standardisation programme is an approved-product list.

This can be maintained within an ERP, purchasing system, controlled spreadsheet or other laboratory-approved record. The format matters less than the clarity of the information.

A useful record might include:

Field	What to record	Why it matters	When technical review may be needed
Consumable category	Vial, septum, filter, column, liner, ferrule or other defined group	Makes the list easier to organise and review	Usually not required for classification alone
Approved product identity	Manufacturer and catalogue or part number where available	Reduces ambiguity during repeat ordering	When the product identity changes
Controlled specification	The characteristics required by the workflow	Preserves the basis on which the item was approved	When a proposed alternative differs
Laboratory use	Relevant method, instrument, application or work area	Helps prevent an approved product being used outside its intended context	When use is extended to another workflow
Supplier reference	Approved supplier code where useful	Supports purchasing traceability	If the supplier code cannot be linked clearly to the approved item
Primary / alternative status	Normal item or approved alternative	Prevents an unreviewed substitute becoming routine by accident	Before adding a new alternative
Pack information	Pack size where operationally relevant	Reduces ordering errors and duplicate records	Normally commercial unless product identity changes
Technical owner	Laboratory, QA or other responsible function where required	Makes escalation responsibility clear	When the specification or approved use changes

The list should contain enough information for someone unfamiliar with the history of the product to understand what can be reordered and what requires confirmation.

How to Identify Genuine Duplicate SKUs

SKU rationalisation should begin with evidence, not assumptions.

A useful review groups products by function and then asks whether the records actually represent the same controlled requirement.

For each apparent duplicate, check:

1. Is it the same manufactured product under different supplier codes?
2. Does it have the same controlled technical specification?
3. Is it approved for the same instrument, method or workflow?
4. Does either record contain a restriction that the other does not?
5. Is one product historical or no longer routinely used?
6. Has the laboratory already approved one as an alternative to the other?

Only after those questions are resolved should records be consolidated.

Generic descriptions are particularly risky. Terms such as “2 mL autosampler vial”, “0.22 µm syringe filter” or “C18 column” may describe a broad class of product without identifying everything that matters to a particular workflow.

The purpose of standardisation is to remove unnecessary complexity without deleting information that protects technical suitability.

Primary Products and Approved Alternatives

A standardised list does not have to mean one product for every requirement.

For important repeat-use consumables, it can be useful to distinguish between:

• primary approved product — the normal repeat-order item;
• approved alternative — a product whose suitability has been assessed and documented for specified workflows, including any required compatibility checks, performance verification or formal change approval;
• proposed alternative — a product that has not yet been accepted for routine use.

This distinction gives purchasing teams more flexibility without turning supplier availability into a technical decision.

If the primary item becomes unavailable, procurement can check whether an approved alternative already exists rather than starting an urgent substitution exercise.

However, the term alternative should not automatically be treated as meaning equivalent. Where suitability depends on method performance, instrument compatibility, material, geometry or another controlled characteristic, the appropriate laboratory or QA function should determine whether the proposed change can be accepted.

Where Standardisation Can Create Technical Risk

Standardisation becomes unsafe when purchasing simplicity takes priority over the analytical requirement.

Consolidating by generic description

Two consumables can share a generic description while differing in characteristics that matter to the workflow.

Assuming nominal specifications establish equivalence

Matching a single specification field is not enough to establish that products can be interchanged across every application.

Standardising across incompatible instruments

A consumable accepted on one instrument should not automatically be assumed suitable for another.

Removing method-specific products as “duplicates”

An apparently unusual SKU may exist because an established method or controlled procedure requires it.

Introducing an alternative for commercial reasons alone

Lower price, shorter lead time or easier availability may justify investigating an alternative. They do not establish technical suitability.

A good standardisation exercise therefore includes laboratory users in the decision wherever technical requirements could be affected.

How Standardisation Improves Repeat Ordering

Once the approved list is established, repeat purchasing becomes much clearer.

Instead of starting with a generic requirement such as “order HPLC vials”, the buyer can work from a controlled product record containing the approved identity and relevant specification.

That can reduce:

• ambiguous requisitions;
• unnecessary supplier searches;
• duplicate product creation;
• repeated questions about which product was used previously;
• accidental ordering of a similar but unapproved item.

Standardisation also makes it easier to see which products genuinely recur across the laboratory.

That information can support later stock-control and reorder planning, but the two activities should not be confused. Standardisation defines what should be bought; stock control determines when and how much should be reordered.

A Practical Seven-Step Standardisation Workflow

A busy laboratory can approach chromatography-consumables standardisation in seven stages.

1. Inventory the current products

Bring together the existing chromatography-consumables records from purchasing systems, local lists and routine laboratory use.

Focus first on products that recur regularly rather than trying to rationalise every specialist item at once.

2. Group products by requirement

Organise items by function and workflow—for example vials, filters, columns or routine GC consumables.

Do not treat everything within a product category as technically equivalent.

3. Confirm the controlled specification

For each regularly used item, establish which characteristics must be preserved for its approved use. Depending on the consumable, these may include dimensions, material composition, chemical compatibility, instrument compatibility and relevant operating limits. For example, vial requirements may include closure type and autosampler compatibility; syringe-filter requirements may include membrane material and pore size; and column requirements may include stationary-phase chemistry, dimensions and particle size. Record only those characteristics necessary to preserve suitability for the relevant workflow.

Where necessary, involve the scientist, laboratory manager, QA function or other technical owner.

4. Identify genuine duplication

Separate duplicate commercial records from products that are technically distinct.

Remove old or redundant records only when the laboratory is confident that the distinction is no longer required.

5. Define primary products and approved alternatives

Record the normal repeat-use item and any alternatives that have already been appropriately accepted.

Do not place unreviewed substitutes onto the approved list simply to increase purchasing flexibility.

6. Assign ownership

Define who can maintain the list and who must approve technical changes.

This prevents the standard from gradually changing through informal substitutions or duplicate product creation.

7. Review the list periodically

A standardised list should remain controlled but not static.

Products can be discontinued, manufacturers can change references, methods can change and new equipment can create new requirements. Periodic review helps keep the list useful without turning every routine reorder into a fresh selection exercise.

A product may also change without receiving a new catalogue number. Where the laboratory becomes aware of changes to its materials, design, manufacturing specifications or other characteristics relevant to the approved use, the responsible technical function should assess whether the existing approval remains valid. Routine reorders do not require fresh technical approval unless a relevant change or concern has been identified.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to standardise chromatography consumables?

Standardising chromatography consumables means defining a controlled set of approved products and specifications for routine laboratory use. The aim is to remove unnecessary variation while preserving the technical requirements of each method, instrument or workflow.

A good standardisation system records what can be reordered routinely and identifies where separate products or technical approval are still required.

Which chromatography consumables can a laboratory standardise?

Laboratories can consider standardising recurring chromatography consumables where the required specification is stable and shared across suitable workflows. Examples may include vials, caps, septa, syringe filters, routine GC consumables and established column configurations.

Products should remain separate where different methods, instruments, samples or controlled procedures require different specifications.

Should similar chromatography consumables be consolidated into one SKU?

Only genuine duplicates should be consolidated into one SKU. Similar descriptions or nominal specifications do not by themselves establish that two chromatography consumables are interchangeable.

Before consolidation, confirm product identity, controlled specifications, intended use and any method or instrument restrictions that need to be preserved.

How should approved alternatives be recorded?

Approved alternatives should be recorded separately from the primary product and only after their suitability has been assessed and documented for the specified workflow. The record should make clear which alternative has been accepted, for what use and any relevant conditions attached to that approval.

A proposed substitute should remain separate until any required compatibility checks, performance verification or formal change approval has been completed.

Who should approve changes to a standardised chromatography consumable?

Technical changes should be approved by the laboratory function responsible for the affected method, instrument or controlled workflow. Procurement or purchasing teams can identify alternatives and compare documented information, but they should not be expected to determine analytical equivalence where scientific or quality assessment is required.

The appropriate approval route will depend on the laboratory's own procedures.

How often should an approved chromatography consumables list be reviewed?

Review an approved chromatography consumables list when relevant products, methods, equipment or supply arrangements change, and periodically according to the laboratory's own controls. There is no single review frequency that is appropriate for every laboratory.

The important control is that discontinued products, changed references, new alternatives and other relevant changes are assessed before the list becomes unreliable.

Make Standardisation a Technical Control, Not Just a Purchasing Exercise

The most useful standardisation programmes do more than shorten a purchasing list.

They define which chromatography consumables are routinely approved, preserve the specifications that matter and make genuine alternatives easier to manage. That gives laboratory managers a clearer basis for reducing unnecessary SKU variation while keeping technical decisions where they belong.

Once the laboratory has defined its repeat-use requirements, LabFriend UK can help you build a standard chromatography consumables list around those approved specifications.

Read More

• The Complete Guide to Chromatography Consumables for UK Laboratories
• Chromatography Vials and Septa Buying Guide for UK Laboratory Procurement Teams

Explore More

• Browse Chromatography Consumables
• Contact LabFriend UK About a Standard Consumables List

 

Written by: Donal O’Sullivan, BSc, Co-Founder and Sales Director, LabFriend UK. Donal brings deep chemistry-led technical expertise across analytical chemistry, biochemistry, environmental monitoring, laboratory instrumentation, consumables and scientific product selection.

Reviewed by: Michael Anderson, MBA, Founder and Managing Director, LabFriend UK. Michael reviews LabFriend UK content for customer relevance, commercial accuracy, operational practicality and alignment with LabFriend UK’s laboratory supply model.